It's only the correct strategy when the alternative is to allow the other team to attempt a 19-yard go-ahead field goal (basically, an extra point) that will leave you with no time outs and about 5 seconds left on the clock. Is the likelihood of a missed field goal (from 19 yards) greater than the likelihood of Brady engineering a touchdown drive with a minute to play and a timeout in hand?
I'm with Gilbride on this one.
My take? It's 2nd and goal on the 8, when they let Bradshaw walk in. There's still a whole lot that can go wrong in 2 plays, from botched snaps to fumbles to blocked kicks, to penalties, to botched clock handling, to just "the kicker shanking it wide right", and on and on and on.
Is a 25-yard FG a "gimme"? Probably. But, I'll take "Probably" over "A Certain TD, then drive the length of the field in less than a minute", every single time.
Annnnnnd......IMHO, the Pats possibly would have gotten within FG range in 20-25 sec. The 20-yard out plays that they were running on the last drive were working pretty well. Might have been a 60+ yd FG, but that's no less uncertain than a Hail Mary.
What the heck, it doesn't really matter, I'm a Panthers fan anyway. LOL! Got a little more payback for what? 8 years ago? With Vinateri and his magic right foot....