One day, historians will look back at the idea of "icing the kicker" the same way we view the medical treatment of injured soldiers during the Civil War. Well-meaning but primitive.
Joe Philbin became the latest to be burned by the misguided strategy. On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins coach asked for and received a timeout just as New York Jets kicker Nick Folk was about to attempt a game-winning field goal in overtime.
Naturally, the kick was blocked by Dolphins defensive end Randy Starks. The crowd at Sun Life Stadium went mad, before the hideous reality set in: Philbin had just coached Miami to its doom.
There was no drama in Folk's second kick, which sailed through the uprights to secure an ugly 23-20 Jets win.
"I thought it was the right call," Philbin said of his timeout, via The Associated Press. "I was planning all along to call timeout right before he kicked the ball. ... Typically we're going to ice the kicker."
Countered Folk: "I'd rather kick it than sit there and not kick it. I got another warm-up kick."
It could have been a devastating afternoon for the Jets, who already had lost cornerback Darrelle Revis to a knee injury and were staring at 1-2 with the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans on tap.
Philbin's time out was just the last in a string of miscues by Miami. Ryan Tannehill threw a killer pick six to LaRon Landry. Dan Carpenter missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter and a 48-yard try in overtime.
Bad teams find ways to lose games. The Dolphins certainly did that Sunday. It's time to ice the idea of icing the kicker.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
