"It's disheartening," said cornerback Eric Wright. "We fought so hard and so long, and for it to end that way, it's disheartening."
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View full sizeBrowns defenders (from left) T.J. Ward, Eric Barton and Eric Wright are helplessly behind Santonio Holmes after the Jets receiver broke free on the game-winning reception Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Eric Wright and rookie T.J. Ward shared the blame for Jets receiver Santonio Holmes' game-winning 37-yard touchdown catch that beat the Browns, 26-20, in overtime on Sunday.
With 24 seconds left, Holmes beat cornerback Wright on a short slant to the left at the Browns 30, and safety Ward missed the tackle when Holmes cut past him. Inside linebacker Eric Barton also had a shot at Holmes and missed, enabling him to run the final 30 yards untouched.
"I'll have to look at the tape, but it seemed to me he ran a one-step slant and it was a good play," said Wright, who played off at the snap. "They ran a decent play, but we just have to get him down. It's real simple."
Wright, flagged 27 yards for interference on Holmes in the second quarter on a drive that led to a touchdown, dressed quietly and was as down as anyone in the somber locker room.
"It's disheartening," said Wright. "We fought so hard and so long, and for it to end that way, it's disheartening."
Holmes, the former Ohio State Buckeye and Steeler, said he may have put the bug in offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's ear to run the play because Wright had been playing off him.
"He did it the whole game and I kind of went to my O.C. Brian Schottenheimer and told him, 'coach I need a slant route on 21 [Wright] at some point in this game because he's giving me too much leverage.' We hadn't run a slant all game and we caught it at the perfect time."
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View full size"When I saw the safety step up, and he just went flat-footed, I knew to just take off on him," said the Jets' Holmes after the game. "I put my head down and dug for the end zone. I didn't want to hesitate any longer. I'm pretty sure that if I would have [hesitated], they could have made a stop and we would have been battling for a field goal."Ward, who was drafted for his big-hitting ability, said he absolutely should've made the tackle.
"I definitely had a shot," he said. "If I'm in the vicinity, then I have a shot. He made a good cut. It was a great play by him. I had help on the backside. When I came over, he had caught the ball. I tried to cut the field off but he made a good cut and turned it upfield."
He said embattled cornerback Wright shouldn't be blamed for the loss.
"It wasn't just Eric's play to make," said Ward. "After [Holmes] caught the ball, I was there and [Eric Barton] was there. There were three players that could've made a play on that. I wouldn't at all put all the blame on Eric."
Ward stressed that "nobody was out of position. We just didn't make a play. He gets paid, too."
Holmes said he knew he was gone once he got past Ward.
"Once I saw the ball leave Mark [Sanchez's] hand, my job was to at least get a first down," he said. "When I saw the safety step up, and he just went flat-footed, I knew to just take off on him. I put my head down and dug for the end zone. I didn't want to hesitate any longer. I pretty sure that if I would have [hesitated], they could have made a stop and we would have been battling for a field goal."
Rex Ryan said Holmes wanted to apologize to Ryan's brother, Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan after the TD. "I'm like, 'hey forget all that.,'" Rex Ryan said. "'Don't worry about that, buddy. He forgives you.'''
Holmes thanked the Browns for going for the win instead of the tie, which included throwing deep on first down when they were backed up at their 3.
"That's all self-explanatory," said Holmes. "They probably should have stuck with running the ball, and they shouldn't have called timeout. That's how they gave us the game again."
Explained Braylon Edwards: "We'd been running a lot of verticals, so they were playing off. Mark gave [Holmes] the signal that said, 'If you see this, run it.' They executed it well. Thirty-seven yards later, we got the win."
Cornerback Sheldon Brown, who watched from the locker room after suffering a shoulder/neck injury, said Wright and Ward shouldn't be too hard on themselves.
"That was a championship fight," he said. "It's a tough way to lose. It [stinks] for everybody involved, not one individual. But you can take some positives out of it. I hope those guys understand that we have a good football team."
Said Ward: "It hurts to lose like that, but we found out a lot about ourselves. We're a very prideful team and we know we could've won that game. I'd rather lose like that than in a blowout anytime."