Jets coordinator uses five-year study to defend controversial play call against Packers

Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich explained on Thursday the reasoning behind several of the questionable decisions that were made on offense that led to the Jets’ 20-17 overtime loss to the Packers on Sunday.On the sequence at midfield late in regulation with the score tied at 17-17 when Reich opted to run running back Braelon Allen out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1, Reich defended the call.There was criticism, considering Allen is a 6-1, 235-pound bruiser, that running him from an under-center snap instead of having him start from so deep in the backfield would have been a better play.Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.

Allen was stopped by Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness for no gain, giving Green Bay the ball in great field position with the chance to win the game.The Jets defense held, but they lost in OT a short time later.Reich’s defense of the call was analytics, as he arrived on Thursday in his weekly meeting with reporters armed with statistical data.“As a play caller in those situations, everything is always on the table — under center, shotgun, pass, run,’’ Reich said.

“I’m always going to call what I think is the best play in the moment, and that’s what I did.“When it doesn’t work out, sure, you’re upset, you think maybe you should’ve called something else, but you have to live with the results.I’m comfortable and confident in the calls we made.’’Reich then, “for context,’’ recited a five-year study, excluding quarterback sneaks, that shotgun runs on fourth-and-1 convert at about 71 percent compared to 67 percent under center.“The gun run is actually better, in part because the threat of a pass keeps the defense from getting too tight,’’ Reich said.

“We also had a five-year study showing pass conversion at 57-percent versus 71-percent on the ground.Trust me, we’re going to throw it on fourth-and-1 sometime...