So I looked at it about four more times, and I’ll revise my original position. Caleb might not have been trying to fake out Campbell. I think he might have thought about it, then tried to slide feet first But he started his slide too late. Either way its a textbook play on what not to do when you are running as a QB. He’ll learn.
But just stop with the “I don’t appreciate the hit” bullshit. You were in bounds on your feet. You don’t want to get it then get out of bounds faster.
I also think it’s funny that Caleb is calling it “funky”. What he really is saying is he thought it was dirty. No one in the NFL is going to agree with a rookie QB getting hit in bounds, and calling it dirty. Caleb is just showing that he expects different treatment.
The guy has been hearing for the past 3 years he is the next Mahomes. He thinks he is entitled to the same hands off treatment. Even on legal plays.
If that was the newly minted Mobile Goff doing that, I would have criticized him for not sliding or going straight out of bounds. It was the angle of Caleb turning back and stopping that created that contact, Campbell wasn’t aiming for the knee and hit the hip anyway. If he had simply gone out of bounds or slid like most QBs would do there would have been no issue.
You know what play was really funky?
The one where he didn’t call a time out and handed us the win.
QB’s with brains call time outs all the time.
He doesn’t have one.
There was another play where Campbell ran BY Caleb as Caleb had gone out of bounds. Jack ran into the Ref on the play. And…as he was going by Caleb, Jacks arm hit Caleb.
What happened next? Classic WWE flop…Caleb looking directly at Ref trying to draw a flag.
The flopping is going to backfire on him. This isn’t soccer. He will get a reputation and then he won’t even be getting calls he deserves. The refs don’t like being made fools of. Their job is hard enough without people trying to deceive them for stupid reasons. The Lions found that out too.
It shows that Caleb didn’t do proper film study and his coaches didn’t properly prepare him. If you go back to the beginning of last season, that hit on the sidelines is exactly how AG coaches it. Even if Caleb were CLEARLY trying to go out of bounds, AG has the guys racing to BEAT the QB to the sidelines and lay a lick on him before he can get there.
You run…you feel it. That’s how our defense is built. The Falcons QB and Jimmy G stopped running after getting popped one good time near the sidelines.