Because you take every single chance you possibly can until there are ZERO seconds left.
Think of the crazy things we’ve all seen at the ends of games. You NEVER concede and if he did, he should be fired. It’s the playoffs. Lose, and there is no tomorrow. It’s simply unacceptable to think he did that.
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If I am a Tampa Fan today, I am pretty pissed off about the situation. Yes, I understand how the standard way of playing in out would have gone with the timeout called after the first kneel down. But guess what? After the quicker snap on 2nd down, it changed the dynamic of the situation. The Bucs could have called timeout after the 3rd down snap, and there would have been 37 seconds left. If Badgley missed a 45 yard field goal, there is probably 30 seconds left and the Bucs have the ball on their 35 yard line. Ask Pat Mahomes what can be done with 30 seconds.
Sure, Bowles might have looked like an ass around the league for his ‘breaking’ of a gentleman’s agreement that might exist. But I am sure the ire he is receiving in Buc’s world today is much more cumbersome for him to have to deal with.
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You guys are reading too much into this…
Its simple
Coach Bowles and Coach Campbell are friends and were on same team together. The bucs gave up knowing it was over. The lions spead it up.
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The point is regardless of when Todd uses time outs the Lions have options.
Look, even if Bowles baits Campbell into thinking he is giving up but uses his time out at 33 seconds left the Lions were at the Tampa 30. Detroit lines up for a FG and likely wins the game. BUT…even if we miss and give the Bucs great field position they likely have maybe 25 seconds left and no time outs? Yep, they can run a couple plays but math ain’t in their favor at all…AND, and this matters:
Todd signaled the game was over by not using his time outs. If Todd wanted to play it to the wire he would have used the TO after 1st down. The Lions start running plays then trying for one more first down using even more clock in the process.
The ONLY way their is time remaining is if Todd breaks professional coaching ethics and signals the game is over but then uses his late TO and that is WEAK. I don’t think his players would have liked that. ESP. if the Lions kick a FG as Tod forced them to try to score again.
This is a dangerous game. Todd isn’t playing weakass games like that. If he wanted to play the Lions would have lined up and run real plays and the clock would have been killed in three running plays as each running play likely takes an extra 5-10 seconds off the clock. Maybe there are a few seconds left on the clock for 4th down to deal with BUT…and to the point, Bowles would have played to win until the last seconds were off the clock.
This is a dangerous game. Bowles would have to act like he is giving up only to call the TO after 3rd down and that would make Bowles a clear weasel. Pretend to concede the force a field goal attempt? Weak. If you want to fight then fight. If you want to concede then concede. At least the Lions know what package to bring in and what plays to run. Imagine the Lions come to the LOS and run a rushing play when the Bucs were expecting e kneel down? Or say Goff fakes the knee and then hands the ball off? Weak. Campbell could later say there was enough time left that we had to run a few more seconds off the clock but that would have been very, very bad. Unsportsmanlike. By calling a time out after 3rd down Bowles would also have been a poor sport as he is forcing the Lions to try to score more points after acting like they gave up.
Fans might be happy with a strategy like that but the players would know how awful a strategy like that was and is and there would be consequences for an unprofessional move like that.
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I think you are right. Otherwise Campbell was nuts to rush the kneeldowns like that - it did leave them 30 seconds and if they missed the FG (very possible with a long-ish 49-yarder) that would give them time to attempt a TD. A longshot for sure but we have all seen crazier things than that happen at the end of games.
I think TB coach knew that if they called the timeout Campbell would just run the clock down and either throw it out the back of the the zone on 4th down or kick the FG and they’d have no time or maybe 7 or 10 seconds to throw a hail Mary 60+ yards which is basically hopeless, so they just agreed to call it over. I dunno, seems odd if I’m Tampa Bay though. I would have played it out for sure.
You nailed it.
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Dan admits today that the Lions should have bled the clock fully. He’s taking it on the chin, saying it wasn’t handled as cleanly as it should have been.
So, you all are right; concede or not, they didn’t bleed the clock correctly. They rushed it.
I’ve posted a ton on this, so I’m going to take it on the chin, too. Lesson learned (hopefully).
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