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Jim Caldwell: I wasn’t challenging a four-yard play
Posted by Josh Alper on December 19, 2016, 8:00 AM EST
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On the third play of Sunday’s game between the Giants and Lions, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham dropped a short pass from Eli Manning.
Either through ignorance or incompetence, the officiating crew gave Beckham credit for a four-yard gain as reward for his drop and the blown call stood because Lions coach Jim Caldwell opted not to challenge the play. Caldwell has challenged three plays all season and explained why he decided not to throw the flag.
“It was 4 yards. We’re not going to challenge that play,” Caldwell said, via MLive.com. “It was late when we saw it, but we wouldn’t have challenged it anyway in that situation.”
While there’s always the risk of burning through challenges too quickly, it’s hard to imagine that was Caldwell’s fear given how rarely he’s used the challenge option this season and how obvious it was that the officials had butchered the call.
The short gain gave the Giants a second-and-6 on their way to a game-opening touchdown. It’s impossible to know how things would have played out if they faced second-and-10 instead, of course, but it does seem to fall into the category of every little thing helping.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/12/19/jim-caldwell-i-wasnt-challenging-a-four-yard-play/
Posted by Josh Alper on December 19, 2016, 8:00 AM EST
On the third play of Sunday’s game between the Giants and Lions, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham dropped a short pass from Eli Manning.
Either through ignorance or incompetence, the officiating crew gave Beckham credit for a four-yard gain as reward for his drop and the blown call stood because Lions coach Jim Caldwell opted not to challenge the play. Caldwell has challenged three plays all season and explained why he decided not to throw the flag.
“It was 4 yards. We’re not going to challenge that play,” Caldwell said, via MLive.com. “It was late when we saw it, but we wouldn’t have challenged it anyway in that situation.”
While there’s always the risk of burning through challenges too quickly, it’s hard to imagine that was Caldwell’s fear given how rarely he’s used the challenge option this season and how obvious it was that the officials had butchered the call.
The short gain gave the Giants a second-and-6 on their way to a game-opening touchdown. It’s impossible to know how things would have played out if they faced second-and-10 instead, of course, but it does seem to fall into the category of every little thing helping.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/12/19/jim-caldwell-i-wasnt-challenging-a-four-yard-play/