1 week ago
2
With the Panthers down 16-7 from the Tampa 20 with 11:16 to play, Carolina coach Dave Canales dialed up an ill-fated flea flicker on first and 10.
Running back Rico Dowdle slipped after getting the handoff, and made an awkward pitch back to quarterback Bryce Young. Young tried to scoop the ball up and keep going. The effort failed, and the Buccaneers recovered.
Advertisement
After the 16-14 loss, Canales defended the decision.
"It was an aggressive call, knew they were gonna play us in single high right there, and we just — Rico slipped on the exchange, and we took a shot right there. I like the call," Canales told reporters. "I like the opportunity that it presented us right there in the red zone to take advantage of it, and we didn't get that done."
Canales emphasized that Dowdle simply slipped. The Panthers coach also declined to share any details about how the play would have unfolded, but for the miscue.
"I don't want to get into that," Canales said. "We have another game potentially. . . . It's just an aggressive call that I had the right look on."
Right look or not, the field conditions weren't conducive to trickery. Which the Panthers learned the hard way.
English (US) ·