Detroit Lions' Dominic Raiola accepts blame for final play, thought it was a different call

Justin Rogers | By Justin Rogers |
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on September 24, 2012 at 4:11 PM, updated September 24, 2012 at 4:14 PM
dominic-raiola.jpg Dominic Raiola said he read quarterback Shaun Hill's lips wrong on the final play call Sunday, missing the check for the ball not to be snapped.

ALLEN PARK -- On Sunday, the Detroit Lions hopes for a miraculous comeback ended in overtime on a botched fourth-down play deep in Tennessee Titans territory.

It was a play that was never supposed to be run. 

The idea was to hurry to the line and attempt to draw the Titans offsides. If the strategy failed, the Lions were going to kick a short field goal to tie the score. The breakdown happened when center Dominic Raiola didn't get the correct call from quarterback Shaun Hill.

On Monday, a contrite Raiola accepted full blame for the miscommunication.

"That's just on me, execution on my part," Raiola said on Monday.

As part of the plan to draw the Titans offsides, the Lions didn't huddle. In the chaos of the moment, with the Tennessee crowd going wild, Raiola said he simply misunderstood Hill's play call.

"We tried to get up on the ball and run a play that wasn't supposed to be snapped and I totally read Shaun's lips the wrong way. I ran a fullback dive."

During his Monday press conference, coach Jim Schwartz said Raiola isn't the only player taking the loss hard.

"It's tough on Dom, it's tough on every player in the locker room," Schwartz said. "There are a dozen of plays in that game that you could point to and say, "Geez, if that doesn't happen..." If we don't give up a 71-yard touchdown pass, if we don't commit a penalty and let them in field goal range, if we stop that kick return, if we convert one more third down, if we get one more yard on the play before, not even a yard, if we get eight more inches on the play before. 

"There are a lot of players that go through that and a lot of coaches that internalize it. That's part of this league. He's no different than 52 other guys in that locker room that had a hand in us coming back in that game and also that is part of something that causes us not to win the game."

Raiola didn't sound as if he was accepting that explanation.

"That's a big play of the game," Raiola said. "I know a lot of people say that's not the play that lost the game, but that's so cliche. I take my job pretty serious, and to end the game like that sucks."

Raiola explained that there is a keyword in the play call that indicates the ball shouldn't be snapped. He didn't hear it and regrets not checking again with Hill to confirm the call.

Schwartz reiterated on Monday that there was never an intention of going for it on fourth down.

"Going into the play, it seemed like there was no downside trying to draw them off," Schwartz said. "If we jumped offsides or something, we move back five yards and still kick the field goal. We're still certainly in Jason Hanson's range there. What wasn't supposed to happen, no downside ended up having a downside. That's on me a head coach."