If you have to decide in the heat of the moment, take a deep breath and pause for a few seconds.
That time-honored advice is easy to say, but when you are in the heat of the moment – and chaos reigns – it may be hard to remember. This situation may have happened between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the football game.
The Lions had marched down the field and scored a touchdown. Trailing by a point, they opted for a two-point conversion rather than a one-point kick. And they prevailed on a gadget play that saw quarterback Jared Goff hit Taylor Decker with a nifty pass in the end zone.
There is only one problem. The head referee said that Decker, a lineman, had not reported to him before the play; therefore, he was an ineligible receiver, which means the conversion was invalid. [Linemen who may touch the ball when play begins must give a heads-up to the referee so he can let the other team know in advance. Silly perhaps, but them’s the rules.]
Head coach Dan Campbell, a former tight end – big, burly and imposing – was furious. He decided to go for two points again, and a Cowboy player, Micah Parsons, jumped off-sides, which gave the Lion another try. The Lions tried a third time. And failed.
Campbell, who wrestled with his composure after the game, kept his post-game remarks short and curt. He defended his play calling and the actions of his player, Decker, who said he had reported to the referee. The referee did not hear him and confused Decker with another lineman.
The bigger picture
Asa Lions fan more familiar with the Lions’ futility than success, I understand Campbell’s decision. One of the reasons that Campbell is the right coach for the Lions in their three-year long makeover effort is his passion as well as his ability to instill that passion in his players.
However, as an observer of leadership decision-making, Campbell was right in going for two the first time but not a second or third time when the odds were against him. Kicking the extra point would have sent the game into overtime.
No team likes to play in overtime, where anything can happen, especially if your team fails to win the toss and the other team scores a touchdown before letting your team go on offense. [If the opponent scores a field goal, the other team that lost the coin toss can go on offense
That final play and the referee’s decision will be debated for years. Like many underdog teams, Lions fans feel that the NFL favors teams with more extensive fan bases and winning traditions. There is no proof, but recall that “fan” is short for “fanatic.” [And the Lions have been wronged before. In 2015, against the same Cowboys, the referees negated a pass interference call that stymied Lion’s momentum and perhaps their chances of winning the game.]
Take stock of the moment.
Regardless of the moment’s mood, leaders owe it to their teams to make the best decision. Campbell is certain he did. In his post-game comments, Campbell affirmed his decision to go for it—no second thoughts. “I told the offense that we were going down — 1:41 left — that we would go down and score and that we were going to go for two and finish this game out. I told them that.”
In his favor, the Lions had already clinched the division title and home-field advantage for the first game, so a loss in this game is not a season-ender. The rest of us who make decisions when the heat is on may recall this game and think twice.
The point is not to second-guess yourself. It is to make sure you have your wits about you to make a deliberate choice. Spur-of-the-moment decisions in the heat of conflict may not always play out as intended.
Note: The NFL may wish to tighten up the lineman reporting rule in the future. My colleague Todd Cherches, a consultant, professor, and author of Visual Leadership, emailed me, saying, “There needs to be a better system for ensuring that a referee hears a player ‘Reporting’ that they are eligible. Perhaps something more ‘visual’ – like a hand gesture by the player (hand-tap-of-heart?), followed by a sign by the referee indicating, “I heard you” (perhaps a simple thumbs-up?).”
Good advice, Todd. Your call NFL Rules Committee.