Dumb Decisions: The STUPIDEST Coaching in NFL CHRISTMAS HISTORY | Lions @ Dolphins (Christmas 1994)

In a 1994 NFL Christmas game between the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, the Lions and head coach Wayne Fontes went for it on 4th and 1, and inexplicably, instead of giving the ball to the league's leading rusher in Barry Sanders, decided to give the ball to Eric Lynch, their backup running back who did not have a single rushing attempt all season. The play led to predictable results. This is the story and a breakdown of arguably the worst coaching decision in the history of the NFL on Christmas
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#christmas #nfl #nflchristmas #nflthrowback #lions #dolphins #detroitlions #miamidolphins #football #sports #highlights #xmas
Members of the 1994 Lions:
Jason Hanson
Greg Montgomery
Dave Krieg
Scott Mitchell
Barry Sanders
Harry Colon
Mel Gray
Milton Mack
Greg Jeffries
Eric Lynch
Jocelyn Borgella
Derrick Moore
Willie Clay
Bennie Blades
Van Malone
Robert Massey
Ryan McNeil
Tom Beer
Ty Hallock
Broderick Thomas
Scott Kowalowski
Kevin Glover
Chris Spielman
Antonio London
Pat Swilling
Victor Jones
Mike Johnson
Mark Rodenhauser
Shawn Bouwens
Doug Widell
Dave Lutz
Lomas Brown
Scott Conover
Mike Compton
Brett Perriman
Anthony Carter
Rodney Holman
Aubrey Matthews
Herman Moore
Johnnie Morton
Ron Hall
Dan Owens
Robert Porcher
Marc Spindler
Kelvin Pritchett
Mike Wells
Shane Bonham
Tracy Scroggins
Tracy Hayworth
Wayne Fontes (head coach)
William Clay Ford (owner)
Members of the 1994 Dolphins:
Jim Arnold
Pete Stoyanovich
Dan Marino
John Kidd
Bernie Kosar
Muhammad Oliver
Mark Higgs
James Saxon
Troy Vincent
David Pool
Gene Atkins
Frankie Smith
Bernie Parmalee
Sean Hill
Cleveland Gary
Tyrone Braxton
Michael Stewart
JB Brown
Calvin Jackson
Irving Spikes
Keith Byars
Chris Green
Terry Kirby
Aaron Craver
Darrell Malone
Robert Wilson
Dwight Hollier
Bryan Cox
Brant Boyer
Aubrey Beavers
Chuck Bullough
Chris Singleton
Dion Foxx
Jesse Solomon
Bert Weidner
Tim Ruddy
Chris Gray
Houston Hoover
Jeff Dellenbach
Jeff Novak
Keith Sims
Ron Heller
Tim Irwin
Richmond Webb
Larry Webster
Irving Fryar
OJ McDuffie
Mark Ingram
Scott Miller
Greg Baty
Ronnie Williams
Mike Williams
Keith Jackson
Marco Coleman
Jeff Cross
William Gaines
Craig Veasey
Tim Bowens
Tyoka Jackson
Chuck Klingbeil
Don Shula (head coach)
Wayne Huizenga (owner)

[@fantasma62]

As a Dolphins fan, I thought it was a brilliant play by Fontes. He was trying to see if he could get the Dolphins to collectively look to see if Sanders was in the sidelines, as the ball was snapped…

[@DolFan316]

IKR? IDK why this is the worst coaching decision ever, it seemed like a great call to me 😊

[@benrichardson8099]

Lol

[@michaelkoszowski3716]

And if they knew ... Surely it would be q.b. sneak or short pass play ...

[@justinpettit8099]

He was just trolling Seahawks fans of the future by actually giving it to Lynch

[@efinden]

@@justinpettit8099 that’s just painful 😣

[@mrmoose6619]

I am even OK with a play action pass or just about any other play with Barry Sanders on the field. Tendency breakers are usually good calls... if not at least justifiable. Just make sure on 4th & 1 that your best player is on the field and must be accounted for.

[@johncate9541]

I could understand the decision if the Lions had a power back who could move the pile. Sanders wasn't a guy who liked to lower his shoulder and get a yard, and he wasn't that good at it when he did. What made him great is that he'd turn busted plays into big gainers by reversing his field or cutting on a dime. But to pull him out on 4th-and-1 for someone who hadn't had a handoff all season? Either run a quarterback sneak with Krieg or give the ball to Barry. If he needed a yard he would do his best. Fontes probably figured giving the ball to Lynch in that situation was so implausible that the defense wouldn't expect it and it would work. If so, he outsmarted himself.

[@mikepastor.k6233]

The Lions had a habit of taking Barry out in goal line situatuons. I think they get carried away by doing the same in short yardage ones as well. Why they did it is up for discussion. I believe it had to do with not getting Sanders beat up in those situations because he proved he could bang in the line and get yards. It's just another Lion's lore of being inept terminally.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

It was to preserve him. Bear in mind he was injured in the Thanksgiving Game in 1993 which caused the Lions to lose that Game to The Bears and be Shut out by the Vikings later on. Thankfully Ron Rivers and The Lions defense against Brett Farve the last week of the season enabled The Lions to win the Division Title.

[@mkozdron1]

For whatever reason, Barry wasn’t their short yardage or goal line running back. As a young Lions fan in the 90s, this used to drive me crazy. Wayne Fontes didn’t think the most elusive running back in NFL history could run up the middle. Barry lost lots of touchdowns because he was deemed “too small.”

[@deadend1041]

Sorry to say it but the coach was right. The one and only weakness in Barry's running game was that when a linebacker wrapped him up, he couldn't go lower and drive-through and push the linebacker back with leg power he did not have that ability.

[@drewdederer8965]

Not so much "too small" as "too variable", Barry was terrifying to face, but he had a VERY high variability. His AVERAGE (mean) gain was over 5 yards. But, it was a bunch of big runs, balanced by the most lost yards of any back in the game. Now, Barry got a lot more big plays than big losses but he wasn't Jerome Bettis reliable ("The Bus" would get you positive yardage almost every time, but he didn't break a lot of long runs). So using him in short yardage would be worrisome. Two out of three (9 of 13) is good, but not THAT good when it's do or die. The big issue is that the Lions ran almost every play out of Single-Back. They didn't HAVE a fullback for tight work (and they couldn't really even use Barry as a decoy). Barry was still a better choice, but the problem was Detroit's offense didn't really have good alternatives for short-yardage (nowadays, you'd count on the QB as the secondary running threat if you lacked a FB). This was a structural weakness of the "Silver Stretch" that never really got solved. Over time, you got a lot of yards. But in tight spots, you had nothing you could depend on (very "Moneyball"). That said, you have to have your best weapon in at a time like this even as a decoy but Detroit didn't really do 2 backs.

[@SECRETARIATguy224]

@@deadend1041 You're a very knowledgeable fan, and you're spot on in your recollection and assessment. Sanders is one of the greatest backs in history, but you're right in identifying his only real weakness.

[@donaldpaluga]

Because Barry runs 10 yards to gain one. Put Sanders on that play, and Miami stacks the box, and.......Detroit doesn't convert 4th and 1

[@mkozdron1]

These are definitely fair points, and to be honest Fontes was probably correct. Unfortunately this was before the days of Cory Schlesinger, and they really didn’t have a viable backup. Especially not Eric Lynch.

[@skkahl3400]

I love it when you scream in bewildered anger. ^_^

[@nasetvideos]

What a great video--I remember this game very well but just for this one play. All of us watching the game were like "that didn't just happen"--Huh? Who did they just hand the ball off to? Couldn't tell you anything else about the game but I remember this call. You laid it our perfectly. Nice job.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

It was Dan Marino's first win against The Lions for one.

[@mangrove]

Wayne did that A LOT, the reasoning being that they needed to pound the ball in with bigger backs. Lynch did perform admirably in 1993 after Barry was injured in the Thanksgiving game that year. The Lions didn't carry a true fullback then, either, often resorting to putting Chris Spielman or Jerry Ball in to lead block. Fans used to question not using Barry on those situations a lot, as well. I think Wayne was wary of Barry getting hurt.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

That was mainly Ron Rivers who did that.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

“WHY IS BARRY SANDERS ON THE SIDELINE?!”

[@higgy04]

Leave it to a former Saskatchewan Roughrider to make a huge play. Chuck Klingbeil was on the 1989 Grey Cup champion team that won one of the most memorable Grey Cup games ever over Hamilton Tiger-Cats 43-40 on a last second field goal.

[@justinpettit8099]

Wayne Fontez is really just a time Traveller who was just trolling the Seahawks many years in advance by actually giving the ball to Lynch.

[@DolFan316]

Here's the weird part: the other two times he faced the Dolphins, Sanders had 32 carries for 143 yards in '91, and a 30 carry 137 yard game in '97.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

Bear in mind he was going for the 2,000 Yard Season that night and The Dolphins were intent on seeing that not happen against them which it didn't.

[@DolFan316]

@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup Also the Dolphins' run D was significantly better in '94 than '91 or '97.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

@@DolFan316 I will take Your Word for it as I am not a Dolphins fan. Thank you for the Information, however.

[@joeyrivaldo5239]

I miss Mike Patrick calling NFL Games on ESPN. I wish they would bring him back. He always made everything so exciting!!

[@crackerjack9320]

Great vid! Barry is my all time fave athlete, regardless of sport!

[@brianhiedemansr2936]

You can’t blame Barry Sanders for retiring early. You can clearly see the frustration on his face, and in his demeanor. I respect Barry Sanders for the type of player he was both on and off the field.

[@b.w.302]

Good thing about the Lions is you have a limitless supply of material for your videos!

[@tryhardfinessedyou]

This channel is criminally under subscribed.

[@marcusanderson4652]

Even though Barry Sanders did rush for 2,000 in 97', he could've done it twice. He had a chance earlier in 94'.

[@jewsco]

That was the curse of the run and shoot offense the lions ran then. They had no fullback or big set to get short yardage . It was one of the big Achilles heels of the lions of that time period

[@MatthewChristianMurray]

Kind of like with the spread today. It has a lot of strengths, but when you commit wholeheartedly to a system, you’re committing not only to what it can do but also to what it can’t do. I remember, in the 2013 B1G Championship Game, watching the Buckeyes of Urban Meyer try (and fail) to convert a fourth-and-1 (maybe even inches) by running a QB sweep from the shotgun. It’s better to combine what works and what you do well from multiple systems, but that’s also more difficult.

[@marcus813]

I can't wait to see other videos from you about Wayne Fontes! As for this game, he would've been better off trotting out Jason Hanson, a reliable PK, than going for it without Barry Sanders in the game. How do you not use one of the best HBs at that point on a 4th down & short situation?! I guess it's typical Lions ineptitude.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

Heinsight is always 20/20.

[@thomasbrown4557]

You mean eddie murray at thatt point i think

[@marcus813]

@@thomasbrown4557 Murray was playing for the Eagles that season.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

@@thomasbrown4557 Eddie Murray was no longer a Lion after the 1991 Season.

[@acewalker.3915]

Do a video on crack back blocking like H Ward used to do and why it was outlawed

[@stevenapier5]

LOL...that is what being a Lions fan was like for me. So many dumb decisions.

[@olewillyboy]

Holy smokes!!! At 10:58 you can Mean Joe Greene as a Dolphins D-Line coach.

[@Fireyninjadog]

The lions could've hosted a playoff game. Instead, they had to go to Lambeau Field, and lose to the packers

[@DolFan316]

Parmalee's numbers for this game: 18 carries, 39 yards, 2 fumbles, and...3 TDs. Also, 5 catches for 47 yards. What would the fantasy line for that be?

[@theecharmingbilly]

Homeless

[@82dorrin]

I don't think a straight-up running play with Barry would have worked here. Miami would have stacked the box and overwhelmed the Lions' blockers. Maybe they should have put Barry in and thrown a screen pass to him? Get him the ball in space and spread out the defense.

[@russellseilhamer4552]

I agree 1000 percent. Sanders is not a short yardage situational back unless you use him in the pass game

[@jeremybiewer5465]

Ya there's a good chance he would have run backwards or sideways trying to make something out of nothing which he was more than capable of doing but the odds are it would have lost yardage.

[@grinningchicken]

It didnt matter Barry was more than likely to make one or two guys miss and then get the yard or break a 20-30 yard run. If he lost yards it didn't matter because it was 4th down. That give it to a norths south big back logic only works on the goal line which the defense doesn't have to worry about the long run from Barry and can sell out also being thrown for a 5 yard loss hurts the Lions more. But that logic doesn't work from 30 yards out with the defense stuck between a rock and a hard place

[@TheTicktockman321]

People forget that for every highlight reel run that Sanders had, he had several for no or negative yards.

[@mgb4692]

@@TheTicktockman321 to which I can hear Aaron Schitz saying "He's not a stud, anyone can do that!'

[@blakfloyd]

10:40 "...which comes out to a pretty nice percentage of 69%." Nice!

[@DolFan316]

*PREACH IT OBJ9!!! TESTIFY!!! TELLIN' IT LIKE IT IS!!!* 🤘🤘🤘

[@Venom3254]

No wonder he retired from playing

[@bigsav1984]

This was the time handing the ball to a rb named lynch was the dumb call.

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about another Dolphins-Lions holiday game, this time on Thanksgiving. He also likes the return of the old school and newer peppy music! (General rule violation alert) I’m guessing you have tomorrow’s video all ready to go. But since it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow I’d like to see your take on the Dolphins-Patriots game on Christmas Eve 2000. The Dolphins were in the locker room celebrating a 27-24 victory and division championship when they got called back onto the field. The previous play was ruled a fumble, but replay changed it to an incomplete pass with time on the clock. The Patriots last play didn’t succeed, and the Dolphins won.

[@DolFan316]

These teams would play in the same stadium on Sunday night again 3 years later, and this time the Fins would blow leads of 14, 13, and 8 points with half a quarter left before winning by 3.

[@DolFan316]

5:42 Thank GOD I wasn't wearing headphones.

[@scottfarmer8758]

It was no guarantee that Barry Sanders would have gotten that one yard. The following week in their 16-12 loss to the Packers in the Wild Card round Barry had -1 yards rushing in the game.

[@travismiller4320]

No, but chance probably better

[@CTubeMan]

To make up for the one yard he didn’t get a chance to gain.

[@scottconner7930]

27 Years Ago

[@DolFan316]

When life was infinitely better than it is now!

[@Steve-wo7gt]

Amazingly this isn't even the dumbest coaching move in the Lions history. Did you ever do a video about that time Marty Mornhinweg opted to kick in Sudden Death Overtime? That's got to be the stupidest coaching decision in NFL history.

[@mikepastor.k6233]

Yeah. There was a 10 mph wind that barely moved the flags... but that was enough for the coach to kick and take the wind instead of receive.

[@ThomasMink]

Hah! I was just going to comment this. When I think of dumb decisions and the Lions, kicking in OT is what comes to mind.

[@mangrove]

I think we knew that MM was doomed to failure after his staged walkout in his first training camp. He abruptly called off the afternoon practice just a few minutes in, and stormed off, taking off on his motorcycle that was conveniently parked next to the field.

[@kevingreen2400]

Mornhiweg was the stupidest coach in NFL history and the Lions have a host of them to choose from

[@chrisjamesr77]

I was trying to think of this the other day and couldn't, wasnt there one where the Lions (and I don't even remember if it was Mornhinweg or some other coach) went for a 2-point conversion after a TD where it just made no sense whatsoever?

[@OhyeahMrKrabz]

Dumb Decisions suggestion also Lions related 2002 Lions vs Bears game goes to OT Lions win the coin toss but coach Marty Mornhinweg decides to take the wind over the ball and kick it to the Bears and they lost the game

[@justinpettit8099]

47 yard field goal with Jason Hanson? That's actually pretty automatic. I don't mind going for it either but ijs. Lol

[@charismatic9904]

I am a HUGE sanders fan.. But BARRY sucked in short yard situations. He was notorious for his failures in those situations.

[@EricHeran]

To be fair, Barry Sanders gained -1 yard the following week, in Green Bay. He was not on the bench then...

[@239bestest]

Dave Krieg should've spiked the ball on 4th and 1 to have a higher passer rating.

[@Boyso5407]

I really enjoy watching these videos but you did make a big mistake with this one. You said the Lions, after kicking the FG to make the score 7-3, wouldn’t score again in the 1st half. But as you point out Johnny Morton had a kickoff return for a TD and the score at the half was 27-10. Didn’t know if anyone else caught that

[@mrmonty86]

JG9 is hilarious.

[@Seanpatf66]

It may have been a better outcome if he had just spiked the ball to the ground on that play.

[@Flamquill]

You touched upon the real reason for the dumb move. It wasn't who they didn't have on the field. It's who they DID have on the field. Also to my understanding, Sanders was more like Shaq than Jordan (if we're using the free throw analogy, and hell... not even Shaq was replaced by someone who've never shot a free throw).

[@Ragnar009]

I don't think the lions ever used sanders in goal line or formations that included a TE back then. I could be wrong.

[@williamgullett5911]

50 yr Lion fan who counters this by reminding all of you that on any 3rd down of over 3 yards the Lions during the whole career of Sanders took him off the field and they put in a pass catching back. Sanders couldn't block or catch and was pulled on 3rd down passing situations. Remember that when trying to rank Sanders in the top back list all time

[@thunderhammerx2966]

I would have gone with play action here; but with Sanders ON the field. Bring the hands team out and get the conversion. Depending on how much heat Sanders draws; a short gainer could break into a big play.

[@americankulak2294]

Bernie Parmalee was a former UPS driver, if I recall correctly. Cool story.

[@grinningchicken]

The logic was Barry wasn't the best at short yardage because his runs would sometimes loses yards when he cut back. However in this circumstance it was 4th down so losing yards wouldn't have mattered but even worse Barry did really well if there was penetration which is what happened on the play because he was almost certain to make the first guy miss and also he could jump over the top if the line was stacked. Also Barry was the ultimate distraction if they wanted to fake it.

[@pronkb000]

Bizarrely, Patrick and Theismann don't first- or second-guess this decision on the ESPN broadcast. Theismann just matter-of-factly points out that Lynch is more of a power-back built for short-yardage situations than Barry. I dunno...I know Barry was more of a north-south-east-west runner than a plow-it-up-the-gut guy, but I think you kind of have to trust him in this situation.

[@DolFan316]

5:35 To be fair, there's no way to tell who that guy is, or if it's even an actual player or a screenshot of an early '80s video game.

[@calvinmcbride8562]

All honesty I cant think of one rb Barry Sanders would be a back up too,. At okla St, he played behind thurman Thomas,. Only because he was younger .

[@zeefly226]

Sanders was also notorious for negative rushing yard plays, and he had a bunch of them the following week in rushing for a grand total of -1 against the Packers in the Wild Card game.

[@dustylover100]

I think Reggie White had a lot to do with it. On any given day, he could stop anybody.

[@chrisjamesr77]

I wouldn't even think it would have a bad call if they had gone for the FG on that 4th and 1. Hanson is the best kicker in Lions history and IMO one of the best ever. A 47 yarder is never a guarantee, but definitely within Hanson's range.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

As it turned out it wouldn't have been enough to win the game.

[@chrisjamesr77]

@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup yeah, true

[@cbehr91]

Wayne Fontes (or maybe the several offensive coordinators during the Sanders era Lions) would frequently take Barry out during short yardage situations.

[@durkadurkamohammedjihad956]

I’m throwing a Hail Mary out here but maybe just maybe Wayne fonts was thinking if he put Barry out there in that situation everybody on the dolphins would know Berry was going to get the ball I’ve seen coaches do plays like that before but yes 99% of us if we were coache I do believe we would’ve gave the ball to Barry.

[@ryanstrnad1852]

I was serving in South Korea then. I'd like to know what was in the water back here though. Then NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol said he kicked himself for airing a Knicks at (a Michael Jordan less) Bulls game that the majority of it ran opposite this game resulting in a poor rating for that said basketball game but I guess this football game got (I think) the largest rating ever for an NFL game on ESPN. Til this day.

[@mgb4692]

Might actually not have been so bad if Phil Jackson had started Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr over Will Perdue and Dickey Simpkins

[@kevingreen2400]

That was Lynch's only carry all season...and that was the Lions final game of the season...make that make sense

[@dangeiger9796]

I thin this inspired Pete Carroll’s strategy in the Super Bowl

[@russellseilhamer4552]

Barry Sanders was a great running back however he is one of the last guys I’d want with the ball in his hand in a 4th and short situation. John Riggins, Jerome Bettis, Earl Campbell, Marshawn Lynch. Those are no brainers but Barry Sanders either strikes out or hits the home run. No one has more long runs in NFL history and no runner has more carries and yards for losses in NFL history. He averaged 4.97 yards per carry in his career. Only the great Jim Brown averaged more. Barry was not great in short yardage situations and Wayne Fontes didn’t like using him in those situations. You should do a story on Wayne Fontes, a man that Chris Berman called Rasputin because every time he was on the hot seat he found a way to survive

[@danejurus69]

Yeah right. I'd take my chances with the HOF'er Sanders.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

Except after the 1996 season when he was fired.

[@deadend1041]

Sorry to say it but the coach was right. The one and only weakness in Barry's running game was that when a linebacker wrapped him up, he couldn't go lower and drive-through and push the linebacker back with leg power he did not have that ability.

[@donaldpaluga]

More importantly, Barry DID run more yards than Emmitt But they only count yards toward the end zone, NOT any run horizontally.

[@Flamquill]

Not completely. To say the coach was right is to assume the player he went with was any better. I've been told that Barry wasn't good at short yardage situation, and that they've used other runners in those situations before. If so, why did they choose someone who didn't have a run all season over that other runner? That's where the coach was wrong.

[@randychilders9996]

Tbf Detroit did this a lot. Barry set an NFL record for negative runs. So Barry came out in short yardage situations from year 4 on

[@dentonyoung4314]

Not enough faces and palms in the US for the amount of facepalming required here.

[@TPTGopher]

Not that it makes the decision any less stupid whatsoever, but the way that DT bowled over the offensive line, I don't think Sanders gets the first down either.

[@donovansdenofgames4573]

I've played him before on Backyard Football he sucks at handling the ball

[@Lawomenshoops]

Dude it’s the Lions and Wayne Fontes, WTF do you think would happen?

[@vict4451]

Crazy that video of a game from the mid 90s looks like it's from the early 80s.

[@MatthewChristianMurray]

As someone who became a football fan in 1993, I can confirm that this is roughly how ‘90s TV looked. It was a little more in focus than in the ‘80s, but otherwise not much changed till the aughts.

[@jeffcousineau2933]

Why would you take Barry Sanders out of the game period?!

[@16ktsgamma]

Lions have had stupid coaching moves and this doesn't surprise me a bit.

[@lazysob2328]

If you notice on that play, the guard gets blown up and the hole isn’t there! I’ve seen Barry play and he was an amazing back, but I’m not sure he would of made it even if he could of avoided the first tackler! Better play calling and this video is nonexistent!

[@ericjdeaton]

As a Dolphins fan,I wholeheartedly approved of Fontes playcalling at the time of the play.

[@juliuskurtz8143]

Detroit ran the silver silver stretch offense was the same offense the falcons oilers ran the run and shot offense Barry my favorite back all times was never know for Short yardage play

[@DolFan316]

Shades of Pete Carroll electing not to even have Reggie Bush on the field for an all-important 4th and 1 in the '05 national title game. If USC makes it they clinch the win and...the Heisman trophy winning, consensus #1 pick in the draft *isn't even out there!* That's when I knew Bush would be an NFL bust.

[@stevengrvp]

why why why

[@richlorenzo]

I was ready to laugh out loud at 7:54 , anticipating another replay of the doomed handoff in the Miami game. 🤣

[@DolFan316]

That season Bernie Parmalee went from someone even DolFans had never heard of despite being on the team 2 years to setting a franchise record for rushing yardage in consecutive games. He became one of my favorite Dolphin players still to this day because of that alone.

[@DolFan316]

The next week my team beat Joe Montana in his final game.

[@kurtgreaser988]

Imagine that a dumb decision by Wayne Fontes, hell a bad decision by Lions coach?

[@giuliani3570]

What some of the youngsters in this group don't understand about Barry..... He was, IMO, the greatest back ever. Had he been a stat's guy and played his full career, he would have had so many yard nobody would ever have caught him. The one downside was the guy could have 30 carries for 3 yards. But he would have 500 yrds side to side. But that 31st could be a 90 yrd run for a TD. For me, it was stupid to ever take him out. HOWEVER...I can understand from a coaching point of view why they would take him out when they had to have north/south yards. Fontes is still the best coach of my lifetime. I liked Monty Clark, but he was no Fontes. I have a feeling that Campbell will be the best by the time he is done though. Besides, every Lions fan knows that the stupidest decision ever was when Morningwig opted to kick the ball in OT...ugg.

[@jerryjanik480]

Wayne Fontes is the greatest head coach and lions history in the last 30 years

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

More like the last 60 Years.

[@DolFan316]

ACTUALLY...just to play devil's advocate here, Sanders was being held down almost all game. He had just 52 yards on 12 carries (so he wasn't really being used in this game, period). Take away a 17-yard run, and his other 11 carries netted just 35 yards. There probably wasn't a chance he'd make that first down when everyone watching would know he was getting the ball. The Fins' run D that year was pretty good too. Only five teams allowed fewer yards and yards per carry.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

Rasputin Wayne Fontes

[@justinpettit8099]

Tbh I'd take the guy who hasn't touched the ball all season over Jordan

[@jimclark6493]

I remember The Lions had a big back they would use on the goal line instead of Sanders. I think his name was Moore. Why didn’t Fontes use him? Was he injured?

[@2amaysn]

Derrick Moore. I remember him

[@brandonsmith7787]

Wayne Fontes=Rasputin

[@Staceyatkinson4496]

Looks like qb Craig did nothing but spike the ball. On every single play

[@c.h.175]

This is par for what Fontes did with Barry in short yardage. In goal line situations he would put in Derrick Moore during another season, I believe. The thinking here (the only semi logical thing I could come up with) Lynch being in the game would at least make the defensive think it could be a pass play vs a definite run with Barry in the game.

[@donluca1824]

It’s because the NFL is fixed

[@zachshipstead5247]

Fonts was scared to death of Barry getting injured in a pile.

[@pplebite8844]

Not just one of the greatest, but possibly the most humble ever... so I highly doubt there was a decent reason to have Sanders on the bench. For whatever reason, spreading the defense out, rather than going with a run heavy look, was just impossible. Ultimately, I think this was just a brain fart by Fontes. It wasn't as if the Lions couldn't pass the ball.

[@tabbystripes6501]

And now you will surely do a Dumb Decisions on my Seahawks most painful play. New England won honestly, you had/have a great dynasty, our team just really didn't need to give you any help. I'll be excusing myself from that video to lament what might have been.

[@christophermichaelfuller5448]

Head coaches throw zingers at their teams every game. It's possible that Wayne Fontes knew his team was not playoff ready. "" Let's see what we got here for next year ""

[@stevenbauer4799]

Big deal. That was nothing new for captain wayne-0 fontes. Sanders was routinely taken out in goal line situations and a bigger back put in as fontes understood how important barry was to lions and wasn't gonna risk running him thru a maze of defenders and a potential injury. And barry was a slick back. Running as a power back at the goal line was not his strength. Plus sanders did not need a blocking back to be effective. That was not lions offense. You just gave him the ball and let him go. Improvise is what barry did best. Bobby ross changed that plan and insisted on a fb in the offense when he got there as coach. Probably one of the reasons barry decided to call it quits the day before training camp '99 season.

[@seahawker7796]

And yet Barry Sanders quit because Detroit fired that bonehead Fonts. He wanted to play his whole career for him. HOWABOUT when the Houston Oilers pulled Warren Moon just as he was about to throw a record breaking 600 yard game!

[@stevep8445]

Because on 4th and 1, everyone in the stadium would expect Sanders to get the ball. Sanders was NOT a short yardage back. From 1994-98 he ran the ball for no gain 145 times and would also lose 614 yards on rushes for negative yards over that span. Not saying he wasn't one of the best backs ever, but in this case it was not the "stupidest" decision ever. (Until your next video when something else is the "stupidest ever"

[@big8dog887]

Agreed. The basketball analogy he used wasn't entirely accurate, choosing between Jordan and a nobody to shoot a critical free throw. It's more like choosing between Shaq and a nobody. Shaq was one of the greatest basketball players ever, but didn't shoot free throws well so he wouldn't have been the best fit for the situation. Also, the other guy never had a carry, but Fontes saw him in practice, you and I didn't. That's not to say I agree with the decision, but the stupidest ever? Not even close.

[@jonathanjaghammer2.0willia88]

Yay! The Bulls won

[@MillionaireWizard]

There are a slew of other questionable 4th down runs that this unofficial JaguarGator9 historian can recall: 1) Bruce Coslet on 4th and 6 in 1992 2) Bart Starr on 4th and 9 in 1983 3) Barry Switzer on 4th and 1 in 1995 4) Gus Bradley on 4th and Goal in 2015 5) Charley Winner on 4th and 1 in 1975

[@travismiller4320]

But were they on Christmas?

[@CTubeMan]

Want into the faculty lounge? We need to get you fitted for a tweed jacket!

[@theecharmingbilly]

Hot take: Barry Sanders was both overrated and sawft.

[@joedavis4257]

Wayne Fontes did this all the time. Usually it was Ron Rivers.