Jim Schwartz would have sent David Akers out for game-winner
By Mike Dyce
The Detroit Lions had a big win over the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day, 40-10. Going into half time the game was a lot closer, the Lions were leading 17-10 at the end of the second quarter. The Lions got into field goal range before the end of the half and sent out kicker David Akers for a 31-yard try.
Akers sent the kick wide right. It was his fifth miss of the season, and the Lions are 29th in the league in field goal percentage. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz gave Akers a little pep talk and vote of confidence before the break.
“I told him after halftime that if we need a game-winner, we’re going to put him right back up,” Schwartz said, via the Detroit Free Press. “We’re not going to be going for it on fourth down.”
It worked according to Schwartz, and he says there is no difference between that and any other mistake made by a player.
“You watch his next extra point, he stepped up, he drilled it. He bounced back,” Schwartz said. “What’s the difference between that and Reggie (Bush) fumbling or Matt (Stafford) throwing an interception? Those kind of things happen in a game and you have to be able to bounce back from them. And we have a lot of confidence that David can bounce back.”