Steve Smith Sr tells Panthers not to hire Kellen Moore following Cowboys final play
Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is receiving his fair share of criticism for the decision he made on the last play of the game Cowboys’ NFC Divisional Playoff game versus the San Fransisco 49ers on Sunday, and former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith joins the critics.
Down seven points with six seconds remaining in the game and no timeouts, Moore called an interesting play that had running back Ezekiel Elliott lined up a center and all five offensive lineman lined up out wide on opposite sides of the field. Dallas needed a miracle play, that instead resulted in Elliot getting ran over immediately after he snapped the ball and wide receiver Michael Turpin getting tackled immediately after catching an eight-yard pass from Dak Prescott.
Moore’s name has been circulated as a candidate for various head coaching jobs, including the Carolina Panthers, which Smith showed disapproval with via Twitter following the game and the infamous last play.
Smith is an all-time Panthers great, but his part in the decision making as far as who will be Carolina’s next head coach is debatable. The Panthers are currently in the process of rescheduling interviews with Moore and other candidates, and it will definitely be interesting to see what direction the organization goes following the events of Sunday night.
WATCH: Cowboys run hilariously bad final play from ridiculous formation
With six seconds left and on their own 24-yard line, the Dallas Cowboys were going to have to get creative to tie their NFC Divisional Game against the San Francisco 49ers. However, they got more creative than anyone was probably anticipating with the formation they drew up for their final play.
With three players wide out left and four players wide out right, it was running back Ezekiel Elliott who snapped the final ball to Dak Prescott. In the end, Elliott got laid out in pass protection by Azeez Al-Shaair as Jimmie Ward then tackled Kavontae Turpin to end the game and the Cowboy’s season.
Dallas had to start changing the game plan amid Prescott’s two-interception first half and Brett Maher’s initial missed extra point. Still, their defense hung on enough to give the Cowboys a chance late. In their final two possessions, though, they went three and out and then had six plays get them just to the 32-yard line to end the game.
Considering how things ended for the Cowboys last season against the 49ers in Arlington, it was a real blow for the team to overcome. Even so, this ending likely didn’t feel any less brutal to those faithful to ‘America’s Team’.