Lions center Dominic Raiola shoulders blame for botched snap in final play

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - A day after the Detroit Lions battled through the highs and lows of a wild 44-41 overtime loss, Dominic Raiola stepped up to take the blame for the game's final play.

Jim Schwartz told reporters Sunday, and reiterated Monday, the plan was never to snap the ball. The Lions had the ball fourth-and-one and had the chance to kick a field goal to tie the game. Schwartz and the Lions wanted to draw the Titans offsides.

Raiola snapped the ball, catching the other ten players off guard.

"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 full back dive and you can see when I came off the ball I just, you know, just mis-execution on my part," Raiola said.

Schwartz took the blame after the game, and again Monday, but Raiola wasn't buying that notion.

"That's a big play of the game. 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. There's nothing I can do about it now," said Raiola.

"I'd ask Shaun three times if I knew if that was going to happen."

Raiola acknowledged there was no huddle before the play, and the feel hasn't worn off from the disappointment.

"I take all the blame people want to give me. I know that staff and this locker room has my back and that's the most important thing."