VIRGIL CARTER WAS more than a casual observer as he sat in his Apple Valley, California, living room on Jan. 28 to watch the NFC Championship Game. In fact, it might be said the 78-year-old former quarterback played a key role, especially when it came to two controversial plays.
When Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell ignored convention on a pair of fourth-down calls in the second half, failing to convert deep in San Francisco 49ers' territory, critics blamed Campbell's adherence to analytics as one of the reasons for the Lions' 34-31 loss.