Video: Looks like 70 did report himself eligible and screwed up

[pentatwirl]

The true kicker though is this ref crew is known to be incompetent. ... So in the span 5 plays they made 3 game altering mistakes and now I am supposed to believe that the Lions, who took it a step beyond when it comes to reporting as eligible by actually going up to the ref and they even informed the ref of the play before the game so that he would not mess it up, are responsible for the mistake and not the ref whose crew has a history this season of critical mistakes in big moments. Occam's Razor strikes true here.

If you believe this, it's odd to also accept that the Lions would react to the known incompetent ref completely botching their above and beyond efforts with an "eh, maybe it'll work itself out magically."

 

[kskboys]

Sounds to me like the Lions were, for no reason, getting all cutesy. Cut the crapp and play football.

 

[Starstruck22]

• Watch video of it. #70 has his hands up and in front of his chest for half his jog to the ref. Why? Because he probably started doing universal signal for eligibility. In most games guys swipe front of their jersey from somewhere and ref nods. Detroit outsmarted itself. #70 had been doing it all game. So Ref is looking for it again, but number 70 is not admitting it because the camera didn’t catch it on the front, but he started doing his same routine and then put his arms down. I didn’t realize this until watching Kurt Warner’s video below about the ref claiming #70 patted his stomach.
• The other critical piece is Aikman’s explanation of guys sometimes trying to be not obvious about it, in this case #68. He says it quietly, doesn’t spend too much time with ref although you can clearly see by his body language he is not sure if the ref picked it up. He looks back at 70, he is looking around, he doesn’t try to clear anything up. So again, the Lions outsmart themselves, it is NOT normal to see ANOTHER guy run out like that, and get the attention from the ref while TRUE guy is reporting.
• Sorry Lions fans, but NFL is spot on ruling it was your fault. You tried to fool everyone and only fooled your way out of the game. You fooled the ref who then fooled the Cowboys who didn’t bother covering #68.
• Video also does a good job showing why so many people thought it was illegal formation. It wasn’t. Just the camera angle you were looking at.

​

The video shows 70 reporting. Indisputable evidence.

 

[VaqueroTD]

If you believe this, it's odd to also accept that the Lions would react to the known incompetent ref completely botching their above and beyond efforts with an "eh, maybe it'll work itself out magically."

Plus, it's normal to report a trick play before game. Coaches been doing it for decades.

This is the ref bomb that no one is talking about though. How did Campbell explain the play in the meeting?

If he did say, "hey, #70 is going to signal he is eligible" then ref should have called him out right there.

If he didn't, then I believe #70 %#*$# up and accidentally started signalling himself in. What else is ref looking at, nodding and moving on to then?

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Dez play the following week was the equalizer.

If that's the case then we better KILL the Commodes. Leave no chance for following week makeup shenanigans.

 

[sacase]

If you believe this, it's odd to also accept that the Lions would react to the known incompetent ref completely botching their above and beyond efforts with an "eh, maybe it'll work itself out magically."

Exactly, they can't explain how the Lions did this multiple times in the game and it wasn't messed up UNTIL they tried to confuse the Cowboys and skirt the intent of the rule. That's why the NFL is like naw hold your own "bag" on that one.

 

[sacase]

How is this point not brought up more?! Tripping gets called like 3 times a year… what a weird call and then zero replays on the live broadcast— at least that I can remember.

The NFL ABSOLUTELY needs to expand challenge rules to allow teams to challenge penalties (or non-calls) so that refs don’t have as much say in Ws and Ls

A penalty challenge goes to NY for a ruling— you get two challenges a game— and a third if your first two challenges were upheld.

Simple solution that doesn’t extend game time and preserves the integrity of the product on the field (at least a little bit lol)

I would give one challenge a half to a called penalty when there was none, like the tripping call. I would not do non-calls. That would destroy the game.

 

[Cowboys22]

To my knowledge what Detroit was trying to do is not against the rules.

I have no problem with them looking for any advantage they can get. Just because they made my team look foolish I can't hate them for it.

They made themselves look foolish attempting to deceive their opponent and instead deceived the refs and lost the game.

 

[Scotman]

There is nothing confusing about it. There is a reason even D3 college refs can manage this. There is a reason refs can manage this without actually needing you to come up to them. This allegation here is that maybe 70s arms were 5 degrees too close to him while jogging from 30 yards away and that act somehow made the ref get confused and make him unable hear or see the guy 2 feet away from him saying that he is declaring.

I honestly believe anyone who believes the NFL here, after already being shown to be liars on their first excuse, should probably be barred from financial autonomy because they are going to get conned at some point because we are seeing that they are gullible enough to believe the most obvious lie being told. In an attempt to cover up gross incompetence they could not even tell a good lie which seems rather fitting. The fact that they tried to sell people that it was not the guy 2 feet away from the ref actively declaring himself eligible but the 70 who is 20-25 yards away checking into the game and not near the ref at the time is an awful attempt at a lie. You could have at least said it was the guy next to him but I suspect the NFL was worried about any audio picking up that lie. The only thing more concerning to me that they tried such an awful lie is that there are seemingly people who are believing it and trying to sell it for them. The NFLs excuse is insulting and there is a reason every single coach and player who has commented on this is trashing the NFL for it.

The true kicker though is this ref crew is known to be incompetent. For those who do not remember they are the crew from Packers vs Chiefs who on the final drive in the span of 5 plays called a 15 yard penalty against the Packers for hitting Mahomes out of bounds when he was still in bounds, then stopped the clock when the receiver was going backwards (it should have kept winding which would have changed the drive a lot), then did not call a very blatant PI and all of that on the last drive of the game. So in the span 5 plays they made 3 game altering mistakes and now I am supposed to believe that the Lions, who took it a step beyond when it comes to reporting as eligible by actually going up to the ref and they even informed the ref of the play before the game so that he would not mess it up, are responsible for the mistake and not the ref whose crew has a history this season of critical mistakes in big moments. Occam's Razor strikes true here.

It looked very much like the ref turned and made eye contact with 70 as he was running towards him. The ref then announced 70 as the eligible receiver over the loud speaker. No one said anything about him announcing it wrong until the flag was thrown. Why wasn't the coach throwing a fit at the announcement if it was actually an error? Or the QB? Or 70? Or 68? The can't line up with 70 being the eligible receiver announced and then use that like an RPO and throw to either 68 or 70, whichever gets open. They can only throw to the guy who was announced as the eligible receiver.

Even if you assume that the Lions weren't trying to outsmart everyone else and that the ref announced the wrong number, there has to be a responsibility on the Lions part to get that fixed BEFORE the snap. Period.

As far as it impacting the game, it doesn't weigh any heavier than calling a tripping penalty on Dallas when the Lions player committed the foul.

You know who doesn't get the blame for the miscommunication between the Lions and the ref? The Cowboys.

 

[sacase]

To my knowledge what Detroit was trying to do is not against the rules.

I have no problem with them looking for any advantage they can get. Just because they made my team look foolish I can't hate them for it.

They are trying to skirt the intent of the rule, which is just as bad as cheating.

 

[DCreppinBoysfan]

Skipper's job was to make the Cowboys think he was reporting while in actuality it was Decker behind him that was reporting. The Cowboys bought it. The problem is so did the officials.

It's not any more complicated than that.

I wonder if Dan Campbell explained it like that to the officials pregame

 

[DripTooHard]

If that's the case then we better KILL the Commodes. Leave no chance for following week makeup shenanigans.

Yeah I have a special hatred for the Lions because I feel the NFL went out of their way to screw the Cowboys in the 2014 playoff game the following week against Green Bay. So much was made of the so called missed PI against the Lions that it probably influenced the Dez call the next week. I do not like Detroit!

 

[Hawkeye19]

I would give one challenge a half to a called penalty when there was none, like the tripping call. I would not do non-calls. That would destroy the game.

Not really. You get a maximum of 3 challenges— on normal plays, penalties, or non-called penalties that heavily influence outcomes.

You think Payton wouldn’t want to challenge the non-called clear PI a few years back that cost NO a chance to advance in the playoffs?

Ir how about the clear hold against the DT on the play vs GB in the playoffs where Rodgers completed a 30 yarder to the TE to set up the FG?

Nah. Sometimes it’s the penalties that aren’t called that should have been that determine games.

 

[Jarv]

There is nothing confusing about it. There is a reason even D3 college refs can manage this. There is a reason refs can manage this without actually needing you to come up to them. This allegation here is that maybe 70s arms were 5 degrees too close to him while jogging from 30 yards away and that act somehow made the ref get confused and make him unable hear or see the guy 2 feet away from him saying that he is declaring.

I honestly believe anyone who believes the NFL here, after already being shown to be liars on their first excuse, should probably be barred from financial autonomy because they are going to get conned at some point because we are seeing that they are gullible enough to believe the most obvious lie being told. In an attempt to cover up gross incompetence they could not even tell a good lie which seems rather fitting. The fact that they tried to sell people that it was not the guy 2 feet away from the ref actively declaring himself eligible but the 70 who is 20-25 yards away checking into the game and not near the ref at the time is an awful attempt at a lie. You could have at least said it was the guy next to him but I suspect the NFL was worried about any audio picking up that lie. The only thing more concerning to me that they tried such an awful lie is that there are seemingly people who are believing it and trying to sell it for them. The NFLs excuse is insulting and there is a reason every single coach and player who has commented on this is trashing the NFL for it.

The true kicker though is this ref crew is known to be incompetent. For those who do not remember they are the crew from Packers vs Chiefs who on the final drive in the span of 5 plays called a 15 yard penalty against the Packers for hitting Mahomes out of bounds when he was still in bounds, then stopped the clock when the receiver was going backwards (it should have kept winding which would have changed the drive a lot), then did not call a very blatant PI and all of that on the last drive of the game. So in the span 5 plays they made 3 game altering mistakes and now I am supposed to believe that the Lions, who took it a step beyond when it comes to reporting as eligible by actually going up to the ref and they even informed the ref of the play before the game so that he would not mess it up, are responsible for the mistake and not the ref whose crew has a history this season of critical mistakes in big moments. Occam's Razor strikes true here.

The announcement said 70 and the Lions went with it. DC's fault and no one else.

Noticed you never addressed this in your novel when you were asked. Moor proof that you have no answer and just can't admit you're wrong.

 

[JW82]

So the Cowboys were just keying on the official announcing 70 as eligible. They weren’t worried about 68 because even though the formation looked legit, 70 couldn’t have caught the pass because the RT can’t under normal circumstances.

No reason to key on a non eligible lineman.

 

[Cowboys22]

So Campbell actually had a pregame meeting with the refs where he explained the play to them so he basically attempted to enlist the refs to help in deceiving the Cowboys. 68 meakly says report to the ref and then 70 comes running in late making a hand jester to try and fool Dallas into thinking he just reported. The ref was supposed to know to ignore 70 but Allen actually wasn’t in the meeting so he did what he is supposed to do. He took the hand jester from 70 as the official report and proclaimed him eligible to the defense. When Detroit let that announcement stand and snapped the ball, 68 became ineligible. No mistake at all made by the refs. It was simply intentional confusion and the ref didn’t go along. 70 reported and the ref announced him which is how it works. Detroit basically tried to cheat and wanted the refs to go along with it. They got exactly what they deserved.

 

[Beaker42]

Skipper's job was to make the Cowboys think he was reporting while in actuality it was Decker behind him that was reporting. The Cowboys bought it. The problem is so did the officials.

It's not any more complicated than that.

Please explain how the Cowboys “bought it” when the ref announced over the PA system that 70 was eligible?

 

[sacase]

Not really. You get a maximum of 3 challenges— on normal plays, penalties, or non-called penalties that heavily influence outcomes.

You think Payton wouldn’t want to challenge the non-called clear PI a few years back that cost NO a chance to advance in the playoffs?

Ir how about the clear hold against the DT on the play vs GB in the playoffs where Rodgers completed a 30 yarder to the TE to set up the FG?

Nah. Sometimes it’s the penalties that aren’t called that should have been that determine games.

Coaches would then challenge at every critical moment in a game searching for a penalty. I am ok with looking at a penalty that was called that is obvious such as the trip, but holding and PI are much more gray. For example last night I didn't have an issue with the way the refs called PI or defensive holding, they let the players play and called it consitently for both sides. For example the Lions fans were mad at the no call PI towartds the end of the game, but there was a play I think it with Furgeson, he was tackled before the ball got to him and the refs didn't call it. If he would have caught it, we would have had a first down and continued a drive.

 

[sacase]

Please explain how the Cowboys “bought it” when the ref announced over the PA system that 70 was eligible?

Also the Ref went to the Cowboys huddle and verbally told them 70 was eligible.

 

[Hawkeye19]

Coaches would then challenge at every critical moment in a game searching for a penalty. I am ok with looking at a penalty that was called that is obvious such as the trip, but holding and PI are much more gray. For example last night I didn't have an issue with the way the refs called PI or defensive holding, they let the players play and called it consitently for both sides. For example the Lions fans were mad at the no call PI towartds the end of the game, but there was a play I think it with Furgeson, he was tackled before the ball got to him and the refs didn't call it. If he would have caught it, we would have had a first down and continued a drive.

They can try and challenge, but they forfeit a TO if there wasn’t a penalty. Any penalty challenge would be reviewed by an off site official in NY— and if the call or non call merits it— they change it accordingly

I think this would protect the game from being broken by an obvious missed or blown call

The technology exists to get it right— so they should try and at least add a little accountability to the game.

A max of 3 challenges per team wouldn’t extend the current game length, and reviewing controversial calls off site and getting them right, would help improve the product on the field.