Rules on Eligibility Reporting

[buybuydandavis]

They'd be correct that the refs are out to get them?

They'd be correct that they were screwed on the play.
To let a play stand where one player was declared eligible to the defense and the world, and then have a different player who was not declared as eligible catch a TD pass, would be to *totally* screw the defense.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

why is there so many supposed cowboys fans arguing against Dallas? where were these same fans when the refs clearly missed a tripping penalty against Dallas that wouldn't have put us in this position to beging with? I bet most of them were just waiting to Bash Dak and Dallas for losing another close games. their guns were locked and loaded with comments ready to go and now they couldn't. so they are arguing against Dallas.

where ware all these people that we haven't got a single holding penalty for Parsons in 42 quarters, the results of which have impacted game outcomes.

seriously people. get a hold of yourself. tell us which side you really are cheering for. why are these people that are supposed cowboys fans, so anti-cowboy. explain yourself.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Someone had on one of the post the ref’s audio declaring #70 as eligible. You can’t have multiple people declaring on the same play.

I just watched Dan Campbell say "2 people can't report".

70 was walking ahead of 68 and the ref walked past them on 70s side.

Even people saying "68 pointed to his chest", which was sorta true, 70 was visually shielding 68 from the ref. The ref had no line of sight to that hand motion.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I'm absolutely giddy the Cowboys won because we won in a fashion the "refs are out to get us crew" would scream from the mountain tops as PROOF of the mastermind scheme against us. Same for the Philly game. The only pissed off people are "refs are out to get us" people who are being pointed out as now being diehard ref backers just like they accuse me of being when I merely point out where they have gotten things right when accused of wrong. Glad to have the company now, lol.

no, the refs miss a lot of calls. some of the crucial to game outcomes. in this case, there was no bad call. there was no call for us. the refs got the call right. if they missed it, it would have been a tragedy for the cowboys. this wasn't controversial to me as some tend to want to make it.

 

[MarcusRock]

They'd be correct that they were screwed on the play.
To let a play stand where one player was declared eligible to the defense and the world, and then have a different player who was not declared as eligible catch a TD pass, would be to *totally* screw the defense.

But that didn't happen here. The play didn't stand. That's what I'm saying. If it was the Cowboys saying they reported one guy and the refs reported another and threw the flag, there'd be next to no one defending the refs for messing up the okie doke attempt and calling the refs' confusion "intentional."

 

[MarcusRock]

no, the refs miss a lot of calls. some of the crucial to game outcomes. in this case, there was no bad call. there was no call for us. the refs got the call right. if they missed it, it would have been a tragedy for the cowboys. this wasn't controversial to me as some tend to want to make it.

For your first two sentences, I say the same thing. Some go our way, and some don't. It happens to EVERYONE. Allen's crew is the the same one that missed that KC/GB pass interference at the end of that game that KC lost. It happens all over and the Cowboys aren't special in that regard. So you'll join me in saying this to the "refs are out to get us" people in the future? I'd sure like to have some company, you know? Lol.

 

[McKDaddy]

if you say the ref made a mistake. there was plenty of chances and time for any one from detroit to correct it. the question is why didn't they? thus one must assume it was the correct call made by ref, given there was ZERO reaction from Detroit.

That's a fair question. When this whole thing started Sat night, I said I wasn't absolving Detroit of any errors on their part simply wanting to understand if the ref did his job correctly or incorrectly.

 

[VACowboy]

IMHO, there's a lot of gray surrounding this play. We've all seen the video, over and over, and none of us knows what was said/indicated by #70, #68 or any other player on the field. The only facts we have are that three Detroit offensive linemen approached the referee, the referee announced #70 as eligible with 23 seconds left on the clock and Detroit ran the play seven seconds later. The officials had no choice but to throw the flag when #68 caught the ball. He was not eligible. Period. Unless you believe Brad Allen maliciously chose to announce the wrong player, there was obviously miscommunication which the Detroit players and coaches had time to clear up and chose not to.

I don't know for a fact whether Dan Campbell was trying to pull a fast one or not. I actually kind of like the guy and root for his team when the outcome doesn't affect the Cowboys. But he did not make the best decisions for his team if he really wanted to win. The Lions weren't a plucky bottom feeder with nothing to lose.They were a division winner with the possibility of a #2 seed and maybe the #1. And I get the whole scrappy, aggressive, knee-biting image he cultivates, but by not correcting the officials and refusing to kick the PAT and go to OT, even after the penalty, he did not give his team its best chance to win.

The officials are terrible but I don't think they're crooked. IMHO Campbell tried to get tricky and substandard professional football officials couldn't handle the chaos on the field. They screwed up his attempt at subterfuge, but the call DID NOT cost Detroit the game. The real probability is that had #68 been announced he would not have been wide open. The truth is that the Lions had two more shots at it and failed both instead of doing the smart thing and taking their momentum into OT. And I get Lions fans and the media whining about "the call," but I do not understand the wailing of Cowboys fans on this board.

 

[Lutonio]

IMHO, there's a lot of gray surrounding this play. We've all seen the video, over and over, and none of us knows what was said/indicated by #70, #68 or any other player on the field. The only facts we have are that three Detroit offensive linemen approached the referee, the referee announced #70 as eligible with 23 seconds left on the clock and Detroit ran the play seven seconds later. The officials had no choice but to throw the flag when #68 caught the ball. He was not eligible. Period. Unless you believe Brad Allen maliciously chose to announce the wrong player, there was obviously miscommunication which the Detroit players and coaches had time to clear up and chose not to.

I don't know for a fact whether Dan Campbell was trying to pull a fast one or not. I actually kind of like the guy and root for his team when the outcome doesn't affect the Cowboys. But he did not make the best decisions for his team if he really wanted to win. The Lions weren't a plucky bottom feeder with nothing to lose.They were a division winner with the possibility of a #2 seed and maybe the #1. And I get the whole scrappy, aggressive, knee-biting image he cultivates, but by not correcting the officials and refusing to kick the PAT and go to OT, even after the penalty, he did not give his team its best chance to win.

The officials are terrible but I don't think they're crooked. IMHO Campbell tried to get tricky and substandard professional football officials couldn't handle the chaos on the field. They screwed up his attempt at subterfuge, but the call DID NOT cost Detroit the game. The real probability is that had #68 been announced he would not have been wide open. The truth is that the Lions had two more shots at it and failed both instead of doing the smart thing and taking their momentum into OT. And I get Lions fans and the media whining about "the call," but I do not understand the wailing of Cowboys fans on this board.

Nice post. I agree with everything except that small little benefit of the doubt you have Campbell. It was absolutely a designed attempt at subterfuge. I think his comments about going over the play with officials before the game reveal that.

The outrage at the conversion is saving Campbell from being blasted for his terrible coaching job during that game. Three conversion attempts instead of kicking the point, and multiple redzone 4th down failures. I bet they really wished they had one of those as field goals at the end.

But all of that isn’t even mentioning the previous 59.5 minutes of football before that — including the now infamous tripping call. One call at the end does not negate everything that happened before, he still had TWO more chances to convert, and even still could have chosen to kick the point for OT.

What an absolute meathead.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I just watched Dan Campbell say "2 people can't report".

70 was walking ahead of 68 and the ref walked past them on 70s side.

Even people saying "68 pointed to his chest", which was sorta true, 70 was visually shielding 68 from the ref. The ref had no line of sight to that hand motion.

There are multiple stills/videos that show a clear line of sight from the ref to 70 and form the ref to 68 like this one:



The ref not only has a clear line of sight but can be seen looking over and nodding at 70 before running to the defense as 70 is just arriving to their huddle.

Let's see if your argument moves at all.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Folks… 70 reported. It’s just that the camera angle is from his back so not as easy to see.

It appears though that he wiped front of his jersey and then stopped. OR even being more deceptive which is wiping his Jersey WHILE 68 is trying to quietly report next to ref,

Explains though why ref nodded his head in direction of 70 and ignored 68.

I posted a video here from Kurt Warner who did a good job explaining it.

OP is 100% right that NFL will clear this rule up in offseason, to avoid deceptive practices, and NFL ruled 100% correct that Detroit tried to deceive everyone including getting the Cowboys to purposefully try to cover the wrong man.

 

[krs1bro]

IMO....none of this happens if they didn't blow the Hendershot call and MM runs the ball.

 

[krs1bro]

Folks… 70 reported. It’s just that the camera angle is from his back so not as easy to see.

It appears though that he wiped front of his jersey and then stopped. OR even being more deceptive which is wiping his Jersey WHILE 68 is trying to quietly report next to ref,

Explains though why ref nodded his head in direction of 70 and ignored 68.

I posted a video here from Kurt Warner who did a good job explaining it.

OP is 100% right that NFL will clear this rule up in offseason, to avoid deceptive practices, and NFL ruled 100% correct that Detroit tried to deceive everyone including getting the Cowboys to purposefully try to cover the wrong man.

Smoke and mirrors from Detroit. You listen to Detroit's explanation after the game and 68 said "I did what the coaches told me to do". Ok....your not going to be fined if you said....Hey, I reported. Clearly they were trying to confuse the refs and Cowboys and they got called out.

 

[buybuydandavis]

There are multiple stills/videos that show a clear line of sight from the ref to 70 and form the ref to 68 like this one:



The ref not only has a clear line of sight but can be seen looking over and nodding at 70 before running to the defense as 70 is just arriving to their huddle.

Let's see if your argument moves at all.

There are different lines of sight depending on what time you're talking about. His line of sight to 68 is obstructed as he walks past the two foremost olinemen. That's the only time that it looks like 68 *may* have gestured to point to his own chest, although *our* line of sight for that is obstructed because 68 has his back to us at that time.

 

[buybuydandavis]

But that didn't happen here. The play didn't stand. That's what I'm saying. If it was the Cowboys saying they reported one guy and the refs reported another and threw the flag, there'd be next to no one defending the refs for messing up the okie doke attempt and calling the refs' confusion "intentional."

Yes, did not happen.
I was responding to your comment "If this were reversed"

 

[Starstruck22]

Your are really stuck on Campbell being a cheater. No idea where you have gotten that. It's clear you don't want to consider any other explanations.

The nfl said no change to reporting rule blames Campbell for deception ie, cheating

 

[Starstruck22]

Your are really stuck on Campbell being a cheater. No idea where you have gotten that. It's clear you don't want to consider any other explanations.

Why are you stuck on him not being a cheater? Deceptive plays vis a vis motion, play action, fake punting all within the rules. Plays devised to subvert the rules, namely dallas knowing eligible man, is called cheating. There happens to be a rule that indicates the opposing team is entitled to know all eligible recievers. Even a preschooler can understand this. What is your problem dude????

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

IMHO, there's a lot of gray surrounding this play. We've all seen the video, over and over, and none of us knows what was said/indicated by #70, #68 or any other player on the field. The only facts we have are that three Detroit offensive linemen approached the referee, the referee announced #70 as eligible with 23 seconds left on the clock and Detroit ran the play seven seconds later. The officials had no choice but to throw the flag when #68 caught the ball. He was not eligible. Period. Unless you believe Brad Allen maliciously chose to announce the wrong player, there was obviously miscommunication which the Detroit players and coaches had time to clear up and chose not to.

I don't know for a fact whether Dan Campbell was trying to pull a fast one or not. I actually kind of like the guy and root for his team when the outcome doesn't affect the Cowboys. But he did not make the best decisions for his team if he really wanted to win. The Lions weren't a plucky bottom feeder with nothing to lose.They were a division winner with the possibility of a #2 seed and maybe the #1. And I get the whole scrappy, aggressive, knee-biting image he cultivates, but by not correcting the officials and refusing to kick the PAT and go to OT, even after the penalty, he did not give his team its best chance to win.

The officials are terrible but I don't think they're crooked. IMHO Campbell tried to get tricky and substandard professional football officials couldn't handle the chaos on the field. They screwed up his attempt at subterfuge, but the call DID NOT cost Detroit the game. The real probability is that had #68 been announced he would not have been wide open. The truth is that the Lions had two more shots at it and failed both instead of doing the smart thing and taking their momentum into OT. And I get Lions fans and the media whining about "the call," but I do not understand the wailing of Cowboys fans on this board.

none of us know? well did you have the sound on mute on your TV? the Ref said it out loud. the ref also told the cowboys...so that's what was said in the huddle with the ref. if it was wrong, then why didn't anyone from Detroit say anything? NONE. the QB was there. why didn't he say anything? the coach was there, he called the damn play. he didn't react. none of the other coaches. nobody from the booth. NOBODY did anything.

the facts we have is that the ref said it out loud for everyone to hear it. that's the fact. who cares what was said in the huddle. the fact is why were three linemen talking to the ref if one of them is calling himself eligible? it 99.9999% looks like detroit was trying to confuse the cowboys and the refs, perhaps hoping we weren't paying attention to the call made on the field and wouldn't react correctly.

no, its unclear to you and a few who actually wanted to see the cowboys lose the game.

if it sounds like a duck, looks like a duck, walks like a duck, the ref called it a duck. then its a DUCK.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Smoke and mirrors from Detroit. You listen to Detroit's explanation after the game and 68 said "I did what the coaches told me to do". Ok....your not going to be fined if you said....Hey, I reported. Clearly they were trying to confuse the refs and Cowboys and they got called out.

that's admission by omission. he should say I reported as eligible to the refs. he just said a whole lot of nothing.

 

[gimmesix]

Nice post. I agree with everything except that small little benefit of the doubt you have Campbell. It was absolutely a designed attempt at subterfuge. I think his comments about going over the play with officials before the game reveal that.

The outrage at the conversion is saving Campbell from being blasted for his terrible coaching job during that game. Three conversion attempts instead of kicking the point, and multiple redzone 4th down failures. I bet they really wished they had one of those as field goals at the end.

But all of that isn’t even mentioning the previous 59.5 minutes of football before that — including the now infamous tripping call. One call at the end does not negate everything that happened before, he still had TWO more chances to convert, and even still could have chosen to kick the point for OT.

What an absolute meathead.

I'm glad that he was. Because of that, we won by a point. Who knows what happens if they kick the PAT and tie the game. I'd like to believe we would have, but who knows? Campbell's insistence on going to the conversion allowed the penalty, the defense and a poor throw to end the game.