Taylor Decker reporting his eligibility to the refs

[buybuydandavis]

Standing near a ref is not evidence of reporting. Does that mean they *all* reported?

 

[McKDaddy]

I'm still waiting for someone to splain to me why 3 linemen needed to go over to the ref if only one of them was reporting. Until someone tells me otherwise I will stand by my assertion that the Lions were trying to get cute by sending a bunch of guys over to confuse the defense about who was reporting and it backfired. The fact of the matter is the defense has to be notified if someone with a lineman's number is eligible and it is the lineman's responsibility to make sure the ref announces HE is the one who is eligible. Ask Chuma Edoga who cost us a TD against the Eagles for not reporting formally.

Why does it matter? The Lions could huddle and ref come to the huddle to get the reporting. They still are supposed to communicate it to the defense & announce it. The reporting team shouldn't have to tackle the ref and get him to sign a notarized notice of receipt.

If the Lions screw up the notification, they aren't as livid as they were. I'll never believe the ref didn't mess up. Nor will I understand why the ref goes racing away while 70 is still 10 yards away yet claim 70 reported as eligible.

If the shoe was on the other foot, there wouldn't be this acceptance that we just screwed up something we had been practicing for exactly that kind of situation.

 

[buybuydandavis]

How are we supposed to know what he said right there?

How are we supposed to know if anyone said anything?

Even if we get the audio, and someone said "report" how would we know *who* said it?

The only thing we *know* anybody said was the ref saying 70 was eligible. That was broadcast, and that was what was communicated to the players on the field.

Detroit must have heard that too.

Imagine the ripoff to the Cowboys if the play had stood without the Cowboys ever being notified that 68 was eligible. The Cowboys would have had *no* way of knowing that, while Detroit could have attempted to correct the 70 eligible announcement on the field.

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

Usually this type of stuff happens to us. So I don't have much sympathy for them.

I don't have any sympathy for them, they should've just done the sensible thing and kicked the field goal to go into overtime. Instead, they want to embarrass us at home on a ring of honor induction day and then they kept going for it.

 

[RonnieT24]

100% spot on. CZ would have broken.

Apparently you were not here when it happened to us against the Eagles.. They did a nice job of rebuilding the site after it burned down that night huh..

 

[RonnieT24]

We do not know what was said or was heard. I heard people say things and others heard them as well. But 2 minutes later they denied saying it. Not they were lying, but they did not communicate it as they thought they did.

There was the small matter of 95000 people screaming at the top of their lungs which may have impacted anybody's ability to hear anything clearly. But what we DID hear clearly was #70 is reporting as eligible. Until someone finds me audio of the refs announcing #58 amd #68 are eligible too I am going to believe my own ears.

 

[RonnieT24]

It’s a jumbo formation.

More than 1 can report.

All 3 reported.

Then why weren't all three announced and the defense notified?

 

[RonnieT24]

The formation was 100% legal. The breakdown of the formation has already been posted several times.

Not if the only lineman who reported eligible was #70.

 

[Big_C_KU]

What’s lost as well is if the ref had correctly identified the correct player eligible then Dallas would have covered him and not the incorrect player.

 

[LovinItAll]

That is sorta my point. None of us should be paying for a product, gambling on an outcome, or otherwise wasting any time on a "game" that can be so easily manipulated by incompetence or intent via the refs. In this particular case, the whole sequence is blatantly "suspicious" and the league knows the sheep will just accept it and keep the money flowing.

1. I don’t believe it, but leave possibility that some games may very well be ‘rigged’. Not in the way most people might imagine, but it would only take 3-4 refs (maybe less) in the entire league to manipulate close games either for there own interests or as a league dictate.

2. Even if everything is on the up and up, human error will always be a factor with officiating constructed as it is right now.

3. Refs really only have the power to manipulate close games. They also have the power to keep games close. I’m reminded of a charge I took in rec basketball from a 6’2”, 220# dude when we were up 25 with about 2 minutes to play. I jumped up and complained to a teammate. He’s like, ‘They’re never going to call that with under 2 minutes left in a blowout.’ I’d never even considered that the game wouldn’t be officiated properly regardless of the score. Was my teammate right? Idk.

4. Maybe the Lions got jobbed. Okay, but maybe the ref just made a mistake. I’m 62. I’ve seen them make hundreds/thousands of mistakes. One thing is clear: The entire sequence of running three players up to the ref when only one needed to be anywhere close to a ref was intended to ‘trick’ the Cowboys. It shouldn’t be overlooked that the ref told the defense that #70 was the one that reported eligible. To allow #68 to score would’ve been just as egregious since the defense was given improper info.

4. Re: Betting - The NFL avoided betting for as long as possible. All they can do is attempt to make the game as fair as possible. There WILL be unscrupulous actors periodically just as there has been in every sport. I don’t think that’s what happened yesterday. Feel free to disagree.

 

[ottawacowpoke]

I didn’t call out anyone out specifically, let your consciousness be your guide

My mistake. I was confused by the fact that your comment quoted my post.

 

[DuncanIso]

Then why weren't all three announced and the defense notified?

Plenty of pics have been posted of the 3 Lions checking in with the ref before the snap.

 

[McKDaddy]

1. I don’t believe it, but leave possibility that some games may very well be ‘rigged’. Not in the way most people might imagine, but it would only take 3-4 refs (maybe less) in the entire league to manipulate close games either for there own interests or as a league dictate.

2. Even if everything is on the up and up, human error will always be a factor with officiating constructed as it is right now.

3. Refs really only have the power to manipulate close games. They also have the power to keep games close. I’m reminded of a charge I took in rec basketball from a 6’2”, 220# dude when we were up 25 with about 2 minutes to play. I jumped up and complained to a teammate. He’s like, ‘They’re never going to call that with under 2 minutes left in a blowout.’ I’d never even considered that the game wouldn’t be officiated properly regardless of the score. Was my teammate right? Idk.

4. Maybe the Lions got jobbed. Okay, but maybe the ref just made a mistake. I’m 62. I’ve seen them make hundreds/thousands of mistakes. One thing is clear: The entire sequence of running three players up to the ref when only one needed to be anywhere close to a ref was intended to ‘trick’ the Cowboys. It shouldn’t be overlooked that the ref told the defense that #70 was the one that reported eligible. To allow #68 to score would’ve been just as egregious since the defense was given improper info.

4. Re: Betting - The NFL avoided betting for as long as possible. All they can do is attempt to make the game as fair as possible. There WILL be unscrupulous actors periodically just as there has been in every sport. I don’t think that’s what happened yesterday. Feel free to disagree.

I would love to believe that everything is always legit and any mistakes are just that. BUT anytime you have big business folks are going to try to manipulate for their benefit. There is just too much wacky stuff that goes on every week that makes it really hard to believe its all random. The NFL loves keeping their product forefront in the consumers mind & drive the media that is tied to it. A controversy accomplishes that. Having teams look like world beaters & then humiliated for a few games does that. Add in that they are now openly tied to gambling, .... lot of other reasons to affect outcomes. Those are just reasons for the "corporate" entities to want some influence. There is no oversight. They just justify their own calls or if it's so egregious they say oops refs made a mistake. We'll do better next time. Just sayin.

 

[Silverz1972]

So you don’t think #68, who said he reported as eligible here, actually did?

They said 70 was the only one to report as elligible. So 58 was not elligble either.

58 and 68 are at the ref. Why was 58 at the ref too. 58 was covered by a wr too so shouldn’t this have been a penalty too?

 

[DoctorChicken]

They said 70 was the only one to report as elligible. So 58 was not elligble either.

58 and 68 are at the ref. Why was 58 at the ref too. 58 was covered by a wr too so shouldn’t this have been a penalty too?

And 70 said he “didn’t say a ******* word”

 

[DoctorChicken]

That clip is misleading and didn't show enough time, he was not acknowledging #68, the ref was looking at #70 the whole time as he was running onto the field and nodded at him. The ref was not paying attention to #68, maybe he should have, but it also the player's responsibility to get the ref's attention and make sure he is clear. The Lions tried some trickery, but not well thought out since whatever "surprise" would be spoiled once the ref announces to the entire stadium who is now eligible and walks over to the defensive captain tells him as well. If this was a hurry-up situation, maybe it has some merit, but the game clock isn't running, neither side is rushing to get aligned and everyone will be made aware of the situation and ample time to adjust.

The only reason this play worked in the first place was the Cowboys did not account for him because he was not reported to them as eligible, had he been they would have accounted for him. To the Cowboys, he was just an ineligible player down field.
It was announced over the stadium PA system and a Lion's player or Coach, ST Coach, should have caught that and adjusted accordingly.

So you’re telling me the ref can’t see 68 here

I agree that Detroit had the responsibility of clarifying.

I don’t believe that the ref didn’t screw up. The ref screwed up and it probably cost Detroit the game.

 

[InPhiltraitor]

Apparently you were not here when it happened to us against the Eagles.. They did a nice job of rebuilding the site after it burned down that night huh..

No Ronnie, wasn’t here but that’s funny.
Have a good New Year.

 

[VaqueroTD]

They said 70 was the only one to report as elligible. So 58 was not elligble either.

58 and 68 are at the ref. Why was 58 at the ref too. 58 was covered by a wr too so shouldn’t this have been a penalty too?

They need to make an off-season rule for this. Even if it had gone off the way the lions wanted to, this is just ******** trickery.

No better team to do it against than our boys though. Few games this year they have lost focus on something in final 2 minutes.

 

[Roadtrip635]

So you’re telling me the ref can’t see 68 here

I agree that Detroit had the responsibility of clarifying.

I don’t believe that the ref didn’t screw up. The ref screwed up and it probably cost Detroit the game.

It didn't cost them the game, he was left uncovered because he was not declared as a eligible receiver far from a guarantee they would have scored. What cost them a chance of winning the game was their HC trying to go for 2 from the 7 and then again from from the 3.5. They had multiple chances after the penalty but their HC emotions and stubbornness did them in.

Their attempt at subterfuge was dumb considering it gets announced to the crowd and defense who is declared as eligible, what is the point especially with the game clock stopped?

 

[Bob-Lillys-War]

So you’re telling me the ref can’t see 68 here

I agree that Detroit had the responsibility of clarifying.

I don’t believe that the ref didn’t screw up. The ref screwed up and it probably cost Detroit the game.

58 was right there . Did he report as well ?