Dan Campbell admits Lions tried to confuse Cowboys as to who was eligible on two-point play

The fateful two-point play in Lions-Cowboys that was wiped out due to a penalty over eligibility continues to be one of the biggest stories in the NFL. Plenty of Lions fans believe the officials screwed up the situation, either accidentally or deliberately.

But there continues to be one very important question that hasn’t been answered. Did coach Dan Campbell review before the game with members of the officiating crew the play itself, or did he review with them the manner in which the Lions hoped to confuse the Cowboys, by having three different linemen approach referee Brad Allen before the players went to the line of scrimmage.

During Campbell’s Monday press conference, it was clear he had no interest in revisiting the situation. As a result, no one was able to drill down to the specific question of whether the pregame explanation included a discussion of the effort to make the Cowboys think someone other than tackle Taylor Decker was eligible to catch the pass that, if deemed legal, would have won the game.

It is clear, however, that the Lions wanted to fool the Cowboys.

“It’s about eligibility,” Campbell told reporters. “That’s what it’s about. And it has nothing to do with the ref. The ref knows. He knows. Because 68 reported. It’s for the defense, so that they see three different people. And you’re just hoping they happen to not hear that it’s 70 [who isn’t eligible]. That’s all.”

That’s all, but that’s everything. By having both Decker and tackle Penei Sewell approach referee Brad Allen from one direction while the Lions usual jumbo tight end, Dan Skipper, ran from the sideline and approached Allen as if Skipper were reporting as eligible, the Lions hoped the Cowboys would lose track of which player was actually eligible.

The problem is that, in the effort to fool the Cowboys, the Lions also fooled Allen.

And while Campbell wasn’t asked the specific question as to whether the pregame communication included an explanation that they intended to play a shell game…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dan-campbell-admits-lions-tried-050448588.html

Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-01-02 05:04:48

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