Dan Campbell addresses those who criticize the 2-point conversion method.
On Monday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked if he would change anything about the team’s process in their go-ahead, two-point conversion attempt against the Dallas Cowboys that was nullified by a penalty. His answer was short, but powerful.
“No”.
Recall that with only 24 seconds remaining in their game against the Cowboys, the Lions used a trick play to grab a 21-20 lead. Nevertheless, as Taylor Decker failed to report to the official before to the play, the officials determined that he was an ineligible receiver. The issue is that, while it seems that Decker reported his eligibility, the official mispronounced Dan Skipper’s eligibility as the play’s eligible receiver because he was unsure about the play.
Since the primetime Saturday night game, this story has gone national, and the Lions have been criticized for their own procedures that might have caused confusion. Let’s examine each of them individually, as well as Campbell’s reaction to each.
The referee was set up for failure by the Lions, who sent three offensive linemen to the game.
This is basically the NFL’s position. Penei Sewell, Decker, and Skipper all went up to head official Brad Allen. It’s said that since Skipper had already reported as eligible twice this game, Allen assumed this was the third time. There wouldn’t have been any confusion if Decker had been sent to the official by the Lions.
That kind of reasoning, however, is flawed since, in trick plays such as that, the whole purpose of the game is to conceal your intentions from the defender.
Here’s Campbell:
“If you’re running a play like that, and 70 (Skipper) is your jumbo tight end, and they know that because that’s what he does for you, and then you decide you’re going to make 68 (Decker) eligible and he walks over to the ref, and the ref stands over 68 before the play, and they hold the ball and they stand over him and point at him, do you think you’re going to be able to throw the ball to 68? No.
“So it’s about eligibility. That’s what it’s about. 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 (the ref).”
Dan Skipper signaled that he was a qualified receiver by rubbing his jersey.
Although there isn’t any concrete video proof, some have theorized that Skipper tapped his jersey’s numbers while sprinting in Allen’s direction—a customary sign indicating one is eligible. Here, Skipper appears to have raised his arms to his chest, but as the camera is only angled at his back, we are unsure if he actually accomplished it or not:
Campbell said he was unaware if Skipper had made any sort of motion.
“Not that I know of. Did you see something?”
When the referees indicated that Skipper was eligible over the microphone, the Lions ought to have taken action.
There’s audio evidence that Allen announced that Skipper, not Decker, was eligible before the Lions ran the play. It is now, some believe, the Lions’ responsibility to remedy them. There was just one issue, though: Campbell said he wasn’t even aware that the Lions were out of timeouts.
“I haven’t got a time out. Nothing I can do will help. Furthermore, it’s so loud that nothing can be heard from where we were. I believe that you became aware that they had identified 70 (Skipper) directly when the play began. So, things are as they are.
The Lions and officials met prior to the game.
Not only that, but the Lions told officials about this move in advance of the game. Since the game’s conclusion, there have been two advancements in that regard. First, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported that Allen wasn’t present during the meeting. Tom Pelissero verified the report; however, he added that Campbell subsequently spoke with Allen one-on-one to provide the play’s details.
“Brad Allen does not attend the regular ninety-minute meeting; some officiating staff members do attend that, but before the game, I was informed that Dan Campbell personally approached Brad Allen and told him, ‘This is the play,'” Pelissero stated.
Campbell provided a succinct description of the exchange.
It was written down on paper for me. What our guys have, our play,” Campbell remarked. “Talking about it is all I can do. All I can do is that.”
Campbell had no regrets regarding the Lions’ handling of the situation, which suggests that they were quite thorough in their procedure.
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