Controversy erupted in Arlington, Texas, where the Detroit Lions felt the need to celebrate as they returned home. Dan Campbell being Dan Campbell decided to play two games late in the fourth quarter. He called offensive lineman Taylor Decker for a pass and the play was successful.However, a flag was thrown for illegal play handling. Officials said Decker was deemed ineligible, forcing some unfortunate campers to move to Detroit.
Campbell, in particular, was furious with the call and felt it would give his team a win. This is when Decker and the referee have a conversation. Dan Skipper can show up at the last minute and cause mayhem. The captain reported that he was fit. Currently, the NFL Operations Pool report has not been released, so there is no clear explanation as to what happened. At this point, all we can do is figure it out for ourselves and try to find the answer.ESPN’s Troy Aikman tried to question the officials at the time.
At first he thought he had mistaken Campbell for the Lions. But after receiving the replay, Aikman believes the video evidence shows the officials made the wrong decision. “I’m not sure that would have happened,” Aikman said. “We’re trying to figure out exactly what that process is. But at first, “maybe we didn’t realize that Dan Campbell and their special teams and everything about him needed to be reported even while he was in the game.“Then go back and watch the tape. Dan Skipper comes in, but Taylor Decker also goes to the official.
And we’ll only do this if you tell the officials you’re reporting your qualifications. I don’t know if the official didn’t hear that. They say only Dan Skipper reported it, but the evidence is on the record… I can’t believe it’s not there.Aikman then said that based on his experience, Decker tries to report eligible cases as calmly as possible. If Dallas sees him talking to the ref, they might get a sense that a game is coming.
“I guess Decker wants to talk to the referee because he knows how these things work, but he’s not trying to draw attention to himself. At the same time,” Aikman said. “But it gets there. So even if the official said, “I’m qualified,” I don’t think he would listen to Decker’s report. He comes forward and the penalty kick is awarded. Decker had no reason to go to the officer unless he said he was making a report.Detroit won the NFC North, but the loss hurt.
Mathematically, there was one more seed and one ace, and a win was one of the requirements. The Lions now have three varieties to close. Campbell may not be interested in that particular scenario. In the heat of the moment, he just wanted to win. A confusing moment for everyone involved, even Aikman.
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