Two days after a controversial loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell made it emphatically clear he was moving on from the defeat.
Nonetheless, it’s still a talking point as Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper said Wednesday he was not reporting as an eligible receiver in response to an NFL memo sent Tuesday that indicated he was.
“So personnel, you signal in,” Skipper said, via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. “I wasn’t like this (wiping my numbers). I was not doing that. I was doing this (holding one arm up and another by my stomach, with two fingers out), signaling 12 jumbo. Everyone who’s played at this level, I’m sure all you guys know that you signal in personnel.”
The Lions lost to the Cowboys, 20-19, after offensive tackle Taylor Decker‘s 2-point conversion was negated when it was ruled Decker was not an eligible receiver. Two attempts followed to no avail (one an incompletion that was negated by a Dallas penalty and a final official incompletion).
According to the game’s pool report, Referee Brad Allen stated that it was Skipper who reported as an eligible receiver, not Decker.
The video message sent on Tuesday emphasizes that it’s the player’s duty to ensure that his status change is effectively conveyed to the referee. This should be done by making a physical signal up and down his chest and by communicating to the referee his intention to report as an eligible receiver.
The video highlights and circles Skipper, demonstrating his raised hand and gesturing as he reports for the late-game 2-point attempt. This is similar to his reporting style in the game’s first quarter.
The memo, which was dispatched to every NFL team, served as a reminder that any offensive player with a number between 50-79 or 90-99 can position themselves as an eligible pass receiver. However, the player is required to promptly notify the referee about any change in their status. The referee, in turn, will inform the defense and make an announcement. As highlighted in the video, this procedure has been in place for several years.
Skipper stated that since he didn’t approach the official, he couldn’t be the one to report.
“He said, ‘Usually, you have to approach the official and explicitly state that you are reporting.’ You can observe this throughout the entire season. You can see it in the first quarter, on the fourth play. Granted, I only did it once during this week’s game, so the claim that I did it multiple times is not true, but let’s not dwell on that. When you approach the official, you say, ‘Sir, I am reporting as eligible.'”
Having secured the NFC North, Detroit will conclude its regular season against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.
Skipper stated that he’s ready to move on, even though he spoke at length about the matter on Wednesday.
“He said, “I mean, damn, you can’t just sit here and dwell on the past.”
Maybe the news cycle will take his lead.
