Insider shares if NFL will Change How Players Report as Eligible

The NFL should make clear the rule about how players register as eligible pass-catchers, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, after the chaos that marked the last moments of Saturday’s Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys game.

It seems that this offseason will see no such adjustment.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Monday that “the NFL does not plan to change the procedure for players reporting as eligible,” according to a source with knowledge of the situation. “The league views the situation as an effort by the Lions to engage in deception and gamesmanship that backfired.”

With 23 seconds left in Saturday’s regular season, Detroit was down 20-19 to Dallas when Lions head coach Dan Campbell sent his offense into the end zone for a two-point conversion attempt.

Before the snap, referee Brad Allen was approached by Detroit offensive lineman Dan Skipper, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, and a third lineman. Allen determined that Skipper was eligible, not Decker. Decker’s grab in the end zone was therefore ruled void due to his purported failure to properly report to an official.

“Basically, the Lions wanted the Cowboys to think Skipper was reporting as eligible and that Decker was not,” Florio continued. “Which would have caused the Cowboys to cover Skipper, not Decker, when the play unfolded. The problem is that, in trying to confuse the Cowboys, the Lions confused Allen.”

King proposed in the latest edition of his “Football Morning in America” column that only players reporting as eligible should be permitted to approach the referee before a snap beginning next season. Florio mentioned that the NFL instead wants it known that it’s up to players and coaches to know how to report “the right way” as the rule currently exists.

“If they deliberately confuse the situation as a matter of strategy, they have to accept the consequences of potentially confusing the officials, too,” Florio said.

After Saturday’s events, according to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, Campbell stated on Monday that his Lions are “not going to feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in everything”.

“Well, this will serve as fuel for us,” Campbell stated. “At the moment, I am completely octane. I’m ready; I woke up. Thus, we’re proceeding.”

In any case, there’s a chance that the Cowboys and Lions will play each other again in the forthcoming postseason tournament.

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