The NFL always makes some mind-numbing statement or move to pull us back in after the Detroit Lions game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The most recent is based on an internal video document that the NFL is said to have distributed to teams regarding how eligible receivers register as ineligible. The video is offensive in a number of ways, including its ignorance and its capacity to overlook the play’s actual events.
The first play in the video is Dan Skipper reporting as eligible during a play earlier in the game. Why is this displayed? I’m not positive about it. I suppose to show how to report as qualified properly. However, I guess that also justifies Brad Allen’s actions, as he assumed Skipper had reported being eligible.
In the first instance, Skipper signals to his colleagues about the personnel grouping and substitution by raising his hand first. Subsequently, he locates Allen, pursues him, and raises one arm while rubbing his jersey.
The disputed two-point conversion attempt is then seen in the video. This is a fresh perspective that we haven’t seen previously.
Once more, they draw attention to Skipper, who raises his hand to signal to his teammates the personnel grouping so they may make the proper swap. Josh Reynolds is seen following the cue to continue playing. Then, Skipper goes up to Allen once more, but unlike in the previous instance, he is never seen touching his jersey or lifting his hand.
Even more offensively, Taylor Decker—the athlete who genuinely declared himself eligible—is never highlighted in the video. Allow me to concentrate on the content that the video displays but ignores.
Observe that! Decker is staring straight at Allen while putting out the global signal to report as eligible. Later on, he becomes much closer to Allen, and he verbally reports that he is eligible. However, the film concentrates on what Skipper is doing for some reason. And that section’s narration is as follows:
“The player must promptly notify the referee of any change in his eligibility status. The referee will notify the defensive team and make an announcement to the stadium prior to that play, allowing the defense to match personnel to avoid deception and to ensure fairness.” It is the player’s duty to ensure that any change in status is indicated to the referee in a clear and concise manner by raising and lowering his hands in front of his chest and by declaring to him that he intends to report as an eligible receiver.
The NFL tries to divert attention from the fact that the player in question—Taylor Decker—actually accomplishes all of this while the film is playing by focusing on Skipper, who doesn’t follow any of the advice in the video. It almost seems as though they’re saying that Skipper ought to have done more to indicate that he was eligible when, in reality, HE WASN’T THE ONE DOING SO.
After then, the film launches into an endless, meaningless diatribe about the formation the Lions were playing in. If Skipper had reported, it would make sense that the Lions’ configuration was illegal since they did not want to make him an eligible receiver. Once more, their narrative mistakenly clarifies why the Lions were in the proper formation by designating Decker as the eligible receiver rather than Skipper.
This NFL is just embarrassing itself more and more.
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