Off Topic...turns out Dan Campbell was trying to deceive the Cowboys...

[jeemie]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

[swissvale72]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

[SteelerDayTrader]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

It’s mainly used by the naturally obtuse to add another layer of obtusion

[Professor Half Wit]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

It’s mainly used by the naturally obtuse to add another layer of obtusion

Such a sesquiclever response! Bravo!

[jeemie]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

It means a person who tries to con or outwit someone with a plan that person thinks is extremely clever, but instead he trips over his own feet and the plan backfires.

[swissvale72]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

It means a person who tries to con or outwit someone with a plan that person thinks is extremely clever, but instead he trips over his own feet and the plan backfires.

I understand what the phrase seeks to convey. I still don't get the "by half" reference

[Professor Half Wit]

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

It means a person who tries to con or outwit someone with a plan that person thinks is extremely clever, but instead he trips over his own feet and the plan backfires.

I understand what the phrase seeks to convey. I still don't get the "by half" reference

Likely too much by half like a board that is too long by half a length. The cuteness goes too far by half of what was needed.

[SteelerDayTrader]

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

It’s mainly used by the naturally obtuse to add another layer of obtusion

Such a sesquiclever response! Bravo!

“ To be sesquicleverilian is to be gifted a fjord of the unmeasurable”

I. K. Nordoffesstren

[swissvale72]

It means a person who tries to con or outwit someone with a plan that person thinks is extremely clever, but instead he trips over his own feet and the plan backfires.

I understand what the phrase seeks to convey. I still don't get the "by half" reference

Likely too much by half like a board that is too long by half a length. The cuteness goes too far by half of what was needed.

Of course, the Professor offers the explanation that I was seeking. Thank You, Professor!!

[Professor Half Wit]

I understand what the phrase seeks to convey. I still don't get the "by half" reference

Likely too much by half like a board that is too long by half a length. The cuteness goes too far by half of what was needed.

Of course, the Professor offers the explanation that I was seeking. Thank You, Professor!!

Too much wit by half.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Not revealing one's hand is part of all good game play. Something dipshit Canada didn't understand when he announced pass with the shotgun.

So is paying attention as a referee.

This is not on the clever coach but completely on the inattentive referee.

It's not up to Campbell to assume the ref is a dead parrot pining for the fiords (keeping with Scandi theme).

[alancac98]

The worst part is that he says he would do it again! Does he not realize that he directly caused his team to lose? How does the owner or at least the GM not pull his ass into their office, ream him out, and tell him they better not see that crap again or he's fired? Boy, I hope one of them did!

[Dan Smith--BYU]

He should do it again if he eventually faces the Niners. You need to be aggressive against a superior opponent.

At this point, I'm rooting for Lions/Browns for the SB.

[pickarooney]

...as to who would be the eligible receiver and that's why he sent three linemen up to the official on the fateful two point play.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... point-play

Looks like the coach himself also hasn't learned the lesson to not overthink it, either, as he says in the article he would do the same thing again.

He also admitted they heard the officials announce #70 Skipper as eligible before the play started but as he had no timeouts left, he couldn't do anything about it.

But again, there's strategy and there's being stupid with strategy.

Don't get too cute by half should be the lesson here.

I never understood the phrase "too cute by half." Like...dafuq does that mean?? I get the "too cute" part, but "by half??"

Maybe it's an obscure nhalicism? Need to brush up on my nhalese...

[jeemie]

Not revealing one's hand is part of all good game play. Something dipshit Canada didn't understand when he announced pass with the shotgun.

So is paying attention as a referee.

This is not on the clever coach but completely on the inattentive referee.

It's not up to Campbell to assume the ref is a dead parrot pining for the fiords (keeping with Scandi theme).

If he wants to increase the odds of a mistake, he can keep doing what he's doing.

[CKSteeler]

Not revealing one's hand is part of all good game play. Something dipshit Canada didn't understand when he announced pass with the shotgun.

So is paying attention as a referee.

This is not on the clever coach but completely on the inattentive referee.

It's not up to Campbell to assume the ref is a dead parrot pining for the fiords (keeping with Scandi theme).

This.

The ref has an obligation to announce the eligible man correctly if it is reported to him correctly. The ref getting confused is on the ref.

What the Lions did was within the letter of the rules regardless of what anyone thinks about it. And the ref is the one who failed to do their job correctly one way or the other.

[CKSteeler]

Not revealing one's hand is part of all good game play. Something dipshit Canada didn't understand when he announced pass with the shotgun.

So is paying attention as a referee.

This is not on the clever coach but completely on the inattentive referee.

It's not up to Campbell to assume the ref is a dead parrot pining for the fiords (keeping with Scandi theme).

If he wants to increase the odds of a mistake, he can keep doing what he's doing.

Jeems, how hard is it for the ref after being told a certain number is reporting as eligible, that he is eligible? I wouldn't have assumed the ref was a mouth breathing moron incapable of doing this, either.

The idea was to trick the Cowboys. It isn't recruiting the refs in some scheme. it's simply asking the ref to do their job as required by the rulebook - declare the correct man being reported as eligible.

[jeemie]

Not revealing one's hand is part of all good game play. Something dipshit Canada didn't understand when he announced pass with the shotgun.

So is paying attention as a referee.

This is not on the clever coach but completely on the inattentive referee.

It's not up to Campbell to assume the ref is a dead parrot pining for the fiords (keeping with Scandi theme).

If he wants to increase the odds of a mistake, he can keep doing what he's doing.

Jeems, how hard is it for the ref after being told a certain number is reporting as eligible, that he is eligible? I wouldn't have assumed the ref was a mouth breathing moron incapable of doing this, either.

The idea was to trick the Cowboys. It isn't recruiting the refs in some scheme. it's simply asking the ref to do their job as required by the rulebook - declare the correct man being reported as eligible.

How do we know what was actually said when the Lions sent not one, not two, but THREE linemen to the official, one of them being Skipper (#70) who’s been the Lions’ main tackle eligible in the past? And whose movement caught Allen’s eye, as you can see on the video?

Just send the guy you want to report as eligible up to the official. It’s going to get announced anyway.

Don’t play games.

How hard can that be?

[CKSteeler]

If he wants to increase the odds of a mistake, he can keep doing what he's doing.

Jeems, how hard is it for the ref after being told a certain number is reporting as eligible, that he is eligible? I wouldn't have assumed the ref was a mouth breathing moron incapable of doing this, either.

The idea was to trick the Cowboys. It isn't recruiting the refs in some scheme. it's simply asking the ref to do their job as required by the rulebook - declare the correct man being reported as eligible.

How do we know what was actually said when the Lions sent not one, not two, but THREE linemen to the official, one of them being Skipper (#70) who’s been the Lions’ main tackle eligible in the past? And whose movement caught Allen’s eye, as you can see on the video?

Just send the guy you want to report as eligible up to the official. It’s going to get announced anyway.

Don’t play games.

How hard can that be?

We'll never know how it would have worked because the entire point is teams are already used to all the tricks around this subject. You repot a guy all game for a potential trick play, or you report one and then change it up at one point.

The reasoning behind Campbell's decision was that they were going to report a different guy as eligible, but make it look like one of several different possibilities VISUALLY. Meaning, if Cowboys didn't hear the announcement for whatever reason or weren't paying attention, they wouldn't know.

The Lions telling the refs the wrong guy was being reported would defeat the entire purpose of what they were doing as it would draw a flag guaranteed.

It's far easier to believe the ref just fucked up and fell into the habit of reporting one guy as eligible all game than that the Lions didn't execute their rather basic plan correctly.

[jeemie]

I never said the ref didn't fuck up.

I said by playing games, Detroit increased the odds of a fuck up.

35 seconds between plays...lots of shit going on...loud crowd noise.

Add extra variables? Don't be surprised if that comes back to bite you in the ass.

[Ice]

And the refs were told what was going to happen, including the possible scenarios under which it might happen, during walk-throughs before the game ever started.

[jeemie]

And the refs were told what was going to happen, including the possible scenarios under which it might happen, during walk-throughs before the game ever started.

The rumor is Allen was not at that meeting.

[Ice]

And the refs were told what was going to happen, including the possible scenarios under which it might happen, during walk-throughs before the game ever started.

The rumor is Allen was not at that meeting.

Sounds like a great time for Allen to go take a smoke break. Not like there were major playoff implications riding on that matchup or anything.

[CKSteeler]

I never said the ref didn't fuck up.

I said by playing games, Detroit increased the odds of a fuck up.

35 seconds between plays...lots of shit going on...loud crowd noise.

Add extra variables? Don't be surprised if that comes back to bite you in the ass.

You aren't selling me on Detroit having a poor plan because the ref fucked up what is pretty simple, ultimately. The only real excuse is crowd noise.

But there's a reason why Detroit did what they did, and crowd noise is an element of that. They were counting on Dallas visually identifying the eligible man, and by sending multiple people to the refs, they were hoping to cause confusion.

The confusion is necessary because teams have played every other game you can with the eligible man scenario.

The ref should be expected to do his job properly. Bottom line. This isn't the same as your typical fuck-up where it's a split second decision, either. It's in a relatively calm moment between plays where he just has to pull his head out of his ass and listen to what the players are saying. If there's confusion, he could, I don't know, ask for clarification. Not just assume Detroit was doing what they had done all game.

[R_S]

The worst part is that he says he would do it again! Does he not realize that he directly caused his team to lose? How does the owner or at least the GM not pull his ass into their office, ream him out, and tell him they better not see that crap again or he's fired? Boy, I hope one of them did!

Wonder if he'd be a dumbass again and go for 2 AFTER his plot was foiled instead of kicking the extra point to go to OT.

[jebrick]

If you listen to the Kelce brother's podcast, they say this is normal and all NFL teams do this. The Ref screwed up.

[langer]

Amazing how the media shifts it from Jerry calling in a favor to Dan Campbell is an idiot for doing something innovative other teams do.

[R_S]

Amazing how the media shifts it from Jerry calling in a favor to Dan Campbell is an idiot for doing something innovative other teams do.

He's an idiot for not kicking the PAT from the 7 yard line after the penalty

[Thrillsseeker]

What if everyone is playing checkers and Dan is playing chess.

He may use this as us against the world motivation.