The Lions had a touchdown catch by quarterback Jared Goff taken off the board over a technicality. And the technical violation was embedded in the play as it was practiced.
Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, who attended a recent Lions practice in connection with his work for NBC, explained on Peacock Sunday Night Football Final that he thought the play was illegal when he saw the Lions run it then.
The problem is simple. Goff, as a T-formation quarterback, had to stop for at least one full second after going in motion. He didn’t.
When Dungy saw the Lions run the play in practice, he simply assumed the rule had changed.
As Dungy noted in a text message, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles stopped and paused as positioned himself on the right edge of the line before the infamous “Philly Special” play. That’s all Goff had to do.
The next question is whether the Lions didn’t know that Goff needed to stop, or whether they hoped the glitch wouldn’t be noticed by the officials. Coach Dan Campbell undoubtedly will be asked that question at his next press conference.
