ALLEN PARK -- One of the lingering mysteries coming out of the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs is the nullified Jared Goff touchdown catch.
Dan Campbell said after Sunday night’s game that he was told that the call “came from New York.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree,” the Lions coach said. “They said (Goff) never stopped, he stayed in motion, he can’t stay in motion. That was that. That had no bearing on the game. We lost by 13 points.”
Goff went in motion, caught the pass from running back David Montgomery, and fought his way into the end zone. The play came on fourth-and-goal to cap the near 10-minute opening drive in Kansas City, with the Lions having to settle for the field goal.
But NFL referee Craig Wrolstad said after the game that officials received no assistance from the league office in New York or the replay assistant in Kansas City. Wrolstad was pressed in the official pool report about it being a discussion among the on-field crew and them alone, saying, “That’s right.”
There was a lengthy delay after Goff’s touchdown catch. The Lions had already celebrated the touchdown, with kicker Jake Bates lining up for the extra point when the play was finally reversed.
“It’s my job to see if the quarterback stopped initially,” Wrolstad said. “The down judge watches the player in motion, and we had to communicate between him, my umpire, and my line judge whether or not he initially stopped at the quarterback position and then whether he stopped after he went in motion out of my view toward the left-hand side of the field.
“There was a little bit of confusion in our discussion whether he had stopped initially or whether he had stopped at the end and what we were talking about. That’s why the flag came in so late.”
But then a couple of days later, during Campbell’s appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, the Lions coach didn’t change his answer from after the game.
When asked if officials told him that the call came from New York, Campbell said:
“Yes.”
And that was all Campbell had to say on the subject when asked on "Costa and Jansen."
But that’s not where the he said, they said back and forth ended. The NFL told the Detroit Free Press earlier this week that they had nothing to add to the pool report stating the on-field officials “had no assistance” from New York and that the crew decided on the field.
It’s been a sore subject for Campbell and the Lions this week. Campbell took the blame for the play, saying the players did exactly what they were told.
“I don’t even want to talk about it. I don’t. I’m sorry. It’s a real sore spot,” Campbell said Tuesday. “I told the team I take full responsibility for that. .
“You’ve got to make it very clear on where you are, and I didn’t do that. I told them I take responsibility for that.”
Here is the excerpt from the NFL rulebook on the situation:
“It is legal for a T-Formation Quarterback to go in motion, whether he has placed his hands under center, on his knees, or on the body of the center. However, it is a false start if the action is quick and abrupt. If the player fails to come to a complete stop for at least one full second prior to the ball being snapped, it is illegal motion.”
Lions offensive coordinator John Morton let Campbell’s words handle the situation when asked about the play Friday in Allen Park. Morton said the quarterback has to be a yard back, “That’s the rule ... so, I’m not talking about that.”
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