NFL Says Clown Car Refs Missed Call at End of MNF Game
The National Football League issued a statement today confirming what anyone who’s not a Seattle Seahawks fan and who wasn’t masquerading as a professional football official already knew; Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate committed blatant, obvious, and criminal interference on the last play of the game that cost the Green Bay Packers the contest.
As for the other egregious error by the Pop Warner officials — the sure interception by Green Bay cornerback M.D. Jennings — the league stood behind the decision of the referee who decided that one hand by Tate on the ball constituted “simultaneous possession,” despite the fact that Jennings was clutching the ball to his chest and clearly had sole possession of the rock.
For those who missed it, a brief summary:
On the final play of “Monday Night Football,” Russell Wilson heaved a 24-yard pass into a scrum in the end zone with Seattle trailing 12-7. Tate shoved away a defender with both hands, and the NFL acknowledged Tuesday he should have been penalized, which would have clinched a Packers victory. But that lack of a call cannot be reviewed by instant replay.
Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings then both got their hands on the ball, though the Packers insisted Jennings had clear possession for a game-ending interception.
“It was pinned to my chest the whole time,” Jennings said.
Instead, the officials ruled on the field that the two had simultaneous possession, which counts as a reception. Once that happened, the NFL said, the referee was correct that no indisputable visual evidence existed on review to overturn the touchdown call.
That’s nonsense. Replays clearly showed Jennings in possession of the ball before Tate managed to get a hand on it. By the time the referee sauntered over to take a look-see, Tate had wrapped both hands around the ball — while it was still glued to Jenning’s chest.
In a perfect metaphor for the abysmal officiating that has plauged the games this season, the referee raised both arms to signal a touchdown for Seattle while the line judge, who was actually closer to the play, waved his arms to stop the clock — a signal for a change of possession. Here’s the pic:
Greetings:
I know that fans take these kinds of blunders much more seriously than I do. My father never allowed me to see sport as more than a game. In fact, the first time I mouthed off to a referee in a game, my father made it quite clear that future repetitions would result in a basketball-less future for me. The lack of the NFL’s first team officials leaves fans feeling shorted or at least with a diminished sense of the elite-ness of the game they are viewing. Fans and commentators seem committed to paying a deal of attention to this burr under their saddle, but they are not parties to the contract. I don’t see hear anyone suggesting that fans and commentators pass the plate and take up a collection for the lock-out officials so it can’t really be too serious a situation now, can it ???
And if I may insert a bit of my own agenda in regard to the “National” Football League, many players in the league have affected the wearing of some kind of close fitting head-wear under their helmets. It seems that the “National” Football League, which apparently has any number of rules about the appropriateness of head-wear, finds it acceptable that this couture be worn during the playing of our National Anthem, perhaps due to the complexity of removing it and replacing it so shortly before the beginning of the game, or maybe Just because, well, their “National” isn’t that kind of National.
(And, my regards to the Oakland Raiders who, this past Sunday, allowed a group to sing the National Anthem, one of whose members wore a baseball cap and another a beret.)
I can certainly understand that this is probably some branding complexity that remains beyond my intellectual grasp, but when you call yourself a “National” anything and put all those cute little flag stickers on every player’s helmet, why not go whole hog and require appropriate courtesy in regard to our National Anthem.
sorry bud, not obvious to me. i saw the play in real time and looked exactly like a simultaneous catch and control to me which always has gone to the offense. even looked simultaneous to me in slow mo (one hand control vs two for a split second) but there is no way in fast mo it could look like anything but a simultaneous catch.
if its “obvious” to you i’m sure glad you never ref’d any games i was in.
Sorry, read the rule book. It clearly states if one receiver has to make a move to get both hands on the ball after the other player aleready has both hands on the ball – it ISN’T simultaneous. It doesn’t matter if it’s split second, that’s what the replay is for. The Packer CLEARLY had both hands on the ball first, brought it in, and that wasn’t simultaneous. The refs missed the call.
Did you know this umpire group was forced out of Lingeree football because of incompetence?
Yeah, back them. I don’t think so. They blew the game.
Possession is not established until contact with the ground is made. Jennings touched the ball first, Tate established possession first. Tie goes to offense. Touchdown.
Now, I’ll agree that Tate should have been flagged for Offensive Pass Interference.
I’ll also agee that the refs blew PI calls all night long. (Including the penalty that led to GB scoring their touchdown.)
They also were pretty bad about penalties for Holding.
But let’s not pretend that the regular refs don’t blow calls on a regular basis. They do. There are always a few games in any season where a questionable judgement call from the refs decides the game. And some of them feature judgement calls that areblatantly wrong.
I have no reason to believe this play would’ve been called any differently if regular refs were there. Offensive pass interference is not treated the same on Hail Marys and are easy to miss in a scrum like that anyway. And it couldn’t be over turned since it was not the point of the replay call. Nothing in the replay call speaks to overturning an offensive touchdown.
People are missing the obvious: it was a close play and you can’t talk your way into it not being that. It reminds me of when people talk about all the things associated with Katrina. For some reason, Katrina comes in last – it was first; so was the split second weirdness of this play. That’s football. No one was at fault and there’s nothing obvious about anything about this play in real time.
After seeing the alternative, universally panned by coaches, players and fans, I say LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL on your NFL referee.
Disclaimer: I am a US Army veteran (E-5, Honorable). Your patriotism may vary.