Anyone hear the ruling on that phantom call... (1 Viewer)

[327]

the worst call was the no call on the guy who threw will smith to the ground by his head after then interception. i don't understand that with all those personal foul penalties called that game that one goes unnoticed.

I saw that too, holding him up by his facemask for several seconds THEN pushing him to the ground by his helmet.

 

[327]

i think thats a call that wouldnt have been made a few years ago. if the qb slides then thats one thing but if you go head first all bets are off.

This is how Joey Harrington sustained a concussion in the preseason. It was a VERY similar play. Except in Harrington's case an opposing player looked down at Harrington THEN fell on him elbow first. No call then. The calls have just been so inconsistent.

 

[stevend]

Those two situations looked the same, but they were actually very different. Both plays involved receivers going to the ground, and in both instances the network announcers and production crews confused the situation. Also, in both cases, the officials got it absolutely correct after replay.

I looked quite a few times for this "going to the ground" definition or rule and couln't find it. Would you happen to have a link to where it is in the rulebook?

 

[SaintsFanInNY]

The second (?) personal foul on Hargrove was one of the worst calls I have ever seen.

Edwards was scrambling and went into one of our players head first trying to get a yard or two. Hargrove gang tackled him and clearly hit Edwards before he was on the ground. That was by far the worst call I saw all day

I remember crying BS at the game when I saw the flag hit the field. The official announced it as a spearing penalty. On the replay I could see why, hargrove dipped his head down just for a sec before making contact. I was still mad, but it wasn't a BS roughing the passer at least.

 

[mid-city fan]

I remember crying BS at the game when I saw the flag hit the field. The official announced it as a spearing penalty. On the replay I could see why, hargrove dipped his head down just for a sec before making contact. I was still mad, but it wasn't a BS roughing the passer at least.

Very observant, and a good call on your part. Many people here have written about that personal-foul call, believing that the runner (QB) was "fair game" because he didn't slide feet first. Others thought the call was for a late hit (which hit wasn't), and that it shouldn't have been called because the runner wasn't completely down when Hargrove hit him. Unfortunately, those people missed that fact that the call was for "spearing." Some believe spearing means that the crown of the helmet is involved. This is also not correct. Here is the rule-book definition...

sing any part of a player’s helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/“hairline” parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily; although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet and facemask is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protecting those
players who are in virtually defenseless postures (e.g., a player in the act of or just after throwing a pass, a receiver catching or attempting to catch a pass, a runner already in the grasp of a tackler, a kickoff or punt returner attempting to field a kick in the air, or a player on the ground at the end of a play). All players in virtually defenseless postures are protected by the same prohibitions against use of the helmet and facemask that are described in the roughing-the-passer rules... (emphasis added)
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Hargrove came at the runner with his head up. As Hargrove approached the runner, who was already in the grasp of another defender but not down yest, he started to go to the ground and also lowered his head. As he made contact, his head was still moving downward as-if to hit the runner with the forehead/hairline area of the helmet. So, you had a defenseless runner, and you had unnecessary contact with the front of the helmet. Now, looking at the play in replay from a couple of different angles, one could argue that it was a close call...one that might not have been made in previous years. However, you cannot argue that the rule (as-written) was not applied correctly in this case.

I have seen many complaints about "bad" calls by the officials this year. I contend that what you are seeing this year is an obvious emphasis on rules that involve player safety -- unnecessary roughness, spearing, tripping, contact to the passer's head, etc -- especially when the foul involves defenseless players. There was some discussion about the emphasis during the league meetings earlier this year.

Get used to it. Player safety is a huge issue for the League. As players get stronger, faster, and bigger; player safety is becoming important from several angles -- the legal angle (liability for the long-term disability of players) and financial (loss of star players).

 

[mid-city fan]

I looked quite a few times for this "going to the ground" definition or rule and couln't find it. Would you happen to have a link to where it is in the rulebook?

It is a supplement to the rules of possession, and an exception to the normal rule that a player has possession when he has control and two feet (or any other body part) down...

"A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, there is no possession. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, it is a catch, interception, or recovery."
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For a good explanation of why the Raider's catch was not a TD click here. And an examination of the Houston TD here.