Posted on 09/25/2012 10:45:44 AM PDT by djf
In Monday's game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, Seattle faced a 4th-and-10 from the Green Bay 24 with eight seconds remaining in the game.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pass into the end zone. Several players, including Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings, jumped into the air in an attempt to catch the ball.
While the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game. It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay.
When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player. The result of the play was a touchdown.
Replay Official Howard Slavin stopped the game for an instant replay review. The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball. In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable. That is not the case in the field of play, only in the end zone.
Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood. The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review.
The result of the game is final.
Applicable rules to the play are as follows:
A player (or players) jumping in the air has not legally gained possession of the ball until he satisfies the elements of a catch listed here.
Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 of the NFL Rule Book defines a catch:
A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.).
When a player (or players) is going to the ground in the attempt to catch a pass, Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 states:
Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting 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, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.
Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5 states:
Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
This season is, as far as I am concerned, over.
***’s in the record book for 2012.
I would rather was “Heidi” than the rest of this season.
I’ll just keep it on Fox Soccer Channel this Sunday, I am beginning to follow the English Premier League now even more than the NFL.
get rid of all refs. backyard/ playground/ sandlot rules.
those games i’d watch.
Tell that to the Titans who knocked the ball down on the Hail Mary attempt against the Lions this weekend...
The NFL is a JOKE right now! However, I know they are growing their market share with this fiasco. This is such a travesty because in this case MONEY rules on both sides and it’s completely ruining the integrity of the game!
It’s juuust a game.
Nonsense. Get over it Brett.
I watched the game. In a Raiders-Stealers game, Franco Harris caught the “Immaculate Reception.” One of the referees said afterwards, “We asked the ground crew about security and upon being told there wasn’t any, we signaled fair catch.”
I had the same feeling last night, there was about a 3 second break between the words “We have reviewed the play.” and “It was a touchdown.”
The Seahawks fans were screaming. Could you image the rage if the decision would’ve been “Interception”?
Ah yes, the Jeffrey Maier incident. Damn Yankees.
While both players were still in mid-air, Tates left arm was between Jennings chest and the ball. Tates right arm was outside both Jennings arms, but still on the ball. Possession requires being on the ground and in control. By the time they were on the ground and in control, it was still being held by both men. The fact that Jennings was holding Tate to the ball is part of the fact that it was a simultaneous catch. Jennings even tried to roll away from Tate to take sole possession, but because he was trapping Tate to the ball all he did was prove that Tate was still attached to the ball. That is a simultaneous catch, and that ALWAYS goes to the offense.
Now, if Jennings had batted the ball away, GB would have won, but because he screwed up and tried to have an interception, Seattle won. Most are blaming the refs for a bad call, but the call was the right one. The loss is Jennings fault.
I had a few friends at the game, they had no idea what was even going on. There was no replay and no announcements about it. Believe me, Seahawks fans are not the type to “rage” over decisions that dont go their way. We are used to that in Spades. HA!
Things should be a bit different 40 years later with a bajillion cameras all over the field and instant replay. The NFL standing behind that absurd call just throw gasoline on the fire. It’ only going to get worse for the replacement officials now. They are going to be in more danger because of the complete farce that was last nights game. the fans will jump on every call even more so now.
Yahoo says that one of the new backup reserved officials who hasn’t officiated a game yet, was not even good enough for the Lingerie Football League.
AAAAAnd you can expect the players to be even more ‘outside the current rules’ of the game, brawling the more as the officiating swirls around the shitter.
see Amazon books - “The fix is in”
Trouble is, the NFL is becoming the NBA as regards officiating. And NBA officials are becoming as useless as rasslin' referees.
I love football, but won’t be watching any NFL games until they get this sorted out. Way too painful to watch regardless of who is playing.
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With no disrespect to you personally....I bet you do.
None taken - it's going to be hard, so we will see.
Waiting on this headline though: "Locked Out NFL Refs Raise Demands from $3.3M to $33M."
#FAIL for NFL's negotiating skills...
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