MNF game - interception overturn (WTH?)
What is with these damn X-mo replays? A guy gets a tipped-ball interception, rolls on the ground for about a second it seems, the ball comes out, and they replay and call it no catch; Indy gets a long completion the next play and kicks a tying field goal to end the first half.
Do we really need to be playing the game to that kind of precision? Ditto the ND touchdown against Moo U; I know what the rules say, but the guy had the ball in the end zone and to a reasonable person it should have been a touchdown. The game of football is shooting itself in the, er, foot with these arcane case-law minutiae that turn the casual fan off to the idea the game isn't fixed or decided by zebras.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:12 PM ^
I'll take the right call over the initial call every time. I'd just rather not have them screw up the call after watching the replay though, that's the part that annoys me.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:17 AM ^
The whole point is to get the call right.
If they make the wrong call and it's overturned, you really can't complain (unless you're a ND media member, then you can show that the replay made the correct call and still somehow argue that the opposite call should have been made).
If they make the right call and confirm it, then the slight delay was worth it.
If they make the right call, and it gets overturned, that's a huge problem.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:13 PM ^
I didn't see the Notre Dame play (still tailgating after the game) so I can't say anything about that one.
The Miami interception clearly should have been overturned. When he landed on the ground the ball popped out. That is NOT possession. In what seems to be my mantra recently: Slow-mo can be deceiving. That ball came out when he hit the ground therefore it was not a catch by the DB.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:21 PM ^
The guy caught the ball and put both his feet on the ground before falling; I just don't understand why the NFL wants to call that not a catch. How come the ground cannot cause a fumble but can cause an incomplete pass?
I'm not arguing that the call was right or wrong, I'm arguing that the rules are so Byzantine that there's little point in trying to understand them anymore. Knowing the plays will be viewed in slo-mo has led to a lot of these split-second judgments being written into the rulebook.
Not that I give two sh**s about the NFL anyway, I just hate the Colts and after they got the rulebook changed for their benefit I can't stand seeing them get any shake from the refs at all.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:13 AM ^
This has been a rule forever. It's not a split-second judgement written into the rulebook because of replay.
The ground cannot cause a fumble because a runner (with possesion) is down when he touches the ground. So the play is over and there is no fumble.
On a pass the requirement for possession is that you have to have two feet in bounds and maintain possession to the ground. If you lose the ball when you hit the ground then you didn't really have possession of it all that well. It seems to make perfect sense to me.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:33 PM ^
How much did you bet on the Dolphins or the Under??? The only plausible point of this post is a close fantasy match up that that play swung some points, but more than likely a bettor on tilt with the Dolphins trying to cover the weekends debacle.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:05 AM ^
Oddly, I won in fantasy football this week because that WASN'T ruled an interception. My fantasy team thusly thanks the replay officials for getting the call right =)
September 21st, 2009 at 10:33 PM ^
I think it was an interception. The only thing bad about instant replay is the fact that they review every freaking play.
Btw, that call on Cissoko for pass interference was probably the worst call I've ever seen in college football.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:16 AM ^
Second worst. The touchdown they gave us during the MSU game last year was the worst I've ever seen. They cited a rule that doesn't exist when they overturned the call on the field that it wasn't a touchdown.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 AM ^
Bad call that goes against us = bad.
Bad call that goes for us = not bad.
Dude, you need to learn about double standards, every true fan has them.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:23 AM ^
Ugh - unbelievable. In Row 10 directly overlooking the play, we had a great vantage point and were happily exchanging high-fives over the obvious Offensive PI call until we heard the most ridiculous thing we could imagine at that moment. Complete nonsense, and one of my biggest disappointments with the EMU game (Cissoko finally had something to feel great about and got jobbed).
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 AM ^
was one of the worst I've ever seen. He had position, was looking back at the ball and the WR tackled him, slamming his head into the ground. It was the most obvious offensive PI there is, yet it was called on Cissoko. ??? Terrible.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:41 PM ^
The announcers could say "Wildcat" at least 8,000 more times before I contemplated suicide. Strike that, reverse it.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:13 PM ^
So, you'll contemplate suicide 8,000 more times before the announcers say "Wildcat"? I'd recommend seeking professional help.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 AM ^
We're way too far along to go back and not use replay, now that we have the technology and we've seen [mostly] correct calls come from it. Even worse, with HD and DVR in everybody's house, leagues and conferences just can't get away with the mis-calls that are gonna happen. Remember the coach-like noises that came out of Charlie Weis last week? Imagine if the officials had actually made an _incorrect_ call!
While we're OT in this direction, the Colts just outdid Michigan in terms of losing the critical TOP, but winning the game. Miami obviously dominated by keeping the ball for more than three-quarters of the game! (Actually that does seem like a whole lot.) ESPN is having trouble believing Indy managed to win with less than 15 minutes on offense.
September 22nd, 2009 at 2:51 AM ^
Miami's sorry excuse for a 2-minute drill made me sick.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 AM ^
Yeah, that was truly pathetic. They could have squeezed at the very least three more plays out of that drive.