Football Zebras.com

Packers at Bears

Terry McAulay is the referee (full crew) in his fifth conference championship game.

Final | Packers 21-14. Penalties: Packers 6 for 40 yards, Bears 9 for 89 yards, none declined or offsetting. Two replay reviews: one coach’s challenge (Bears) was reversed and one booth review was upheld.

4th Quarter | 2:33 remaining | Packers 21-14. After much deliberation by referee Terry McAulay and his crew, an intentional grounding call was penalized on Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie. While there was no receiver at the location where the pass landed, a receiver (no sure who) was running a route that would have put him there. Generally, off-target passes are not penalized as such, and difficult to do in post-play reconstruction by the officials without the benefit of replay. In my opinion, this should not have been penalized.

4th Quarter | 9:32 remaining | Packers 14-7. A punt by the Packers was ruled a touchback because the player covering the punt stepped in the end zone. He needed to establish two feet in bounds prior to touching the ball. By diving for the ball, he did not re-establish in the field of play.

4th Quarter | 12:05 remaining | Packers 14-0. A completion to Bears receiver Johnny Knox was ruled down inside the 1-yard line, with side judge Greg Meyer right next to him who made the call of out-of-bounds. A replay showed that Knox did not step out of bounds, and a touchdown should have scored, but it was not challenged by the Bears. Bears scored a touchdown on the next play.

3rd Quarter | :55 remaining | Packers 14-0. The Bears have placed their third quarterback, Caleb Hanie, in the game just prior to the fourth quarter. If Hanie was listed as an “inactive” third quarterback, then Bears quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Todd Collins are prohibited from returning, even if Hanie is injured. However, sometimes a team will have all three quarterbacks as “active,” which places no restrictions on the third quarterback. (See the Zebra Blog rules school on third quarterbacks.)

We are checking to see if the Bears inactive list specifies Hanie as the inactive third quarterback. (Update, postgame: The gamebook lists seven inactives for the Bears, instead of the usual eight. So Hanie was indeed classified as the inactive third quarterback, who under rule is allowed to enter the game prior to the fourth quarter as long as the other two quarterbacks are benched for the remainder of the game.)

3rd Quarter | 8:35 remaining | Packers 14-0. An interception by the Packers’ Earl Bennett should have been ruled a trapped ball, as it clearly touched the ground. Bears coach Lovie Smith had to use a challenge, and the play was overturned on replay. Not sure of the angle the covering officials had on the play, but that was a huge miss that had to be corrected on replay.

2nd Quarter |  :32 remaining | Packers 14-0 | video. An interception at the 3-yard line by Packers cornerback Sam Shields was placed under review by the replay assistant (2nd play in video clip at :40). Two elements of this play were in dispute: (1) did Shields maintain possession throughout the process of the catch, and (2) did Packers receiver Johnny Knox contact Shields after he caught the ball. If Knox did make contact, Shields would have been ruled down at the 3-yard line, rather than being able to get up and run out to the 11-yard line.

Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira said that the interception should have been overturned. I was focused on the down-by-contact ruling with the limited number of replays the top Fox crew provided, so I cannot comment on the process of the catch. I believe that if you rule that the catch stands, Shields should be ruled down at the 3. (Update, post-game: Looking at the NFL.com clip, I didn’t see anything decisive to overturn the interception, as it appears that Shields got his hand under the ball. Not sure if Pereira based his decision on another replay that was provided to him while we were in commercial.)

2nd Quarter | 1:52 remaining | Packers 14-0. After a fairly quiet and fast paced first half, an infrequent ruling came into play on a fumble by Jay Cutler. A fumble with less than two minutes remaining in either half cannot be advanced by any player on the offense, other than the player who fumbled. Since the ball was recovered behind Cutler, the spot of the recovery becomes the dead-ball spot, because it is more disadvantageous to the offense. From the rulebook, Rule 8, Section 7, Article 6:

Fumble After Two-Minute Warning. If a fumble by either team occurs after the two-minute warning:

(a) The ball may be advanced by any opponent.

(b) The player who fumbled is the only player of his team who is permitted to recover and advance the ball.

(c) If the recovery or catch is by a teammate of the player who fumbled, the ball is dead, and the spot of the next snap is the spot of the fumble, or the spot of the recovery if the spot of the recovery is behind the spot of the fumble.

2nd Quarter | 11:13 remaining | Packers 14-0 | video. Tight call made by line judge Mark Perlman on the touchdown by Packers running back James Starks. It was quick, decisive, and correct.

Jets at Patriots

Bill Leavy is the referee (full crew).

2nd Quarter, 5:46 remaining. Patriots coach Bill Belichick challenged a juggled catch by Jets receiver Santonio Holmes. Although it was just a five-yard pass, it made the difference between a first down and a 4th-and-5. Holmes was able to get his hand under the ball without it contacting the ground. Unlike yesterday’s call against the Falcons’ Michael Jenkins who gained control out of bounds, Holmes was in the field, so he was able to fully gain control when he was on the ground.Replay review upheld the call.

Seahawks at Bears

Alberto Riverón is the referee (full crew).

Not much to report from this game. A very cleanly called game all around. This is evident in that Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira was fairly silent throughout the game. The only time I recall hearing from Pereira was about the NFL considering extra padding to the knees, thighs and hips while Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant was injured on the field.

Packers at Falcons

John Parry is the referee.

3rd Quarter, 7:41 remaining. Packers coach Mike McCarthy challenged a 23-yard reception by Falcons receiver Michael Jenkins. When Jenkins gets both feet down following a catch, there must be a recognizable amount of time that he holds possession of the ball. In this case, because he is hit right away on the second foot going down, and the ball is sliding around just after the hit, Jenkins did not hold the ball long enough. In replay, an official is to look at this type of catch-and-control call in real speed, rather than slow-motion video.

2nd Quarter, 12:12 remaining (video). Jordy Nelson, while going for the end zone contacted the pylon on the goal line. While the pylon is technically fully out of bounds, a touchdown counts because as soon as the ball (and not a player’s body part) contacts the pylon, it has broken the plane of the end zone. If Nelson contacted the pylon with a part of his body before extending the ball over the goal line, a touchdown is not scored.

Pregame. The Packers were apparently disadvantaged in Week 12 when they played at the Falcons because the Georgia Dome’s video feed to the coaches’ box was allegedly delayed. This could have cost the Packers a chance at a replay challenge. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the NFL found the equipment to be operating properly.

Ravens at Steelers

Jeff Triplette is heading up a mixed crew: three of Ed Hochuli’s officials are on the squad.

3rd Quarter, 11:37 remaining. Odd explanation of a call by Triplette, because a Steelers’ punt was first touched by one of the Steelers before Webb grabbed the ball and ran with it. Triplette called it “illegal touching,” which is technically correct, even if it implies there was a penalty. Because the Steelers touched the ball first, the Ravens had the option of taking the ball at the spot of the touch or at the spot of Webb’s runback.

End of first half. Busy, busy half for the officiating crew. That Ravens touchdown could have easily been nullified if one of the officials blew his whistle inadvertently. Despite the fact that it is a mixed crew, the officials are working well communicating with each other. Two replay reviews so far: one upheld, one reversal. Ravens 3 penalties for 52 yards, Steelers 6 for 68. (Ravens also committed a double foul on one play, so the Steelers declined one of them.)

2nd Quarter, 15:00 remaining. A CBS graphic showed that this is one of the most penalized quarters in the postseason for 20 years. The officials gained 106 yards on both teams.

1st Quarter, 1:07 remaining (video). Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lost the ball after pump faking twice. Most players assumed it to be an incomplete pass, but Ravens defensive end Cory Redding picked the ball up, playing it as a fumble, and scored an easy touchdown. It was hard to tell, but Triplette did throw a beanbag to indicate a fumble. Also of note, this is the second play in the first quarter that involved a player continuing the play in absence of a whistle.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin challenged the fumble, but it was confirmed correctly by replay review. (Roethlisberger did not protest the call, as was noted by CBS commentator Greg Gumble, but unnoticed by Roethlisberger’s coach.) Before the first quarter ended, the Steelers exhausted their ability to challenge any plays through the duration of the game.

1st Quarter, 3:00 remaining. Ravens receiver T.J. Houshmandzedeh was lobbying unsuccessfully for a roughness penalty on Ike Taylor. Both players exchanged headbutts. At this point both teams are playing like division rivals, but the officials need to make sure they have control of this game. So far, many more penalties than any of the wild card games at this point.

1st Quarter, 12:10 remaining. Steelers receiver Hines Ward received an unnecessary roughness penalty, however in that exchange,Ed Reed of the Ravens grabbed his facemask. There should have been an offsetting facemask foul.

1st Quarter, 15:00 remaining. Right out of the chute, a replay review. This was hard to discern at full speed, so the officials do get credit for making a good call with a replay assist. The opening kickoff was returned by the Ravens’ Lardarius Webb, who was tackled by kicker Sean Suisham. Webb got up, not hearing a whistle, and ran for an additional14 yards. The original ruling was that Webb rolled over Suisham, without a part of his body other than his hand touching the ground. Webb’s elbow did graze the ground, so the ball was returned to the spot of that tackle.

Contrasting to his predecessor’s opinion, vice-president of officiating Carl Johnson has defended the rule that, until the recent arrival of “the process of the catch,” was considered one of the sport’s worst.

It is the dreaded Tuck Rule, added to the rulebook in 1999, and most notably implemented in a 2002 playoff game that turned impending elimination into second life for the Patriots on the road to their Super Bowl victory.

Mike Pereira previously held the title until he retired last year to become the rules expert on the Fox Sports staff. Pereira held the view that the Tuck Rule should remain, but changed his tune this past week, now that he no longer works for the league.

Even with Pereira’s change of heart, Johnson ensures that the Tuck Rule has a continuity of support from the officiating management. On the NFL Network “Official Review” segment (video), Johnson says the Competition Committee will have the ultimate decision on the fate of the Tuck Rule, but defended its use:

It would be a cheap fumble if the guy who’s throwing the ball attempts to bring it back or is trying to tuck it. I like the rule the way it is.

It will be interesting if the Competition Committee considers the opinion of the former over the current head of officiating when they review changes to the rulebook in the offseason.

Ravens at Chiefs

Mike Carey is the referee.

1st Quarter, 6:26 remaining. The Chiefs challenged the spot of the ball in relation to the first-down marker. Since Ravens running back Ray Rice landed with his hand first, he was not considered down until another part of his body contacted the ground. Ravens got the first down, which was upheld by replay.

3rd Quarter, :21 remaining. A ruling of a sack-fumble by Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb on Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was challenged by the Chiefs. Under the controversial so-called tuck rule, Cassel was found to be still in the act of passing, so Webb knocking the ball out of Cassel’s hand should have resulted in an incomplete pass, rather than a fumble. Carey reversed the on-field ruling to an incomplete pass, marking the first replay reversal of the playoffs an the end of the eleventh quarter of this weekend games.

Packers at Eagles

Pete Morelli is the referee.

4th Quarter, 4:08 remaining. On a two-point conversion attempt, a huge administrative error was averted. A pass to Eagles receiver Brent Celek was completed for two points, however he stepped out of bounds prior to catching the pass (video). A penalty was assessed because a player who steps out of bounds cannot be the first player to touch a pass (illegal-touching-of-a-pass penalty). Celek caught the ball after he returned to (and re-established himself in) the field of play, however Morelli ruled that the conversion try was over. This would be correct if illegal touching is a loss-of-down penalty.

Before the ensuing kickoff, Eagles coach Andy Reid protested that his team should get another chance at the conversion try. One unidentified member of the officiating crew corrected the call, that the five-yard penalty must be assessed and the conversion try attempted from the 7-yard line. The point was moot as the Eagles failed on the second try, but thankfully the error was corrected in a timely fashion, even if slightly delayed.

4th Quarter, 1:06 remaining. Celek was injured on an incomplete pass later in the quarter. When an injury occurs in the final two minutes of the game, a team is charged a timeout. However, since the Eagles had already used all three timeouts, they were granted a fourth, free of penalty. According to Rule 4, Section 5, Article 4:

(d) No yardage penalty will be assessed for the first excess team timeout.

4th Quarter, :33 remaining. Tramon Williams intercepted Eagles quarterback Michael Vick in the end zone to seal the victory, but it could have reversed fortunes back to the Eagles. Williams left the end zone without being ruled down by contact, so the play continued to be live (video). If he had spiked or otherwise let go of the ball, it would have been considered a fumble. Fortunately for Williams, he went to the ground at the 4-yard line to end the play.

Saints at Seahawks

Walt Coleman is the referee, heading up Terry McAulay’s crew.

First half. No replay reviews. Saints have 4 penalties for 18 yards, Seahawks 3/14, no penalties declined.

Hasselblock in the back? Credit: NFL/NBC Sports

4th Quarter, 3:38 remaining. On the amazing touchdown run by Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, did quarterback Matt Hasselbeck throw an illegal block in the back? No penalty was called, likely because the officials determined the Saints defender wasn’t knocked over (he, instead, dove for Lynch) or otherwise disadvantaged (video, after Lynch passes the 30-yard line).

4th Quarter, 1:34 remaining. In spite of help from behind, Saints running back DeShawn Wynn failed on his two-point conversion attempt (video, forward to 9:01). With a boost from a lineman Jermon Bushrod to keep Wynn on his feet, if the conversion scored, it would have been nullified by an assisting-the-runner penalty. From the rulebook, Rule 12, Section 1, Article 5:

No offensive player may … lift a runner to his feet or pull him in any direction at any time.

Had there been a score, it would have been a re-try from the 12-yard line.

Final. Not a busy night at all for replay official Earnie Frantz. No challenges, no replays for the entire game, and nothing that he missed in the last two minutes that was worthy of a review. Easy money.

Jets at Colts

Gene Steratore is the referee.

1st Quarter, 13:29. No challenges in Game 1 of the doubleheader; first challenge in the first two minutes of the second one. Colts coach Jim Caldwell challenged whether Jets punt returner Santonio Holmes was the first player to touch a punted ball. Holmes was oddly hovering over the rolling ball, because if he touched it, even accidentally, it would have made a live ball, which the Colts would have recovered. Steratore upheld the play on the field that the ball was first touched by the Colts.

2nd Quarter, 8:21 remaining. A punt to the goal line appeared to be saved from a sure touchback by the Jets, but field judge Terry Brown, side judge Michael Banks, and back judge Greg Steed conferenced at length at the goal line before ruling touchback. Replay showed that the Jets coverage player put his right hand on the goal line, making the ball “in” the end zone by extension.

End of first half. Other than the replay called in the opening minutes of the first quarter, no other replays were called for. Jets have been penalized 3 times for 15 yards; the Colts have not been penalized.

4th Quarter, :40 remaining. A catch by Jets receiver Braylon Edwards with a fumble and self-recovery was reviewed. Steratore said that Edwards completed the catch with the third foot down, followed then by the fumble.

We haven’t been reviewing the “Official Review” segments on the NFL Network this season since its debut under Carl Johnson. Johnson, the new vice-president of officiating, has not appeared on the network’s signature program NFL Total Access on a weekly basis, like his predecessor, Mike Pereira. In addition, the segment has less plays and less-controversial plays under review than last year.

We happened to catch this week’s “Official Review,” so here’s the recap:

• From the Tuesday night game against the Eagles, Vikings receiver Sidney Rice scored a touchdown that was overturned on replay. Rice did not secure the ball through the process of the catch, and the ball touched the ground, rendering it incomplete (video).
• From the Giants–Packers game, there is more of a process review, rather than analysis of a call. On the fumble by Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, it was apparent from the replay that all players who touched the ball were in bounds (video). Johnson briefly notes the need for a player to re-establish himself in the field of play, which could have been explained at greater length for an audience, rather than repeating the same points.

Johnson is improving his presentation skills slightly since his first appearance, but he appears to have enough material to cover one-third of the segment, requiring him to repeat some of the more basic points in his presentation. Hopefully by next year, the network can coach Johnson to not divulge everything up front, allowing the host to ask follow-up questions to pad out the segment.

Week 16: Lions at Dolphins

With under two minutes left in the second quarter of the Lions–Dolphins game, Chad Henne completed a touchdown pass to receiver Davone Bess (video). The replay assistant called for a review, and referee Tony Corrente upheld the ruling on the field of a touchdown. However, while Bess did get both feet down in bounds with possession with the ball across the goal line, several replay angles show Bess’ left foot out of bounds just before he leaps to make the catch.

A tipped ball complicates this play. Any player who steps out of bounds cannot be the first to touch the ball. However, the ball was tipped by Lions defensive back Tye Hill, so if Bess’ foot returned to the field of play before the tip, the catch would’ve been legal. But replays seem to show that Bess’ foot landed out of bounds just after the tip, then was in the air, and thus not yet re-established in the field of play (if this even matters), as he caught the ball.

So the question is, does the defender tipping the pass negate the need for Bess to get his foot back in bounds before touching the ball? Or should this TD catch have been overturned?

Luckily for the Lions, it wound up not costing them the game.

Week 15: Packers at Patriots

After administering a pass interference penalty at the 1-yard line, the Packers were trying to snap the ball quickly, which referee Ed Hochuli announced was impermissible:

We were coming out of a penalty and the team has the opportunity to line up. [Whistles heard after a pause.]

There was no timeout called. There was no timeout called. I came in and stopped the play, because coming out of an administrative stoppage, both teams need to come out and be set.

Thanks to the Sunday Night Football Extra online feed, I was not only able to rewind to see exactly what was being called, but could do so from multiple angles (something oddly missing from each team’s replay review capabilities). Within seconds of the penalty being announced and spotted, the Patriots are seen substituting at least four players when the Packers are huddled. (At least four are seen offsides in the picture, three entering and one leaving the field; there are others out of frame.) The Packers break the huddle at that point, trying to catch the Patriots shorthanded and offside.

A reasonable amount of time was not given, especially since the ball was as far away from the team bench as possible.

Unrelated post-script. A quick side note of appreciation from the Sunday Night Football crew for their work on a first down measurement. NBC brought one of their StediCams on the field to zoom in on the one-link-short measurement. In the photo below, you can see the live camera angle in the inset picture, with the overhead cable camera in the larger picture, revealing the StediCam operator. Now why he’s wearing shorts in sub-freezing Foxborough, Mass., is another story, but his shot was excellent.

(Lawyers, please, I try to keep game footage pictures to a minimum, only if the point can’t be illustrated otherwise. But, do appreciate the plug.)

Image credits: NFL/NBC Sports via Sunday Night Football Extra

Week 15: 49ers at Chargers

Niners defensive tackle Justin Smith was ejected from the Thursday night 49ers-Chargers game for impermissible contact with an official (video).

Umpire Garth DeFelice was attempting to break up some post-play shoving when Smith pushed DeFelice’s arm off of him. Whether or not Smith knew it was an official who he shoved back on is irrelevant; it is impermissible contact with the referee. There will likely be a fine of $10,000 coming Smith’s way this week.

DeFelice is obviously a tough guy, as he has been widely recognized for his forearm to Rams running back Kenneth Darby (video below). But you can see for a fraction of a second DeFelice loses his cool, with line judge Jeff Seeman making sure that DeFelice doesn’t do more than throw a flag on the play.

Clete Blakeman was the crew chief for the game.