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We’re back. If you see a call from Week 1 that deserves our attention, add it to the comments section of this post. Referee assignments are after the jump.

Quick calls

• Steelers at Ravens | 1st quarter | 2:47 remaining | video. One of the first uses of the new all-touchdowns-subject-to-review rule reversed a Ravens touchdown in the first quarter. A Ray Rice run was ruled down by contact at the 1, as James Farrior barely touched Rice as he went to the end zone. It doesn’t matter if the touch caused Rice to go to the ground; the mere fact he was touched at a moment when he was stumbling counts as down by contact.
  3rd Quarter | :44 remaining | video. Referee Tony Corrente, trying to break up a fight between these division rivals, took a hard spill to the turf. Corrente continued in the game. According to his former boss, Mike Pereira, he’s doing fine. There was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play, unrelated to Corrente’s fall, against Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor. Photo credit: @SportingBecky.
• Chiefs at Bills | 2nd Quarter | 12:22 remaining | video at :55. A Chiefs touchdown was taken off the board by the new rule as well. A catch by Leonard Pope was ruled incomplete because he did not have control of the ball as he stepped out of bounds. Chiefs were sacked on the next play, then missed the 48-yard field goal. Costly call, but correct.

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It is a rule that rarely comes into play. In fact it is discussed far more often than it actually happens in the game. But the time the so-called Tuck Rule was applied in a snowy Raiders–Patriots game was enough to get fans of all stripes to unite in cause to demand the repeal.

What many perceived as a fumble recovery by the Raiders, sealing the fate of the Patriots, was overturned by a replay review. The fumble by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was now a harmless incomplete pass; the Patriots had new life to tie the score and then win in overtime.

The Tuck Rule gave Brady an advantage, because as he reconsidered throwing a pass, he had not yet tucked the ball back to his body, and thus, was by the letter of the rule, still engaging in a forward pass.

At the time, director of officiating Mike Pereira — whose title was later elevated to vice-president of officiating — defended the rule because it gave objective criteria to referees to determine when a quarterback, who withdraws from a pass attempt during a throwing motion, becomes a runner again. Tucking the ball back towards the body is an objective criteria, but the rulebook (Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2) considers the end of the tucking motion, and not the start of, as the conclusion of the throwing motion:

Note 2: When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body.

Fast forward to this past weekend, when the Tuck Rule again reversed a fumble recovery for the defense. The Ravens dominated the game, so the missed opportunity was inconsequential to the result.

Pereira now works as a rules analyst for Fox Sports, and he has reconsidered his position on the Tuck Rule:

This was clearly a correct reversal, but is it time to look at this rule because Cassel was not attempting to pass the ball when it came loose.

I think it’s time to change this rule. A pass should only be ruled incomplete if the ball comes loose in the actual act of passing the ball. If it comes loose in the tucking motion, then it should be a fumble.

I would support a rule change, although it took me a long time to get to this point. I’m sure it’s no consolation to the many Raiders fans around the country.

Pereira is not just any opinion, however. Even though he no longer holds a position with the league, the NFL’s Competition Committee will likely take note of Pereira’s shift and suggest a change to the rule. Pereira’s influence has seemed to increase as a now-independent auditor of the league’s officiating.

And, maybe people will stop bothering referee Walt Coleman about the correct call he made on that day.

Pereira also summarized other calls made during the wild card games, which you can compare to our analysis (part 1 | part 2).

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.

The officiating crews for the Wild Card games on Jan. 8 and 9 have been announced by the NFL. Kickoff times are Eastern. (See our previous post on the process of qualification.)

Saints at Seahawks (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.)

• R — #65 Walt Coleman (22nd year, 16th year as referee)
• U — #121 Paul King (2nd year)
• HL — #98 Greg Bradley (2nd year)
• LJ — #84 Mark Steinkerchner (17th year)
• FJ — #43 Terry Brown (5th year)
• SJ — #72 Michael Banks (9th year)
• BJ — #12 Greg Steed (8th year)
• Alternates — #56 Allen Baynes (SJ), #2 Billy Smith (BJ)

Coleman will head Terry McAulay’s crew, likely because McAulay is scheduled to officiate a conference championship game. (This will not be confirmed by the league for another two weeks.)

McAulay’s crew officated the NFL Kickoff game when the Saints played the Vikings. Coleman was the referee for a Saints game in Week 7 and was in Seattle for a Seahawks game three weeks ago.

Steed officiated in last year’s Super Bowl. King and Bradley are officiating in their first year of postseason eligibility.

Zebra Blog coverage: $55K fines, but 0 yards, assessed for Ravens’ face-altering, concussing hits | Head ref tells ‘SNF’ crew it was helmet hit, but, please, there is no Steeler conspiracy

Jets at Colts (Saturday, 8 p.m.)

• R — #114 Gene Steratore (8th year, 5th year as referee)
• U — #40 Butch Hannah (12th year)
• HL — #91 Jerry Bergman (9th year)
• LJ — #107 Ron Marinucci (14th year)
• FJ — #88 Scott Steenson (20th year)
• SJ — #116 Mike Weatherford (9th year)
• BJ — #133 Steve Freeman (10th year)
• Alternates — #102 Bruice Stritesky (U), #109 Dyrol Prioleau (FJ)

Steratore’s crew officiated a Colts game in Week 11. Steratore was also referee for a wild card game in 2009.

Steenson and Freeman were on Jeff Triplette’s crew during the regular season and replace  Bob Waggoner at field judge and Dino Paganelli at back judge.

Zebra Blog coverage: Steelers get second chance after replay erases TD, but turnover never happened | Ravens coach fined $15K for ref bump | Lions victimized by ‘process of catch’ rule, but they wasn’t robbed

Ravens at Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

• R — #94 Mike Carey (21st year, 16th year as referee)
• U — #49 Rich Hall (7th year)
• HL — #8 Dana McKenzie (3rd year)
• LJ — #47 Tim Podraza (3rd year)
• FJ — #82 Buddy Horton (12th year)
• SJ — #15 Rick Patterson (15th year)
• BJ — #6 Dirk Dornan (17th year)
• Alternates — #115 Tony Michalek (U), #30 Todd Prukop (BJ)

Carey’s crew officiated a Week 10 game with the Chiefs.

Patterson officiated on Walt Coleman’s crew during the regular season, replacing side judge Laird Hayes.

Packers at Eagles (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.)

• R — #135 Pete Morelli (14th year, 8th year as referee)
• U — #71  Ruben Fowler (5th year)
• HL — #36 Tony Veteri (19th year)
• LJ — #35 John Hussey (9th year)
• FJ — #89 Jon Lucivansky (2nd year)
• SJ — #39 Don Carlsen (22nd year)
• BJ — #75 Rob Vernatchi (7th year)
• Alternates —#45 Jeff Seeman (LJ), #119 Greg Wilson (BJ)

Morelli’s crew officiated a Week 12 game with the Packers. In 2009, Morelli was the referee for the NFC Conference Championship game and Vernatchi — who switched to back judge this year — officiated Super Bowl XLIV as a field judge. (Seeman, an alternate, also served as line judge in Super Bowl XLIV.)

Veteri was on Clete Blakeman’s crew during the regular season, replacing head linesman George Hayward.

Lucivansky is officiating in his first year of postseason eligibility.

Zebra Blog coverage: Morelli crew gives Steelers 9-yd 1st down | Hochuli, Triplette, Corrente flag most; Green, Morelli, Riverón under 11 per game

Week 1: 49ers at Cardinals

It seems the Arizona Cardinals cannot finish a game without a controversial call on the last play of the game. In the first outing following the controversial game-ending fumble in Super Bowl XLIII, the Cardinals found themselves, again, in a last-second desperation call.

With eight seconds left in the 49ers–Cardinals game (video highlight at 2:10), the Cardinals needed 54 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Kurt Warner was sacked with three seconds; the ball was fumbled and rolled out of bounds as time expired.

An interesting development arose, as the players (most visibly kicker Joe Nedney) entered onto the field with three seconds left with a live, loose ball. The play, according to the gamebook, did not end until the ball went out of bounds. Therefore, there were more than 11 players on the field.

49ers bench enters the field during a live ball with 2 seconds remaining. Credit: NFL/Fox Sports

Nedney, although near the ball, did not interfere with the play. Because the fumble was after the two-minute warning, only Warner (the fumbler) could legally recover for the Cardinals. So there was clearly no way the Cardinals had a chance to recover. But, by the letter of the rules, it is an illegal substitution, which would have been a 5-yard penalty and an untimed down for the Cardinals. A replay review could have been initiated, as the number of personnel is a reviewable call. It could not be challenged since there was less than two minutes.

Flashback: Browns at Chiefs, Week 1, 2002

This may appear to be overreaching, as players believed the play to be over and did not interfere with the play. But, that did not factor in an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the 2002 Browns–Chiefs opening day game. When Chiefs quarterback Trent Green was swarmed under with the clock showing 0:00, it appeared that the game was over. Dwayne Rudd of the Browns removed his helmet in celebration, not realizing that Green lateraled the ball to lineman John Tait, who was tackled at the 25-yard line.

Although Rudd thought the play was over, and did not have any affect on the play, he was nonetheless flagged for removing his helmet, which extended the quarter by an untimed down for the Chiefs’ game-winning field goal.

Today’s game was officiated by Don Carey’s crew (his first as referee); Lloyd McPeters was the replay official.