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Week 17: Lions at Packers

1st Quarter | 13:00 remaining | Lions 7-0 | Lions kickoff | video

Updated below to include similar play from Chargers–Raiders.

Tough break for the Packers, as Patrick Lee muffs the Lions kickoff in the end zone. Lee remained in the end zone, but the ball rolled out to the 1-yard line. Lee pulled the ball back into the end zone for an apparent touchback.

Referee Walt Anderson had a lengthy conference with line judge Mike Spanier and headlinesman Ed Camp. Camp can be seen very clearly articulating the case for a safety, which is how it was ultimately ruled on the field.

On any play involving a touchback or safety, the ruling pivots on how the ball enters the end zone. If the kicking team puts the ball into the end zone, it is a touchback. When the ball is muffed, even though the direction of the ball changed, the force behind the ball still came from the kick. Once Lee pulled the ball backwards, it was Lee that forced the ball into the end zone, regardless of the fact that Lee was standing in the end zone.

Had Lee left the ball on the 1-yard line and kneeled, the ball would have been dead at the 1-yard line. It was close, but the kneel came after the ball returned to the end zone.

Also a consideration on the play (and confirmed by replay) is if the entire ball exited the end zone. If a point of the ball was still touching the goal line, Lee would have had a touchback.

Good, tough call in real time by the three officials on the play.

Week 17: Chargers at Raiders

4th Quarter | 9:32 remaining | Chargers 31-26 | Raiders kickoff @ 50

Chargers kick returner Richard Goodman allowed a kickoff to hit the ground and roll towards the end zone. He needed to get the loose ball, as either team could recover. Goodman scooped up the ball at the 1-yard line, retreated into his end zone, and barely got the entire ball out of the end zone.

Referee Clete Blakeman announced the ball was out of the end zone and down at the ½-yard line.

Week 14: Vikings at Lions

4th quarter | :09 remaining | Lions 34-28 | Vikings ball | 1st & goal @ 1 | video

The Vikings were on the comeback express, having trailed by 21, and were one yard from overcoming the deficit against the Lions with seconds remaining.

Vikings quarterback Joe Webb fumbled the ball on the final play, and after a mad scramble, the ball was recovered by the Lions with the time expired. Game over.

However, the officials missed two fouls committed by the Lions on the play.

Facemask penalty. Coinciding with the fumbled ball was a grasp and twist of Webb’s facemask by Lions DeAndre Levy. While this should have been caught, referee John Parry, who has coverage on the quarterback, obviously was not in position to see it. (Webb’s back was to him.) However, this is a huge missed call given to the entire crew.

Illegally batting the ball. In the scramble to pick up the loose ball, Steven Tulloch swatted the ball downfield. That is an illegal bat, and should have also been penalized. Because the game was under two minutes remaining, the rule for fumbles is that the fumbler is now the only offensive player who can pick up the loose ball and run. In this case, Webb was close to potentially recovering the ball, until Tulloch deliberately pushed the ball downfield. In my opinion, there was no intent to recover the fumble, as Tulloch hit the ball with his left hand, while his right hand remained at his side. In real time (without the benefit of replay) this is a hard judgement to make; therefore, it is rarely called.

Week 13: Lions at Saints

Clete Blakeman’s crew officiated a game that could have easily become uncontrollable at any moment. It didn’t help that they were shorthanded.

Umpire Garth DeFelice left the game midway through the first quarter with a foot injury. That required the crew to readjust their mechanics to officiate most of the game shorthanded. Side judge Greg Meyer moved into the umpire position, leaving only two deep officials.

The game (highlight video) had six personal foul penalties, including the following:

• Lions receiver Titus Young was involved in a post-play push near the goal line (video)
• Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew contacted line judge Jeff Seeman (video)

Seeman, under the circumstances, could have called for Pettigrew’s ejection. Impermissible contact with an official is not, despite widespread opinion, an automatic ejection, and it took tremendous restraint not to disqualify Pettigrew. In the analysis, Pettigrew was still reacting to the play when Seeman was hit. While it was still a penalty, the officials realized that the contact was not directed at Seeman. It also appears that Pettigrew apologized right away, to help save his place in the game.

While there was a lot of dead-ball action that had to be controlled, the crew made certain that they maintained their composure throughout.

By now, you have heard that Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was ejected Thursday for stepping on Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith (video). Of course, Suh says he shouldn’t have been tossed, because his foot was tangled with Dietrich-Smith (although the video shows otherwise). As Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman aptly put it, “That’s an excellent block on [Dietrich-Smith's] part, and Ndamukong Suh doesn’t like it.” It was referee Terry McAuley’s second ejection in the game, with Packers cornerback Pat Lee being tossed before halftime for landing a punch (video).

The Suh ejection was for the kicking Dietrich-Smith. The league will review the entire video which shows Suh slamming Dietrich-Smith’s head to the turf a few times.

The NFL is mulling over a 1- or 2-game suspension for Suh, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. However, it would be an odd statement of priority if Suh is suspended for two games.

There were two multiple-game suspensions for an on-field incident in NFL history. Both incidents were far more serious than Suh’s conduct, so the precedent would be Suh has a one-game suspension on the way:

• 1986. Packers defensive lineman Charles Martin hit Bears quarterback Jim McMahon well after a pass, separating McMahon’s shoulder. Referee Jerry Markbreit ejected Martin, which was rare at the time for a non-fighting incident. Martin was suspended two games by commissioner Pete Rozelle.
• 2006. Titans defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth stomped on Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode’s face. Referee Jerome Boger assessed a rare double personal foul and ejected Haynesworth. Gurode needed 30 stitches to close the wound caused by Haynesworth’s cleats.

The last suspension for an on-field incident was Dante Wesley’s flagrant hit in 2009 which resulted in a one-game suspension (Zebra Blog coverage).

In his weekly wrap-up column on Fox Sports, commentator Mike Pereira weighed in on a few calls from Week 1:

• Lions at Buccaneers | 2nd quarter | 10:34 remaining | video. Lions cornerback Chris Houston intercepted a Josh Freeman pass at the 1, with his momentum carrying him into the end zone. Two Buccaneer penalties prior to the interception were declined, and the Lions got the ball on the 1. Pereira pointed out that a taunting foul was missed.
• Giants at Redskins | 3rd quarter | 4:29 remaining. Referee Ron Winter had 60 seconds in a replay review to determine if (1) Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman was behind the line of scrimmage before a pass, (2) whether receiver Jabar Gaffney stepped out of bounds prior to the pass, and (3) whether Gaffney got both field in bounds after catching the ball. Pereira said at the time that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn on any; Winter disagreed with his old boss and reversed the play on number 3.
• Falcons at Bears | 3rd quarter | 7:15 remaining. A Devin Hester catch was thought to be a touchdown by the Bears, however referee Ed Hochuli could not see conclusive evidence that the ball crossed the plane of the end zone inside the pylon. (Video link for this play on NFL.com is broken.)
  2nd quarter | :08. Pereira noted that the half had about 2 seconds remaining at the end of the play, but the clock operator allowed the time to zero out. The clock used to be reviewable under hastily conceived rules applied for the 2009 postseason, but those rules could not be permanently implemented.
• Bills at Chiefs. Same as we reported in our Quick Calls, except Pereira said this was the first touchdown overturned by the new replay-review rule. We believe it happened in Baltimore first, but we don’t have a wall of TVs here.



Update: Someone has their wires crossed over at Fox Sports’ video provider. Pereira’s article has a video link to his analysis, but, rather than seeing him, we get a video of The Today Show — on NBC!

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 13: Bears at Lions

As a follow-up to the Ndamukong Suh penalty, referee Ed Hochuli (whose weekday and offseason job is a trial lawyer) explained his call following Sunday’s game, as he saw it:

Q: The personal foul on Suh, exactly what did you call and why?

Hochuli: I felt it was an unnecessary non-football act—a blow to the back of the runner’s helmet in the process of him going down.

Q: Did it have anything to do with the fact he was a quarterback?

Hochuli: Well, the quarterbacks receive more protection, but in that situation, no. In that situation, it was I felt an unnecessary blow, a non-football act as the runner was going to the ground.

Q: If the contact had been in the shoulder or not in the head, would it still have been a penalty?

Hochuli: I really would have to see it. I can’t speculate on something else that I didn’t see. But as I saw it, he hit him in the back of the helmet.

Q: Can you describe why that it is an unnecessary [act]?

Hochuli: When you tackle people, you come in, and you wrap up and come with your arms and things like that. I felt he delivered a blow to the back [of the] runner that happened to be the quarterback. That is why I was down there following it. He’s my responsibility.

As reported in the Detroit Free-Press, Suh had a very responsible answer to the controversy, especially considering Suh is a rookie:

I don’t judge calls. It’s not my job. My job is to go out there and play, get the ball out. It was a great opportunity to attack the ball. It just happened. Whatever. I was going for the ball, so that’s all that matters.

Week 13: Bears at Lions

Ndamukong Suh, the Lions defensive tackle who was penalized erroneously for a horse-collar tackle two weeks ago, encores with another unearned 15-yarder. This time, head referee Ed Hochuli threw a flag on a tackle Suh made on Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Hochuli, never one to conserve his words, announced the penalty thusly:

Number 90 went to the head [gesturing with a forearm] from the back of the runner with his forearm. That is unnecessary and, by rule, a foul.

As Bad Calls Football.com points out, there was no forearm contact when Suh made the tackle. Furthermore, Cutler was an open-field runner at the time, which removes most of the quarterback-specific protections at that point.

There is video at the link.

Generally, we don’t call out “wrong” calls when they are judgment calls, except Hochuli provided an explanation for his ruling that was proved his judgment was not supported by the videotape. However, these specific calls do not count against the referee’s performance ratings (used for determining playoff assignments), as we’ve reported before, according to the Game-Related Discipline manual from the league:

The Competition Committee emphasizes that whenever a game official is confronted with a potential unnecessary-roughness situation and is in doubt about calling a foul, he should lean toward safety and not hesitate to throw the flag.

The same goes for his phantom horse-collar tackle.

Week 11: Lions at Cowboys

Maybe it is some sort of unwritten code in professional football circles, but you rarely see a player tackled by long hair sticking out of the helmet. It may considered poor practice to tackle a player that way, but it is entirely legal. The rules consider that long hair is a part of the uniform, as it would otherwise be an advantage for a long-locked player to obscure his jersey with his hair.

Marion Barber (24) and his hair from an August 2010 preseason game.

In a fourth-quarter, goal-to-go situation, Cowboys running back Marion Barber was legally tackled by his dreadlocks by Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. However, Suh was penalized for a horse-collar tackle. This gave the Cowboys a new set of downs from the five-yard line, which lead to a pull-ahead touchdown.

The horse-collar tackle was a declared illegal in 2006, as the nature of pulling a ball carrier down from the back shoulder area twists his body awkwardly. This twisting, exacerbated by the weight of the tackler, causes season- and career-ending ligament damage and broken bones. The Dallas Morning News has an excellent animation of the anatomy (literally) of a horse-collar tackle.

This play was not a horse-collar tackle (video, 0:43 in). While there are some signatures of such a tackle (like a ball carrier being bent backwards from the top of his frame), there are many aspects notably absent (for instance, Suh doesn’t apply his weight into the tackle and does not pull Barber all the way to the ground).

Line judge Darryll Lewis threw the penalty flag on this, while referee Carl Cheffers and umpire Undrey Wash are clearly indicating that the tackle was by the hair. While I never considered this possibility before, if the hair is part of the uniform, it could be part of a horse-collar tackle. But Cheffers and Wash should have corrected the situation by pointing out the elements of the tackle that did not make it a horse collar.

Photo credit: Michael Glasgow

Week 1: Lions at Bears

It was a bitter pill to swallow for any team, let alone for the hapless Lions, who have cobbled together just two wins in as many seasons.

With 31 seconds to go, the Lions seemingly took the lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson (video). As the celebration begins, officials signal an incomplete catch. Referee Gene Steratore explained, “The ruling on the field is that the runner did not complete the catch through the process of the catch.” He further elaborated to a pool reporter following the game:

Q: What is the rule used on the near Detroit touchdown at the end of the game?
Steratore: The ruling is that in order for the catch to be completed he has got to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process of the catch.

Q: He was on his behind before he rolled over. If he stayed on his behind would it have been a touchdown?
Steratore: No. We don’t play with the two feet or one knee or anything of that scenario. We’re talking now about the process of the catch. He’s catching the football, as he goes to the ground, he must maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process. So as he continues to fall if he fell with two feet and his elbow hit the ground and came out it would be incomplete.

Q: It looked like he had the ball up in one hand while on his rear end, but there was continuation?
Steratore: Well, the process was not finished until he finished that roll and the entire process of that catch.

Q: How long did it take to determine that?
Steratore: We had the normal time [one minute] as far as the video was concerned. We would not run it any longer.

The “process of the catch” is a topic we covered frequently last season. It is also the most misunderstood.

The advent of the catch-process rule was to challenge professional receivers to demonstrate full control of a ball, even while doing so acrobatically or while colliding with the ground. It also eliminated “cheap” fumble opportunities, where a pass was marginally complete, and a receiver coughs up a ball that he really did not have full control over in the first place.

The complexity of the process of the catch was apparent in last year’s opening weekend, when Raiders receiver Louis Murphy went down to the turf and was ruled incomplete. It seemed that the NFL definition needed an offseason refinement, as there were similar issues in the next three weeks. However, the NFL maintained that a catch ruling as it was stated in the rulebook, Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1:

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 after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.

In the Lions game, Johnson caught the ball in the air, and then contacted the ground with both feet, his left hand, and his knees.  When Johnson was in, essentially, a seated position, he was not down, because he needed his second hand to stop his momentum of falling further. It would have been safer had he tucked the ball in after making the two-handed grab, rather than holding in one hand.

(As a side note, the Fox television announcers Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick—at least in the clip I saw—showed a good understanding of the process of the catch, which is not often heard from the game callers.)

Calls to revise this rule, however, will revert us to the days where two toe taps and a brief fingertip grip on the ball qualified as a completed catch. That is hardly a professional standard.