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NFC Divisional Playoff: Giants at Packers

1st Quarter | 1:46 | Giants 10-3 | Packers ball | 1st & 10 @ NYG 39 | video (at 1:21)

We are going to deconstruct the big call from Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game, not to defend it, but to answer the questions surrounding it and the decisions that were made.

As the Packers were driving to answer a go-ahead touchdown by the Giants  in the first quarter, quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a pass to receiver Greg Jennings. Jennings turned up field and gained about three yards when the ball came loose.

The loose ball was immediately scooped up by Giants cornerback Kenny Phillips. The play continues live, so Philips runs about 12 yards before going out of bounds.

(1) Keeping the play alive. In the live camera angle and all of the replay angles aired on television, veteran head linesman George Hayward and side judge Larry Rose follow the action as Phillips returns the apparent fumble. The audience was whisked away to commercial, not knowing that a conference developed between the officials.

(2) Post-play discussion. The more that instant replay has become entrenched in the game has lead to a new officiating anomaly: let the play go and sort it out in the end. There is some merit to that approach, as whistles do not have erasers, but a call-by-committee can always be enacted after the fact.

The only other official that could be involved in the play is the back judge, Scott Helverson. His position, unseen in the replays, would be roughly the center of the field, and probably 10 to 20 yards downfield, so that he doesn’t get passed like a stalled car. (There exists an outside  possibility that the field judge could have been involved, but he is patrolling the opposite sideline from the play.)

Probably Helverson saw something that gave him the impression that Jennings had a knee down prior to the fumble, or he would not have tried to appeal to the other two covering officials. In the end, the three officials came to an agreement that the play is down by contact prior to the fumble occurring.

(3) Why not just let replay sort it out? Replay is a tool to correct mistakes, not a crutch to buttress up flaky or indecisive calls. They must make decisions based on their observations in real time, and not what would be convenient for the replay system to sort out. Therefore, an official who, armed only with his observation, must make a decisive call (conferring with others if necessary) and stick with it. All of the officials that get playoff assignments are graded on their decisiveness in making calls, in addition to their on-field accuracy. Also, for an official to rely on the ability for a team to challenge a call deprives that team of one of their precious challenges.

(4) Giants challenge. Giants coach Tom Coughlin saw what we all saw from our favorite football-watching chair: Jennings lost control of the ball prior to being down. The challenge, had it been ruled in favor of the Giants, would have given them the ball, but the 12-yard runback by Phillips would not count, even though the officials originally let the play continue.

(5) Replay review. Up to this point, three officials were involved in the call. Now, referee Bill Leavy, in consultation with the replay official, will intervene on his sole judgement of the video. Leavy is allowed to observe one aspect of the play in one angle, and compare it to another aspect in a different angle. But, he only has 60 seconds to do so.

Remember, Leavy wasn’t covering the play, so some of that 60 seconds goes to getting the first visuals of the tackle.

To rule down by contact, the ball carrier must have a body part other than his hand or foot touching the ground while in possession of the ball. While the ball clearly came out prior to Jennings’ knee hitting, Leavy apparently focused on his shin. These are the angles he was served up:

Leavy should have noticed the position of the ball carrier’s elbow, because that could tell him when the ball was out in angle A and when the shin was down in angle C. The ball definitely came out prior to the shin contacting the ground.

(6) The call. In replay, the rule is that there must be indisputable visual evidence that the call on the field is to be overturned. If Leavy does not piece the angles together in time to make a decision, then he must leave the call as is.

As Leavy enters the field to announce his judgment, Helverson, the back judge, is seen walking with Leavy. Therefore, he must have been part of the original call.

After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field stands.

Had Leavy seen a body part on the ground prior to the ball out, he would have said the call was “confirmed.” Because he said it “stands,” it means that Leavy did not see conclusive evidence or his allotted review time expired.

(7) But what if the play was initially ruled a fumble? If the fumble and the runback were ruled initially, and the Packers challenged, then what? In this hypothetical, Leavy would have likely ruled the same: inconclusive evidence. The Packers would have lost the ball, the Giants would have been entitled to the 12-yard runback, and the Packers would not have had kept their touchdown drive going. It could have been a huge momentum shift in the game.

(8) The league responds. Rather than give a full-throated defense of Leavy, NFL spokeman Greg Aiello e-mailed a tepid response to Pro Football Talk, citing sections of the rulebook.

Referee Bill Leavy conducted the instant replay video review and determined that there was no indisputable visual evidence to warrant reversing the on-field ruling of down by contact.  As a result, the ruling on the field stood.

What was said was true, in a plain, matter-of-fact fashion. What was not said is plainly visible behind the sheer curtain. The league backed up its employee’s judgment call. Nowhere in this response is Carl Johnson, the league’s vice-president of officiating.

Although the league is pretty staunch in its defense of Leavy, they will audit the video from the replay machine. The officiating department has a recording of the 60-second replay session, as well as any communication between the field and the replay booth.

(9) The bottom line. I don’t see any way this can be resolved by changing anything in the replay system. There have been suggestions to move all replay reviews to a central “war room” at the league’s offices in Manhattan, much like the NHL conducts its replay reviews at the home office.

However, it is still up to human judgment which is not without mistake. Who are the supervisors of the officials that make these decisions? They are former referees — referees just like Leavy. So at any given time, the same judgment is rendered.

Also, football is a complex sport. The referee at least has the opportunity to consult with the covering officials prior to viewing a replay. Sometimes there are many aspects of a replay reversal that need to be announced, which could lead to a misleading description if the decision is relayed to the official over the phone. It would be like taking down driving directions without paper – and 70,000 people looking at you.

But, clearly, the wrong call was made, and thankfully it did not result in a change of fortune in a playoff game.

Week 13: Packers at Giants

1st Quarter | 2:12 remaining | Tied 7-7 | Giants ball | 3rd & 6 @ GB 20 | video

Update, 12/6: Video link added.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin, in a game fraught with very tight replay situations, challenged an incomplete pass from quarterback Eli Manning to receiver Jake Ballard in the end zone. (There is no video of the play on NFL.com; we are trying to find another source.)

Coughlin contended that Ballard’s right foot came down, then the right knee in bounds. (Of course, we know that one knee equals two feet.) Ballard secured the ball through to the ground, so in all other respects he completed the process of the catch, and therefore it would be a touchdown.

Jake Ballard was ruled to have his right knee out of bounds on a challenge. Credit: UPI

Referee Jeff Triplette saw otherwise, and confirmed the call on the field, as he judged Ballard’s knee to be out of bounds in the end zone. Giants kicked a field goal on the next play.

As Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger reported, Coughlin said, “I just saw a picture that made me sick to my stomach, which Fox produced and showed [Ballard is]  in. Don’t ask me about [why it was not ruled that way] because I really don’t know why, but I did see the picture.”

A UPI photograph, shown here, clearly shows that Ballard, in fact, was entitled to the score. Not only did the Giants lose the challenge, but it cost the team four points.

Week 3: Giants at Eagles

The description of the “process of the catch” has been fixed in the rulebook, but that does not mean that the ruling has become any easier for spectators. The basic premise remains unchanged: catch the ball and do something after that point, such as run with the ball, change direction, or stretch the ball over the goal line. This used to be considered a “football move” in the rulebook, but the league moved away from that description after some high profile misinterpretations. Now, we are moving back towards that, but the catch rulings should come closer to what fans expect to be called consistently.

Giants receiver Victor Cruz had a leaping touchdown catch against the Eagles when he lost the ball in the end zone. It was ruled a touchdown and automatically subjected to a replay review. Jeff Triplette announced the verdict:

After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field is confirmed. The receiver caught the ball, stuck it over the goal line – the plane – before he lost possession. It is a touchdown.

The NFL released a statement that confirms the call was correct:

Cruz had firm grip and control of the ball, touched both feet to the ground, and fulfilled the time requirement to complete the catch.

At the point that Cruz completed the catch, he became a runner (a runner is an offensive player who is in possession of a live ball).

When Cruz, acting as a runner, extended the ball over the goal line, it was a touchdown at the instant the ball penetrated the plane of the goal line.  … When Cruz lost control of the ball, he was no longer attempting to catch a pass. He had already completed the catch and was a runner attempting to score a touchdown by extending the ball across the goal line.

If the same situation occurred in the middle of the field, and a receiver who had become a runner lost possession of the ball as he reached forward for a first down, it would be a fumble.

Week 3: Patriots at Bills

Not much information here, but when a referee gives a pool report to the media, we report it here. The Bills scored a late-fourth-quarter touchdown that was reversed on replay. As a result of the reversal, the status of the clock was also reversed from stopped (on the touchdown call)  to running (down inside the 1-yard line). Following the announcement of the reversal, the clock is to return to its running state.

Apparently there was confusion on the part of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and referee Carl Cheffers explained the scenario to a pool reporter after the game.

Q: What was the explanation on the Patriots’ second charged timeout at the end of the game … after the replay [review]?

Cheffers: Coach Belichick wanted an explanation as to what was going to take place after the replay. Obviously, we had a reversal. We put the ball at the half-yard line. The clock was going to start. He wanted a confirmation of what was going to happen at that point. I went over there and explained to him that the ball was at the half. He asked me when the clock was going to start. I said as soon as I was done with the explanation with him that I was going to go out on the field and start the clock. He stayed down there. I didn’t understand exactly why he stayed down there. I went back over there and he said he wanted a timeout. So I gave him his second charged timeout.

It really was a non-issue, but the Bills interception (video) of the final Hail Mary pass from Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell was decisive. Game over.

However, referee Mike Carey received a buzz on his pager indicating that there would be a replay review of the final play. Carey was already off the field when he was summoned back to the replay equipment.

Carey announced to whomever was left that the interception would stand. In a pool report, he explained that there was no review to begin with:

Q: Describe what happened after the call on the field of an interception?

Carey: It was ruled an interception. We came into the locker room after delaying to see if it was going to be reviewed. I got a beep in the locker room, a buzz in the locker room, that said review. Went back out, put the headset on. They weren’t set up. But it was an erroneous transmission, and they had already confirmed the ruling on the field.

Q: What was an erroneous transmission?

Carey: The [pager] beep that I got.

Q: Could you go over the process at the end if the booth thinks a review is necessary?

Carey: On all instant replay reviews, the referee goes in and reviews the play — if there’s a review. I got a buzz that said review it. When I got out there they said it had already been confirmed. There was no need for a review. It was an erroneous transmission to my buzzer for review.

Q: Lastly, describe what is required to determine that there is simultaneous possession on a pass like that, a receiver needs to … ?

Carey: He needs to maintain possession when he goes to the ground. If he doesn’t maintain possession then it’s either incomplete or an interception.

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!

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.

Part 1. Equal access to game footage

In 2007, the NFL upgraded its replay equipment to the same standard as the critics sitting in their Barcaloungers. However, each team must have the ability to make a fast decision on a replay that is not determined by a television director or Jumbotron operator.

In a Week 12 game, the Packers had a potential situation to review a catch by Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez. The coaches in the booth, however, were unable to make a decision in time, because the Georgia Dome’s video feed was lagging behind by a play. In a universe where hordes of people were able to verify within seconds that they saw Janet Jackson’s nipple in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, a team’s coaching staff should be able to render a decision on a replay within 10 seconds.

Also, it is known that stadium personnel do not show a replay of a questionable call on the stadium’s screens that might be an advantage to the opponents. Conversely, they will replay a close call that would advantage the home team.

The technology exists for each team plus the replay booth to be able to rewind the previous play and be able to change the camera angle while replaying. This should include the closed-circuit cameras for the in-stadium displays as well. This removes the burden off of a network television partner to deliver the proper replay at the proper time for there to be a challenge, either from the sideline or from the replay assistant.

It is also strange that, in 2010, there is a video delay of over 30 seconds. The league should be monitoring these feeds (if, in fact, the video feeds are the responsibility of the facility), and if the video lags behind, there must be some way to allow the system to dump its memory and reset itself quickly. When video trails so long when one team has the ball, then that is a competitive disadvantage. If something simple like a coach’s headset malfunctions on one sideline, the other team’s bench must forgo their working ones until the problem is corrected. (Technological improvements have made that measure a relic of the past.)

And, while we are on the subject, can the replay booth get one or two tape decks as a backup? We noted last year that the Dolphins were unable to execute a challenge because the replay system needed to be rebooted. Even though the replay was available on the scoreboard and in the press box, those replays could not be fed through the replay equipment. After waiting the requisite two minutes (seriously, have you ever recovered from a system crash in two minutes?) the Dolphins were returned their challenge unused.

A trip to Radio Shack with less than $500 in your pocket can fix that.

The rulebook exists to lay out a protocol for the game of football. It never claims to be fair.

The Dolphins found as much when they apparently sealed a victory, only to have replay give the Steelers a second chance to win the game.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger scored a go-ahead touchdown, but fumbled the ball. The play was ruled a touchdown, but replay determined that Roethlisberger, indeed, fumbled prior to scoring the touchdown (video). The Dolphins claimed a recovery of the loose ball.

However, we could not explain the ultimate ruling any better than referee Gene Steratore, trying to channel the voluminous descriptions of some of his colleagues:

After review, it has been determined that prior to the ball crossing the goal line, the runner did lose possession of the ball. However, by rule in replay, two aspects of this play must be available to be viewed. Not only did we have to view the fumble being a fumble, we also have to have clear evidence of the team recovering the ball.

After review, we do not have clear evidence of the defense recovering the football. Therefore, Pittsburgh will have the ball, fourth and goal at the half-yard line. Miami will not be charged with a timeout, and the clock will start on the ready-for-play [signal].

My initial reaction is that the spot of the ball is incorrect. We know the ball was determined to have been fumbled, because the touchdown was overturned. Since we don’t have a conclusive recovery (according to replay rules), the ball is ruled dead at the point when there was a touchdown signal, regardless if there was a whistle. So the loose ball is ruled dead in the end zone, and the offense is responsible for putting the loose ball in the end zone, therefore, the correct ruling should be touchback, Dolphins ball.

There was a similar circumstance last year where replay determined the ball to be dead after touching an out-of-bounds player in the end zone. The result was a touchback for the other team.

Apparently, that reasoning only applies when the ball is out of bounds, not loose and dead in the end zone. Also, if you don’t recover your own team’s forward fumble (like when it goes out of bounds), the ball goes back to the spot of the fumble. (Update 10/30: Specific rules are cited in the comments by popular demand.)

And credit to Steratore for making the correct call, even though your gut might tell you the ruling would be otherwise.

Week 4:Redskins at Eagles

Eagles coach Andy Reid assumed responsibility for a critical delay of game call, but ultimately feels that an error in crew mechanics was to blame. Well, he didn’t come right out and say that; he just said that if he spoke his mind in answer to a reporter’s question, “that would be an expensive answer.”

Reid called a timeout after a replay review to confirm the spot. Since the timeout occurred after an administrative stoppage (the replay) the timeout granted was the 30-second variety. Presumably referee Alberto Riverón announced that at the start of the timeout, but Reid missed that. As quarterback Kevin Kolb entered the huddle, there was 10 seconds on the play clock, with the expiration of the timeout catching the Eagles by surprise (video).

The league backed up the call by the officials:

The instant replay review was to determine if the ball broke the plane of the goal line. Replay confirmed the ruling on the field, so the original spot — just inside the one yard-line — stood.

In terms of the delay of game and the mechanics of re-starting play after a timeout, the referee blows his whistle, makes a physical and verbal signal to the bench area, and then gives the signal for the play clock to begin. This is what took place in Sunday’s game.