11-12-2007, 09:40 AM
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#9
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In the Starting Line-up
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,718
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Re: officiating in Chargers/Colts game
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metaphors
The part that gets me is the false start penalty just before the missed FG. Seems pretty clear in the rulebook:
"No player of offensive team may charge or move abruptly, after assuming set position, in such manner as to lead defense to believe snap has started."
That call may not be made in the 3rd quarter on 2nd and 9...but in a situation where the ENTIRE WORLD knows you are trying to draw an offside penalty, that was amazingly stupid and borderline arrogant ("hey everyone, look at the cool play I made up all by myself").
You know why the Colts are the only team inventive enough to run this play? Because it is against the rules.
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I'm glad someone finally posted this rule, because I've been wonder what it was.
It's totally appropriate for the officiating crew to take the situation into account. For all the colts' whining last night about "we've run that same play a dozen times," the ridiculous part is that the WHOLE PLAY was designed to try to draw a penalty. Even if they get it away with it in noncritical situations, they have nobody to blame but themselves here. They tried to draw a penalty by simulating the start of the play, and they got nailed for it.
Contrary to the idiocy that Madden was spewing, they were NEVER going to run a play there on 4th down. They were in there solely to try to draw an off sides. They would have run the clock to nothing and either called time out or taken a delay penalty. I have no problem with the officials understanding that when they decide to throw the flag late in the 4th quarter, but letting it go other times if it doesn't draw a defender across to make contact.
I saw a replay on the inadvertent whistle, and it now looks clear what happened. The back judge threw the beanbag to indicate change of possession but as he did it he was jumping backwards to avoid getting hit and his other arm (not the one with the beanbag) went out to the side. It looked a bit like he was signaling incomplete rather than throwing the bag, which led one of the other officials to blow the whistle. Kind of funny the way it played out -- surprised stuff like that doesn't happen more often.
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