Terrible Spot Cost the Pats 7 Points (maybe 14 point swing)

[JDSal45]

Look at this play on 2nd down at the end of the first half. Addai comes up a yard short. Next play was an incomplete pass. But ridiculously they had given Addai the first down on the 2nd down play. It should have been 3rd down and then the Colts punting after the following incompletion. They came back from commercial and I thought it was 3rd down. The Pats actually could have scored again with 2 timeouts and the possibility of a big return from Welker. Terrible spot by the refs. Of course instead the Colts were given a gift first down and ended up scoring a few plays later. And the Pats couldn't challenge the spot because it was under 2 minutes. Nothing from the replay booth either who had a commercial timeout to analyze it. Incompetent refs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzH9YgYJXRo

J D Sal

 

[BradyManny]

Look at this play on 2nd down at the end of the first half. Addai comes up a yard short. Next play was an incomplete pass. But ridiculously they had given Addai the first down on the 2nd down play. It should have been 3rd down and then the Colts punting after the following incompletion. They came back from commercial and I thought it was 3rd down. The Pats actually could have scored again with 2 timeouts and the possibility of a big return from Welker. Terrible spot by the refs. Of course instead the Colts were given a gift first down and ended up scoring a few plays later. And the Pats couldn't challenge the spot because it was under 2 minutes. Nothing from the replay booth either who had a commercial timeout to analyze it. Incompetent refs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzH9YgYJXRo

J D Sal

That was mad absurd. Folks I was watching the game with thought CBS had missed a play, but no, it was just a terrible spot.

 

[cblesz]

true...I yelled at the TV after that spot. Could not believe that was a first down.

 

[hambone1818]

Yeah, I actually posted this in the game thread when it went to commercial:

"HUGE play coming up....stop them here and you get the ball back in good field position with enough time to put up more points."

I was sure it wsa 3rd down, and was SHOCKED when they came back from commercial and, low-and-behold, it's 2nd. Ridiculous spot, and yet another terrible call in a game filled with awful officiating.

 

[Metaphors]

That was mad absurd. Folks I was watching the game with thought CBS had missed a play, but no, it was just a terrible spot.

I didn't understand the entire situation. Looked like a bad spot, but what was the line judge doing motioning down the field before the ball even got spotted? Was he saying "Close enough, give them the 1st without measuring"? Was he motioning for the other line judge to move upfield a little? It just didn't feel right at all.

 

[BradyManny]

I didn't understand the entire situation. Looked like a bad spot, but what was the line judge doing motioning down the field before the ball even got spotted? Was he saying "Close enough, give them the 1st without measuring"? Was he motioning for the other line judge to move upfield a little? It just didn't feel right at all.

It would be interesting to tally up which of the refs specifically made the brutal calls.

 

[PromisedLand]

I'm not usually one to say things like this, but as I was watching the game I was really wondering if the officials were calling the game honestly.

They made so many FLAGRANT bad calls, all against us. That spot was just one of them. Two phantom pass interference calls and the Morehead sideline (clearly out of bounds) reception were a few of them.

 

[PatsRI]

Just makes the win all the sweeter, as long as it doesn't continue.

 

[Grogan's neck roll]

I didn't understand the entire situation. Looked like a bad spot, but what was the line judge doing motioning down the field before the ball even got spotted? Was he saying "Close enough, give them the 1st without measuring"? Was he motioning for the other line judge to move upfield a little? It just didn't feel right at all.

That gesture meant "it's a first down, move the chains" he tells this by looking across the field at the stick, and seeing it in relation to where he is standing. As a Head Linesman, I was screaming at the tv, so frustrating!

 

[in 12 we trust]

I too thought I missed a play.....that was a lousy spot

 

[Fixit]

It's actually funny at this point.

 

[eric5280]

I agree it was a bad spot but I don't think they would have done a pass play if it ended up being 3rd and short. They probably would have ran Addai and most likely they would have gotten it so that punt was hardly a foregone conclusion.

 

[PromisedLand]

Just makes the win all the sweeter, as long as it doesn't continue.

True, the key words being "as long as it doesn't continue".

But like I said, it really had me wondering WTF was going on, if the league was trying to squelch the Pats because they don't like their image, or what. Again, I am NOT a conspiracy theorist type - I have been posting here for six years (including a couple of board history resets) and I don't think I've ever posted about possible officials' bias before - but I have never since such a unusual set of bad calls all going against us before, either.

 

[stinkypete]

If you read Florio's live blog of the game, it's clear that the concensus opinion among all NFL fans (excepting the Colts fans) that the officiating was total garbage. Phantom penalties, missed holds, bad spots, the refs did it all.

How many consecutive Pats/Colts games can this go on for? How can a fan not suspect foul play?

 

[JDSal45]

I agree it was a bad spot but I don't think they would have done a pass play if it ended up being 3rd and short. They probably would have ran Addai and most likely they would have gotten it so that punt was hardly a foregone conclusion.

But that would have used more time and they would have used another timeout maybe or let the clock run and possibly the whole sequence with Addai breaking free may not have happened.

 

[ALP]

i noticed that during the game as well...the refs were unspeakebly bad that game....

especially that one that gave it the spot...i think hes the same one that called Moss for PI, and hobbs PI, and said moorehead had the catch when he was clearly out....

HE was paid off, and the questioning of that grows less and less

 

[eric5280]

But that would have used more time and they would have used another timeout maybe or let the clock run and possibly the whole sequence with Addai breaking free may not have happened.

That's a lot of speculation.. But yeah, it was odd they didn't bring out the chains for that play.

 

[Metaphors]

That gesture meant "it's a first down, move the chains" he tells this by looking across the field at the stick, and seeing it in relation to where he is standing. As a Head Linesman, I was screaming at the tv, so frustrating!

I assumed that and I figured that it would be appropriate if you knew that the ball had to reach a specific, visible spot on the field (like the 12 yard line exactly) and your spot was beyond that. But as he is running into the pile, he is clearly INSIDE the 12 yard line, so he couldn't have been using that as a landmark. The spot was bad, but most spots favor the offense to some degree. Just waiving the 1st down (and once you move the chains you can't recover) without a measurement is really frustrating.

 

[PromisedLand]

Didn't their used to be a rule that allowed a coach to request a measurement? When did they do away with that one?

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

If you read Florio's live blog of the game, it's clear that the concensus opinion among all NFL fans (excepting the Colts fans) that the officiating was total garbage. Phantom penalties, missed holds, bad spots, the refs did it all.

In the Pats/Colts game thread over at footballguys.com, the overwhelming attitude is that the Pats got the shaft from the refs. Most of the guys posting such sentiments are established Pats haters in that forum.

ETA: As to this play in question, looking at the clip you can see the line judge immediately give an extremely gracious spot at the 12yd line. Looking at that clip several times, it looks like Addai's forward progress gets him to about the 11.5yd line, about 18 inches short of a first down. And I think I'm being generous.

Regards,
Chris