Did N'Keal Harry really muff the punt?

[Rob0729]

One thing that bothered me about last night that every replay I saw of the muffed punted, I never saw the ball actually touch Harry's helmet. I saw the ball change direction a bit when it came close to his helmet, but there is no real visual evidence that I saw of actual contact. In fact the video broadcasted it looks to me that it missed him. Since the call on the field was that there was no contact, the sky judge should have never overruled it because there is no clear evidence that he actually touched it other than the ball slightly changing direction which could have been been caused by the wind.

To give him credit. Eli Manning said the same thing during the Manningcast.

Here is the video and tell me there is clear evidence Harry made contact with the ball. In fact from the angles I have seen, it doesn't look like the ball actually made contact despite the ball slightly changing direction.

 

[Sicilian]

I think it hit him. I can't think of another reason that the ball would change direction, even a little bit, that close to the ground. It was BARELY contact, but it was contact.

 

[PatsDeb]

I think it hit him. I can't think of another reason that the ball would change direction, even a little bit, that close to the ground. It was BARELY contact, but it was contact.

Agreed. It hit him, the dope.

 

[Rob0729]

I think it hit him. I can't think of another reason that the ball would change direction, even a little bit, that close to the ground. It was BARELY contact, but it was contact.

You don't think 55 MPH wind gusts couldn't have changed the ball direction? Did you see some of the punts, passes, and Bills' field goal attempt?

 

[Sicilian]

Agreed. It hit him, the dope.

I've said it before, but I really can't blame N'Keal too much for that one. They weren't even really trusting Gunner to return punts in that wind, most of the time he was just waving everyone off. To me it would be like if they had called a trick play so Kendrick Bourne could throw a pass on a night when they didn't even want Mac to throw more than 3. There's just no good reason for him to have been put in that position in those conditions when he hasn't returned a punt all year. They set him up to fail (unintentionally).

 

[Rob0729]

I think it hit him. I can't think of another reason that the ball would change direction, even a little bit, that close to the ground. It was BARELY contact, but it was contact.

 

[Sicilian]

You don't think 55 MPH wind gusts couldn't have changed the ball direction? Did you see some of the punts, passes, and Bills' field goal attempt?

Sure, but it just so happened to do that at the exact moment when it was closest to Harry's facemask? I think Occam's Razor would tell us it touch the facemask, not that there was a sudden gust of wind at the exact moment it looks to have touched the facemask.

 

[jah]

You don't think 55 MPH wind gusts couldn't have changed the ball direction? Did you see some of the punts, passes, and Bills' field goal attempt?

What are the odds that the gusts happened to change the direction in the exact way hitting his helmet from that angle would have?

 

[Stu Pidassle]

I actually felt bad for him. He slipped, then lost sight of the ball because of his helmet and then the wind blew the football into his head. Tough play.

 

[Dingleberry]

I was trying to talk myself into the same thing in real time. But I knew I was bull-shytting myself.

Now that we won, I speak for all juvenile types when I say I would hate to have the Harry muff joke taken from me.

 

[Rob0729]

Sure, but it just so happened to do that at the exact moment when it was closest to Harry's facemask? I think Occam's Razor would tell us it touch the facemask, not that there was a sudden gust of wind at the exact moment it looks to have touched the facemask.

Odds are that it hit his mask. But by the rules, there has to be indisputable evidence that the ball hit Harry. And from my standpoint, there is no such evidence.

 

[Rob0729]

What are the odds that the gusts happened to change the direction in the exact way hitting his helmet from that angle would have?

Who cares what the odds are? Can you say based on the video that it definitely hit his helmet and the there is no way the wind could have taken it or the spin of the ball changed? That is the standard for the sky judge to overturn the call.

 

[Mack Herron]

1. Legitimate to question the process more than the result:



2. Coach’s decision to put him under and field it.

3. PR is challenging under good conditions. Once he is put in to field the punt, sh*t happens to the best of them and it as much a matter of luck as skill:




4. Harry is getting more crap than he deserves on this one.

 

[archstanton543]

Yes, and it was dumb of him to be out there at all.

 

[h0c2000]

I think the wind blew him into the ball too. It's all the wind's fault.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I get the sentiment. It needs to be conclusive to overturn the ref's call. But as others have said, there really is no plausible explanation for the trajectory change just at the moment it is slightly grazing his helmet or slightly missing his helmet. Yes the wind was bad but the ball trajectory changed right at and only the precise moment it was glancing by his helmet?

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

You don't think 55 MPH wind gusts couldn't have changed the ball direction? Did you see some of the punts, passes, and Bills' field goal attempt?

Sure, in a gradual arc. But hitting his helmet caused an instant change in angle. I thought it was clear as day, TBH.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

NKeal Harry sucks.

And is an epic 1st round pick bust.

The fact he's salvaged a niche role as a TE3 blocker, does not change any of the above no matter how much apologists and organizational shills try to say NKeal is a good player. Deja Vu with Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson apologist idiots.

.

 

[Ivan]

It hit his helmet. I get moving Gunner up but they should had a guy like Meyers back there instead of Harry. It’s like when they made Gronk the last line of defense against Miami, expecting a Hail Mary, instead they pulled a hook and ladder with Bolden and Gronk was lost when it came to having to tackle him. Bad coaching decision.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Reminds me of when I was up at West Point with my Cub Scout Pack to see Army vs Colgate. Damn near got blown off the mountain. Wind so bad, it blew cast iron pans around.