Just as you got over last Sunday...

[The_Dragon]

From profootballtalk.com

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

LEAGUE ADMITS FACE-GUARDING SCREW UP

In response to an item in our Conference Championship Ten-Pack regarding a key pass interference call on Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs that allowed the Colts to complete an 18-point comeback and knot the game at 21, a member of PFT Planet has alerted us to a January 25, 2007 "Q&A" on Jaguars.com in which Vic Ketcham writes that the NFL has acknowledged that a bad call was made.

Writes Ketcham, in response to a question that chastised him for suggesting that face-guarding is still forbidden:

"Face-guarding was discontinued several years ago and I completely missed it. I talked to Dean Blandino in the league office and he confirmed what you're saying. Blandino, by the way, was in the replay booth at the Patriots-Colts game. Ellis Hobbs should not have been flagged for pass-interference. He didn't make contact with the receiver and in no way did Hobbs impede Reggie Wayne's ability to catch the pass. Blandino confirmed that the incorrect call was made. It advanced the ball from the Patriots' 19-yard line to the one-yard line and was the big play in a touchdown drive that led to a two-point conversion and a tie game at 21-21. Referee Bill Carollo made no reference to face-guarding in his explanation, but CBS analyst Phil Simms did. Apparently, he, too, doesn't know the rule no longer exists. The next time you hear a TV analyst say, 'he wasn’t playing the ball,' think of the Hobbs play, then turn down the sound."

Make no mistake about it, it was a key call. And, to their credit, we haven't heard a public peep from the "no class" Pats about the play.

Gee, what would Napolian have done if that phantom flag had been thrown on a member of the Colts' defense?

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

Was that a 3rd down play? I can't bring myself to recall much of the game beyond the obvious....

 

[maverick4]

A huge play in the game that gave the Colts an easy path to a TD

 

[Oswlek]

Was that a 3rd down play? I can't bring myself to recall much of the game beyond the obvious....

2nd, but it would have been 3rd and 7.

So Indy was given 18 yards and a first down, and NE had the same taken away from them.

Shocking.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Was that a 3rd down play? I can't bring myself to recall much of the game beyond the obvious....

good question...i forget too...could someone remind us...i think it was third and long and they would have had to kick a FG...

 

[Tunescribe]

The only fair thing would be to play the game over from that point on.

 

[stevedogc]

How great would it be if BB went to the competition committee with this and complained about the officials not making the correct calls or not knowing the rules. Polian would go nuts.

 

[mtbykr]

How great would it be if BB went to the competition committee with this and complained about the officials not making the correct calls or not knowing the rules. Polian would go nuts.

Well Polian supposidly talked to the officials before the game and let them know how the "compitition committee" wanted the game called........sounds like they got what they wanted!

 

[primetime]

Jesus, that's a heartbreaker.

 

[Robdude]

It was a sad thing that Ellis gets a call that basically hands the Colts a touchdown and it turns out he did nothing wrong. Then a clear pass interference occurs on Caldwell in the end zone and no call is made which sets up a field goal instead of a TD for us.

Not to say the refs lost the game for us but in a game this close those 2 calls (or 1 call and 1 no call) make a difference.

 

[The_Dragon]

Jesus, that's a heartbreaker.

Sums up my thoughts on it.

 

[The_Dragon]

If faceguarding was NOT the reason for the call, and if it was totallyjudgement by the official for another reason, contact, etc...then there can be no game protest.

Therefore, the reason given by the official for the penalty call would be the determining factor.

Can anyone remember what the officials called the flag for?

 

[spacecrime]

The only fair thing would be to play the game over from that point on.

They did play the game from that point on.

We had the lead and the ball with 3 minutes left to play. No excuses.

 

[cstjohn17]

Nice breakdown, I was more upset about the non call in the end zone in the 4th quarter, I am pretty sure it was Caldwell up the sidelines, the CB was spun around and there was contact. It should have resulted in a 1st and goal, which would have lead to a TD instead of a FG.

In the end you make your own breaks, the Pats had there chances and could have put the game away with one more first down. 3rd and 4... that play is burned into my brain forever.

New England - 10:26
1st-10, IND43 10:26 T. Brady passed to R. Caldwell to the right for 16 yard gain
1st-10, IND27 9:42 T. Brady passed to J. Gaffney to the right for 14 yard gain
1st-10, IND13 8:59 NE committed 5 yard penalty
1st-15, IND18 8:38 T. Brady incomplete pass to the right
2nd-15, IND18 8:34 T. Brady passed to H. Evans down the middle for 8 yard gain
3rd-7, IND10 7:50 T. Brady incomplete pass to the right
4th-7, IND10 7:42 S. Gostkowski kicked a 28-yard field goal

From profootballtalk.com

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

LEAGUE ADMITS FACE-GUARDING SCREW UP

In response to an item in our Conference Championship Ten-Pack regarding a key pass interference call on Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs that allowed the Colts to complete an 18-point comeback and knot the game at 21, a member of PFT Planet has alerted us to a January 25, 2007 "Q&A" on Jaguars.com in which Vic Ketcham writes that the NFL has acknowledged that a bad call was made.

Writes Ketcham, in response to a question that chastised him for suggesting that face-guarding is still forbidden:

"Face-guarding was discontinued several years ago and I completely missed it. I talked to Dean Blandino in the league office and he confirmed what you're saying. Blandino, by the way, was in the replay booth at the Patriots-Colts game. Ellis Hobbs should not have been flagged for pass-interference. He didn't make contact with the receiver and in no way did Hobbs impede Reggie Wayne's ability to catch the pass. Blandino confirmed that the incorrect call was made. It advanced the ball from the Patriots' 19-yard line to the one-yard line and was the big play in a touchdown drive that led to a two-point conversion and a tie game at 21-21. Referee Bill Carollo made no reference to face-guarding in his explanation, but CBS analyst Phil Simms did. Apparently, he, too, doesn't know the rule no longer exists. The next time you hear a TV analyst say, 'he wasn’t playing the ball,' think of the Hobbs play, then turn down the sound."

Make no mistake about it, it was a key call. And, to their credit, we haven't heard a public peep from the "no class" Pats about the play.

Gee, what would Napolian have done if that phantom flag had been thrown on a member of the Colts' defense?

 

[FloridaHerb]

As much as I hate to say this if ANYTHING BB and staff should have been aware of this change and challenged it. Either way you slice it we lost the game.

 

[BelichickFan]

The combination of these two undoubtedly would have made the difference. Oh well, we don't get a re-match.

Regarding a challenge, penalties aren't challegable, I wouldn't think we could challenge it.

 

[vyrago]

As much as I hate to say this if ANYTHING BB and staff should have been aware of this change and challenged it. Either way you slice it we lost the game.

Are PI calls challengable?

 

[BigEZPatsFan76]

Yeh, real big of them to come out now, and make this statement, like that is supposed to make everything "peachy" since they admitted their incompetance. But, easy to do now, because there is nothing that can be done about it, and the league got their wish, Manning gets to his Super Bowl, amongst other things. What would make more livid than this is if they were to come back and say the Troy Brown PI was a wrong call. That call completely changed the complexion of the game, and took all the starch out of the Pats since we got the first, and were about to put the game pretty much away 28-3.


Look, I agree, I won't put the reason for loss on the officials. If we took care of business (like we should have), none of this even gets on the radar screen. We did enough shooting ourselves in the foot to lose that game. We should have known going in, what we were up against, especially since ***** boy Na-Polian had issued his "marching orders" (configuratively speaking) to the officials during the week. None of this should come as surprise. In the end, this, as well as a duct taped defense that was injury plagued and worn out, the inability to put the game away, as well as running on fumes became too much to overcome in the end.


BEZPF76

 

[BelichickFan]

Are PI calls challengable?

No. But don't let that stop people from blaming the coaches. Maybe it was McDaniels' fault for not throwing a flag

 

[Tunescribe]

Actually, you are not far off from being right.

In allof sports there is such a thing as protesting the game, but it must be made at the time of the incident, and it must be made to the official in charge, on the field, at that time.

And then, Ibelieve, it must be announced to the stadium crowd, by the official, that the game is being played UNDER PROTEST, from that moment on.

Then, at a review, later on, if the protest is upheld, the game is replayed from that moment on, with the play beginning after the protested play is rectified.

Now, IMO, officials judgements on penalties is not cause for protesting a game, but if this call was made because of "faceguarding" which, allegedly, is not in the NFL rules, then a protest should have been allowed.

If faceguarding was NOT the reason for the call, and if it was totallyjudgement by the official for another reason, contact, etc...then there can be no game protest.

Therefore, the reason given by the official for the penalty call would be the determining factor.

Games can be protested for misinterpretation of the rules, but not for judgement calls.

That is the way it is in baseball, as I was a certified umpire for many years ..... and I believe that it is similarly called that way in all other sports,too.

Any game that is officially protested, and announced, will resume from that point, with the play being reversed and corrected.

I don't believe this ever has happened in football. All the more reason there should be a booth official who can overturn bad calls on the field.