Blandino explains Hochuli's 'forward progress' call

[pazrul72]

How did you get the idea that Flowers was showboating?

From what I saw on the replay Flowers had both hands firmly on the ball as he was on the ground with Flacco touching him. Should've been fumble recovery and down by contact, Patriots ball.

Yeah in super slow motion he gets 2 hands on the ball for a couple of frames, but it's not until flaccid loses 100% control on the ball that flowers can take possesion. If he has so much as a finger on the ball it's still ravens ball. In real time flowers is rolling to his feet and raising the ball in one hand to be like see I got the ball in under a sec at which point ninkovich accidently punches it. I was going off of memory originally from seeing it once at full speed, and never thought he had full possession long enough. Watching the slowed down replay I see it's much closer and would have been fine with the call either way. If flowers had never taken the ball out of his gut until it was fully recovered it would be a far easier call and that's why I said don't showboat secure the play first. Then celebrate

 

[scout]

Go rewatch it, he is rolling to his feet and it is knocked out of his hand accidentally by ninkovich who wasn't expecting him to be there. Slowed down I could see the argument he did have control and it's closer then I recalled in real time. However, it's really close as he had it in his hands for less then a second. Clear possession? I would have been fine with them upholding whatever was called on the field as I see no conclusive evidence one way or the other. Next time hold that **** and don't showboat

Flowers was down by contact before he got up......watch it again.

 

[pazrul72]

Flowers was down by contact before he got up......watch it again.

Watch it in real time. He is rolling to his feet before he ever had possession. The roll is what gave him the force to rip it away from flaccid and until he loses 100% possession it is still ravens ball. Again as I have already said twice my original post was purely off of memory seeing it live. Watching the slow down replay I see it's much closer then I remember. I would have been fine with them ruling it either way because it's so close and it got punched out by nink. In the future wrap that ball up tight until there is no doubt flowers.

 

[primetime]

Yeah, Ed Hochuli would never blow his whistle too early on a play that might cost a team a game.



He's the worst official in the NFL and only has his job because of his personal celebrity.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yeah, Ed Hochuli would never blow his whistle too early on a play that might cost a team a game.



He's the worst official in the NFL and only has his job because of his personal celebrity.

I kinda remember that play.

I think Shanny was still coaching and they blew it dead before the ball came loose. Don't recall if Cutler was in the grasp and threw it or the ball was knocked out. Looks like it was knocked out.

Hockaoogie's crew seems to have the #1ranking in the quick whistle dept.

 

[Joker]

Hochuli is all you need to prove aliens walk amongst us...Goodell proves azzoles will always be with us

 

[The Brandon Five]

So basically anytime you hit a qb from the front for a sack and the balls comes out its not a fumble. Please tune in next week when we decide anything the pats do is consider a penalty

Will that apply to Von Miller this Sunday? Cool!

 

[The Brandon Five]

Manning was definitely in the grasp. Whenever ive watched that play i think the ref is going to blow the whistle, because willy mac had him in the grasp for 5-6 seconds and mannings falling backwards.

Willie Mac was a Cleveland Brown during the 2007 season.

 

[Huckleberry1]

In 55 years plus of watching football i have never heard of the "qbs forward progress stopped" when a qb was going BACK to pass and about to be sacked. I don't have to read the article to know its complete bull sht.

This is right on the money, there's no forward progress when you are moving backwards of your own accord.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Manning was definitely in the grasp. Whenever ive watched that play i think the ref is going to blow the whistle, because willy mac had him in the grasp for 5-6 seconds and mannings falling backwards.

It was Seymour.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It was Seymour.

Ha I thought it was Green?

No interest in going back and confirming.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Ha I thought it was Green?

No interest in going back and confirming.

If we are talking about Tyree I thought Seymour had him.

 

[Joker]

 

[Joker]

Never forget what happened that day....NEVER. This was a Goodell ordered criminal conspiracy. THIS is where it all started. Get that damned ref hooked up to electrodes and give him the juice until he spills the beans....someday Goodell will PAY for this atrocity

 

[reflexblue]

Willie Mac was a Cleveland Brown during the 2007 season.

You are correct sir, my mistake.

 

[primetime]

I kinda remember that play.

I think Shanny was still coaching and they blew it dead before the ball came loose. Don't recall if Cutler was in the grasp and threw it or the ball was knocked out. Looks like it was knocked out.

Hockaoogie's crew seems to have the #1ranking in the quick whistle dept.

It was a fumble returned for a TD by the Chargers in the fading minutes of the game, but Hochuli had blown it dead as an incomplete pass. Couldn't be reviewed. Broncos went on to win.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[XLIX]

Yeah in super slow motion he gets 2 hands on the ball for a couple of frames, but it's not until flaccid loses 100% control on the ball that flowers can take possesion. If he has so much as a finger on the ball it's still ravens ball.

The proper way to judge the play is to determine if the ball was on its way out prior to the QB being down by contact. He needs to have more than just "a finger on the ball". He has to have possession of it when he is ruled down.

The refs took the gutless way out by ruling his forward progress was stopped so he doesn't have to be down by contact, the play ends right then and there.

 

[XLIX]

It was a fumble returned for a TD by the Chargers in the fading minutes of the game, but Hochuli had blown it dead as an incomplete pass. Couldn't be reviewed. Broncos went on to win.

IIRC, they added insult to injury on that play in that they *did* review it and call it a fumble, but since the whistle had blown, they couldn't give possession to SD.... they simply marked the ball dead at the spot of the fumble, instead of an incomplete pass, so Denver lost a couple yards but maintained possession.

I believe this play set up the rule regarding "clear recoveries" after the whistle.

 

[rookBoston]

I think the real problem in this case is that the play cannot be reviewed, by rule. We'll never know, if given the chance, whether Hochuli would have overturned his own decision with time to see the clean strip and recovery on tape. In real time, I didn't see the change of possession either, only that the ball was on the turf at the end of it. Ref had to make a call in the moment and live with it. Tough spot for him. Makes me even more sympathetic to BB's well documented proposal to many every play reviewable.

Blandino's after-the-fact rationalization is utter crap.

Wait till this gets called the other way, against the Patriots, later this year-- maybe in the playoffs. We're likely the only ones, other than Belichick, who'll remember this play and how it was called. The haters will either call the Pats whiners for *****ing about the uneven rulings if the call goes against them; or, if the refs keep to this ridiculous interpretation, the haters will use it to discredit the Pats for abusing a loophole. Whatever.

It is rewarding in it's own way to watch the team play on and win regardless, and claim the high ground on idiocy like this. You know that Irsay or Jerry Jones wouldn't let it go, if their teams had been the ones on the wrong end of it.