Good summary of the mess ..
Kevin Seifert
That end-of-half sequence helps illustrate why so many people A) Don't understand NFL rules and B) Don't like them. Referee Walt Anderson couldn't call roughing the kicker on Seahawks CB Richard Sherman because he was offsides, which rendered the play dead. But Anderson did have the option to call an unnecessary roughness penalty on Sherman for hitting Bills PK Dan Carpenter long after the penalty, but Anderson chose not to. That set into motion the kind of bizarre and disorganized series of events that has come to characterize high-profile NFL games in recent years.
The other exasperating part of the end-of-half sequence was that an official stood over the ball until there were less than five seconds remaining on the play clock. I believe it was umpire Butch Hannah, who has the right to stand there until all substitutions have been made. But in this case, it's difficult to understand why the play clock wasn't re-set. Perhaps the NFL will give us some clarity tonight.
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And finally the unlikely acknowledgement ..