Posted on 01/16/2006 6:48:08 AM PST by beyond the sea
This is going to be less than pretty, but someone had to do it.
Yesterday's Steeler/Indy game was .............. well, you fill that in.
I'm a Steeler fan of 55 years or so, and the game yesterday was, to say the least, quite bizarre --- as the concept of "a football move" brought back visions of Elroy 'Crazy Legs' Hirsh. The LIVE THREAD yesterday including this incredible game was as lively as the game itself. This morning I gathered some of your comments on the Troy Polamalu interception.
Let's be honest............. he caught the damn ball and the refs blew the call. But FReepers' humor and insights were pretty darn funny as all this was happening. I'm a crappy typist, so this may be a quite ugly presentation. I am just going to present some of the posts from all of you who were transfixed by yesterday's game and the bizarre officiating. It all was unreal, and your comments were fabulous.
Yoi!
*****
I'm glad its not my team, I would have a heart attack!
932 posted on 01/15/2006 4:15:57 PM EST by scott says
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He had one knee and a head of hair down .... Interception mikrofon (ROFL)
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What the HELL is a "Football Move" all of a sudden??
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Damn I hate the way LIBS have to try and start new verbiage.
675 posted on 01/15/2006 3:53:56 PM EST by ThreePuttinDude
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After further review, and a review of security provisions, we reverse the call.
677 posted on 01/15/2006 3:54:14 PM EST by steveegg
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HORRIBLE CALL by the Blind Zebra
689 posted on 01/15/2006 3:54:38 PM EST by GRRRRR
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I'm glad the NFL rule book is a living, breathing document! The 9th circuit is officiating today ;) (A CLASSIC !!)
714 posted on 01/15/2006 3:56:12 PM EST by cgk
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CBS considers the money slipped to the refs to make that reversal the best investment it could make. 715 posted on 01/15/2006 3:56:15 PM EST by steveegg
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Peyton Manning and Head Referee Caught in Uncompromising Position. 721 posted on 01/15/2006 3:56:45 PM EST by LdSentinal
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this ref will not be working the playoffs next year. Worst call i have ever seen.
734 posted on 01/15/2006 3:57:40 PM EST by connectthedots
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I'm a Colts fan, and that INT call was horrible. Seemed like TV wanted an interesting finish.
738 posted on 01/15/2006 3:58:12 PM EST by Teacher317
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That was an 8-point call. 745 posted on 01/15/2006 3:58:49 PM EST by steveegg
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The true 12th man in the game, The zebras..
794 posted on 01/15/2006 4:04:18 PM EST by NormsRevenge
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If the Colts win, this will be the biggest robbery since Brinks.
812 posted on 01/15/2006 4:07:15 PM EST by dfwgator
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Bettis is the happiest guy in 2 cities!
967 posted on 01/15/2006 4:17:54 PM EST by freedumb2003
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Ok Cowher, this time can you just take a knee?
974 posted on 01/15/2006 4:18:09 PM EST by dfwgator
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That is the end result, but the lack of a football move before losing control of the ball is the reason it is an incompletion.
The logic is that if a reciever catches a ball cleanly and it driven to the ground by a defender, then the play should be over the instant the reciever's back touches the ground.
The additional requirement of "football move" is what makes the above scenario an incomplete pass.
No I said that it pops out immediately after the reciever's back hits the ground.
Actually, the back is the same as one knee in that situation (the two-feet part of the equation only applies if he hadn't been touched on the way down). If the receiver maintained possession of the ball through the contact with the ground, he would be down by contact and thus unable to make a subsequent "football move".
Apparently the refs do study the obscure rules only before playoff games. Re: tuck rule.
I hope and pray that he does. I love the joy on his face when he runs, he is a living legend.
But the way the calls/reviews were going at that point the refs would have ruled the "intent" was a "Football move" to take the knee, allowed the Colts a timeout and put seconds back on the clock.
Yes, one knee or the back is the same as two feet. Even if the receiver got two feet down, however, it would still be an incomplete pass (in the middle of the field - since getting two feet down to stay in bounds in considered a "football move").
The player is not down by contact until he makes a football move. This exact situation occurred in the Falcons-Bears game this year. Until a receiver makes a football move, it is the same as juggling the ball.
Can you feel the love?
Polomalu had at least "3 knees" down before he attempted to get up. How many knees constitutes a football move?
Yes, he's going to be a big star... I was sorry to see him forego his senior season at USC... I believe he would have made the difference in the BCS National Championship game against Texas... I'm sure he could have tackled Vince Young, unlike the 11 so-called defenders that USC had on the field.
Fight On, Troy!
That's hilarious.
Along those lines, see post # 12.
You're right ........"no call" would have been correct.
The number of knees on the ground is irrelevant to making a "football move" - that is whole point. Having a knee, back or elbow on the ground is relevant to being down and able to get up and run, but is not relevant to determining if a catch was made or not.
I would think that the act of getting off of the ground would constitute a football move, but apparently the rule dictate that a football move cannot be made while he receiver is still on the ground.
This is his third year in the league.
There is a reason why I made that distinction between the back/knee and 2 feet in that specific case of contact by the defender; 2 feet would mean that the receiver could still attempt to advance, while the knee/back would mean that he could not advance (or are you saying that if the receiver maintains possession after hitting the ground, he can advance the ball unless he's re-touched while on the ground?).
Let's apply that to a slight-hypothetical from yesterday's game. Had Fletcher touched Polamalu as he flashed by and caught the ball, the play would have been over before Polamalu attempted to get up. That process of attempting to get up, while not a "football move" in the eyes of that ref, is a distinctly-different process than that of contacting the ground.
At the very most, 5 yards & 1st down for Illegal Contact. But IMO they need to let them play during the playoffs. No-call would've been the best call, IMO.
It depends on how far the fake went. I have seen where the QB started to kneel and the refs blew the whistle thus ending play before the QB reversed his motion to make it a fake. So I wouldn't have him go that far. I'd just have the QB go to the line making that "we're going to kneel now" motion and have everybody line up for the kneel (which is a highly distinct formation), then have Ben stand up good and tall after the snap (the nice part about how big he is, if he stands up straight nobody will confuse that with an intent to kneel) and make the sneek dive. The action should happen fast enough that Indy won't have time to react but still be clear enough that the refs won't blow the call.
I guess I should have moved the case of beer away from my side and the TV. I should have put it in the bathroom ........ where it ended up anyway.
;-)
IIRC, the fake kneel is now illegal either in the NFL or college.
The only problem with that particular fake is that, when it's do-or-die, you're going to have somebody diving over the center trying to knock the ball loose. Heck, let's take a look at the Panthers/Bears game. The Bears did dive over the center, and the ball popped out, but the refs had already blown the whistle.
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