Posted on 02/08/2006 5:18:46 AM PST by mcg2000
The ball may have crossed the plane. In fact, it probably did. However, when the ref made the ruling on the field there is no way that he called it for that reason. I believe he ruled a touchdown because he somehow got hoodwinked by Ben sneaking the ball over the line after the play was over. The mere fact that later replays validated the ruling on the field does not mean that the right call was made. If the line judge had spotted the ball on the 1 inch line, and the play was challenged by Pitt, there would not have been enough evidence to overturn the call. Because the video is indeterminate, whatever the ref called would have stood. I'm sorry, but there is no way that the ref could perceive the ball just barely breaking the plane for a split second when he made the call in real time (after a goodly delay). So, even if it was really a TD, the call on the field of a TD was still an improper call (if that makes sense).
HEY! I resemble that remark! But only because I liked arguing with the teachers!
You know, I just can't believe you people. I was watching the game, and cheered when he was still in the air when the ball broke the plane. I KNEW it was a touchdown, and I'm a female, not a guy who lives football. The rule is:
A touchdown is when "any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player inbounds, breaks the plane of the opponent's goal line."
And that's exactly what many of the knowledgable FReepers are saying to you.
In fact, here's a comment from a guy who posted last night on another thread:
"I watched the game with a guy who let us Tevo that play about 2 dozen times. As the ABC announcers pointed out, the ball does not need to cross the goal line, only break the plane formed by the line. In other words, if the ball touches the goal line, the play is considered a touchdown. We watched that play dozens of times and, before he is downed and before his body touches the ground, the ball does break the goal line. This happens when the ball is about two feet above the ground as Roethlisberger is falling forward. A few frames later, the ball is an inch or so back from its forward-most point and he is in the process of being downed. While it is true that the ball does not get into the end zone (as far as we could see), his forward progress does clearly cause the ball to break the plane formed by the goal line and is properly called a touchdown.
BTW, I'm from Indianapolis, and I wasn't exactly thrilled when we lost to the Steelers, but the facts are the facts."
146 posted on 02/07/2006 8:53:40 PM PST by econjack
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Ben was pushed back AFTER the touchdown. Your pic is taken after the touchdown, Junior.
No, he said he told coach at the time that he didn't think he had gotten in.
D. The whiners
D. The whiners
My vote, too.
That pic shows a frame after he'd been pushed back, after the ball broke the plane.
Honestly, he's probably the worst judge of whether he made it or not. He was putting his head down and driving -- and then was driven back. He really had no way of knowing how far he'd gotten. That's the linesman's job, and he got it right, even if he did hesitate.
So, he has since stated that he got in?
Ben's arm has laces on it?
No... look at the brown blurry object inside that white patch. That's the ball, with the laces pattern visible even through the blurriness, and part of it crosses the plane of the goal.
He didn't get in.
The linesman made a bad call.
The reviewing official did not have sufficient evidence to over turn the call.
Steelers TD.
Even if he didn't get in on that play, they were going for it on 4th down and probably would have gotten in anyway.
Honestly, the Hawks' whining is nothing compared to Steeler's fans whining about the Hawks' whining.
The Hawks wouldn't have won, anyway. They were not making any plays while the Steelers were making enough plays to win.
You should consider writing Harlequin romances.
My favorite Cowher moment with a ref was a time where there were 12 guys for the other team on the field that wasn't called. Cowher was furious and demanded a replay review, which wasn't granted. At halftime, he shoved a press box photo of the play (showing 12 defenders on the field) onto the head referee.
"So, he has since stated that he got in?"
Yes, he called Petronski last night and said he got in. Petronski called me. We were so happy!
No, he said he told coach at the time that he didn't think he had gotten in.
LOL! Thanks for the clarification, Clinton.
The entire goal line is part of the end zone. So any part of the ball reaching any part of the line is a TD.
I don't think the Steelers fans would be complaining about it at all if they felt secure about the victory. Whether they'll admit it or not, I think most of them wish they had won without so much help from the officials.
Ok, that was funny. What's even funnier is you now have me seriously considering it.
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