[07Jack]

I gotta respectfully disagree. The ref appeared to be under the assumption that it was going to be a first down and was too non-chalant when he first viewed the measurement. When he first made the call, he was actually standing in back of the the ball, reached forward and grabbed the stick, glanced down and then signaled first down. The TV broadcast showed a perfect side view of the measurement and it was clearly short.

[1L]

Unless you can guarantee that this pic is looking straight down the line to gain, its useless.

Why would the official rule a first down if he knew the ball didn’t get a part of the pole? There’s 2 other officials right there to correct him if they felt he made a mistake — the Back Judge who holds the ball down and the umpire who pulls the chain tight.