NFL: Giants would have been flagged if they spiked it

AP Via ESPN ^ | 1-6-03 | ANON

[Pharmboy]

NEW YORK -- Giants holder Matt Allen could not have spiked the botched snap on the final play of New York's loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

It's against the rules.

Mike Pereira, the NFL supervisor of officials, confirmed Monday that Allen would not have been allowed to immediately spike the ball because it was a long snap. The only time a player can spike the ball is when he takes the snap from under the center.

With six seconds left Sunday and the Giants trailing 39-38, Matt Bryant lined up to try a potential game-winning 41-yard field goal. The snap from newly signed Trey Junkin was in the dirt. Allen fumbled the ball, then made a desperation pass downfield to what turned out to be an ineligible receiver, guard Rich Seubert.

Fox commentator Cris Collinsworth said at the time that since it was third down, Allen could have spiked the ball, giving the Giants another chance at a kick. Afterward, on the Fox postgame show, other commentators agreed.

Pereira said the only other option would have been to throw to an eligible receiver.

[Mrs.Liberty]

LOL. See my #151. If I were Fassel and the Giants had gotten a second chance to kick that game-winning field goal, I would have punted the ball away.

LOL. True. Giants should never have been in the position to lose the game anyway.

[Hatteras]

Although I will stand corrected, I still haven't located that rule spelled out in the "online" NFL rule guides.

Thanks for the info...

[mr.pink]

I hate the Steeler secondary, every 3rd and long gives me an upset stomache.

They're killing me, and will be their ultimate downfall. I also hate how everyone on the D struts and pose for pictures after a second down stuff, only to give up a twenty yard pass completion on third.

That said, K Bell is an absolute wrecking machine, and if he can stay healthy, could carry the day.

[walkingdead]

"the one chick says "let's make out" I almost dropped by beer."

Heck, I grabbed another beer, and went out looking for her and her friend! teeheehee

[hchutch]

I think Alex Brown will be the next Dent - and he slipped to the 4th round. With Daniels at left end, we're okay there. My major worry is defensive tackle. Traylor and Washington are not getting younger, and both are coming off injuries this year.

I think it may be time to open the auditions there. B-Rob might be an option, and I think that Joe Tafoya could be good, but if we get Jimmy Kenendy, we only have one slot to fill as opposed to two.

[amused]

hehehe a trip back through time.

My roommate and I are dieharders from our first games in the early 80's (both born in 75). Our fathers laugh at us because they were sucked into loving the Giants in the 50's and we got sucked into during the 80's. Thankfully we haven't had to live through entire decades of futility but those spurts are pretty hard to go through. Somewhere Ray Handley is in his shack in the middle of nowhere cackling like a loon right now.

[walkingdead]

Well, I guess not many gays were watching the playoffs. Imagine that.....

[Alberta's Child]

Here's an interesting late-round (sort of) draft story.

Back in 1985, Pitt DE/OLB Chris Doleman was considered one of the hottest prospects in the NFL draft. The New York Giants did not have a high selection in that draft (they had finished 9-7 the year before), but they sent a scout to the last Pitt game of the season against Notre Dame just to evaluate him anyway.

The scouting report on Doleman was interesting, to say the least. I paraphrase:

Doleman seems like a definite blue-chipper. Great physical pass-rushing skills for a college lineman. Excellent speed. Did not perform as expected, though. Spent most of the game flat on his @ss, courtesy of an unknown Notre Dame tight end named Mark Bavaro. Bavaro looks like a real hidden gem in this draft.

[hchutch]

Oh, man, the zebras missed that one bad...

Man, that's gotta hurt - you could arguably say that Rush should have been 2-for-4 in his picks...

You can bet this is gonna have the Giants irritated for a while...

[ThinkingMan]

No- all records in the NFL of that nature- longest run, most passing yards, most consecutive completions, most rushing yards, etc. HAVE TO BE SET AGAINST EITHER THE BRONCOS OR THE VIKINGS. I believe it is an NFL rule.

[Libertarian4Bush]

giants = losers = morons = golfing while the Eagles win SB XXXVII

[Captain Beyond]

It looks like as a Giant's fan you will have to join the Raider's fans on bad calls ending games. I just heard this on Dan Patrick's ESPN show and it is posted on NFL.com. Rich Seubert was an eligible receiver.The NFL say's it was a bad call and the giants should have got the ball back.

[Libertarian4Bush]

not to mention that he could have chucked it out of bounds

[discostu]

I'm a big fan of the EA Sports Madden series, and I always play the Steelers (some especially bitter times I also play whoever is going against the Cowboys to make sure the go 0-16). Yesterday afternoon watching the game I'm doing the usual fanatic stuff bitching at the secondary, the wife comes in sees something other than Madden football on the computer (Neverwinter Nights actually, but she doesn't know what the games are) looks at the TV, sees them blow another 3rd and long to my profanity laiden insults and says "wow the Madden series really is accurate".

Bell's a linebacker. Someway somehow even with all the guys we lose to free agency (like Holmes going to the Browns last summer) we always keep a great set of linebackers. But I think it's telling that nobody ever tries to steal our corners or safeties.

[motzman]

Well well well, the truth comes out, and I'm telling you, I knew something was fishy with the ending of that game, but couldn't quite put my finger on it do to the mistaken information be foisted upon us by the Fox announcers.

I knew that games cannot end on offsetting penalties, and it has happend before.

And now will those football ignorants please shut up about "it's not interference if the player's ineligible" nonesense. Seubert was eligible. That position is always eligible in that formation.

Of course the game never should have gotten to that point, but it did. And yet again, the Giants get screwed by poor officiating.

Well at least the NFL is sorry....

[motzman]

You can bet this is gonna have the Giants irritated for a while...

With a few adjustments, the Giants will be the most dangerous team in the NFL next year.

[amused]

Well at least the NFL is sorry....

About as sorry as Clinton was {/sarcasm}

Damn them to Hades.

[hchutch]

They couldn't get Doleman, but they got the guy who was knocking Doleman on his ass!

Bavaro didn't do that badly in the NFL, IIRC.

[ThinkingMan]

I don't think it would have made much difference even if they were given another play. You have an out-of-practice
long snapper, a brain dead holder and an inept kicker- them scoring would have been similiar to the kids on the short bus performing Shakespear on the way to school.

[motzman]

golfing while the Eagles win SB XXXVII

Talk about counting your chickens...Maybe you "sense" the Iggles will win the SB...

BUT HOW WOULD YOU KNOW??? THE EAGLES HAVE NEVER WON A SUPER BOWL.

Get it out now, because Michael Vick is going to destroy Filthydelphia