Re: Odd play in Sea/Balt game today

"R D Winthrop" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Can't provide any detail, but was noted during halftime of radio
> broadcast of Monday night NFL game that crew maladministeered

"misapplied"


> clock at close of Baltimore-Seattle game, allowing Baltimore their FG
> opportunity when game clock should have already run out.  Cited NFL
> as source.

I guess it's now time to get the story straight.  From
< http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1669790 > ......

: Monday, November 24, 2003
: Associated Press
:
: NEW YORK -- An officiating blunder Sunday gave Baltimore critical
: extra time in its fourth-quarter comeback victory over Seattle,
: the NFL said Monday.
:
: NFL supervisor of officials Mike Pereira said both the 40-second
: clock and the game clock should have been restarted after an officials'
: conference over a penalty call with 58 seconds left in regulation. The
: Seahawks had the ball and led 41-38.

Editor's Note:  Actually, the 25-second Play Clock would be used
                          following a Referee's Time-Out for an Officials'
                          Conference.  NFL 4-3-7-SN(10) and 4-3-10-SN(1)


: Because the clock wasn't started, the Ravens had 39 seconds left
: instead of 4 or 5 when they got the ball back on downs at the
: Baltimore 33.
:
: They ended up tying the game on Matt Stover's field goal following
: a key 44-yard pass interference penalty. Baltimore won 44-41 in
: overtime.

So the Seahawks STILL had a chance to win by not fouling,
or winning in OT.  I see.


: "The clock was not started at the proper time, which was an
: administrative error by the officiating crew," Pereira said in a
: statement.

Because the down ended with a RUN inbounds, and NOT a
spike, as erroneously stated in the original post.


: An NFL official told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the league
: is reviewing possible disciplinary action for referee Tom White's
: crew. The action could include fines and/or suspensions for the
: game officials involved.

They should be sentenced to a 5-man high school championship
game, in the snow.


: Ravens coach Brian Billick conceded that his team benefited
: from the mistake by White's crew.
:
: "There was, I believe, an administrative error in there, in that the
: clock should have been wound more quickly," Billick said.

More precisely, the clock should have been wound "sooner",
not necessarily "more quickly".  ;^)

For instance, my wind signal is rather "deliberate".


: The mistake came after the clock stopped with 58 seconds left
: when head linesman Ed Camp threw a penalty flag. He thought
: offensive tackle Floyd Womack lined up as an ineligible receiver
: for Seattle on a second-down play on which Shaun Alexander
: gained 3 yards to the Baltimore 33.

So, it was an inbounds RUN, and NOT a spike, which caused the
ball to become dead.


: The Ravens called their final timeout at that time, but the clock was
: stopped for the officials' conference in which it was determined
: Womack had reported as eligible. The flag was picked up.

Gee, ya mean, a sideline official didn't realize an ineligible reported
to the Referee ................... AGAIN!!!

FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!!  THIS F*CKED UP NFL MECHANIC HAS
STRUCK AGAIN!!!

Is anyone going to bother to mention that the same screwed-up
rule / mechanic which hosed the Giants in San Francisco may have
now cost Seattle a game???  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???


: Pereira said the conference negated Baltimore's timeout, leaving
: the Ravens with one more.

You mean, if the Game Clock *had* started as it was supposed to,
the Ravens STILL couldn't use their final time-out???  %^)


: But he said the officials erred in not restarting the game clock and
: play game clock after the conference. If they had, Baltimore would
: have been forced to take its final timeout or let the clock run down
: by 40 seconds or more.

Actually, 25 seconds.


: Instead, the clocked remained stopped until the next play started:
: a run for no gain by Alexander on third-and-1. That allowed the
: Ravens to use their last timeout with 44 seconds left.
:
: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck carried for no gain on fourth-and-1,
: and the clock stopped automatically for a change of possession.
: Baltimore got the ball back with 39 seconds left and mounted the
: tying drive.

So, the Ravens get the ball on their own 33 with 0:39 and no time-outs
remaining, and the Seahawks subsequently choke on a 44-yard DPI?


: "It got a little confusing," said Billick, who was fined $15,000 earlier
: in the season for criticizing the officials.

Why didn't the Seahawks' captain appeal to the Referee that a rule
was being misapplied, per NFL 15-5-2-Note?


: "The official threw the flag because he wasn't aware that 77 [Womack]
: reported. That's standard procedure.

No, that's a standard f*cked-up mechanic, as has been previously
demonstrated.


: That stopped the clock. We expected that the clock would then be
: restarted and were prepared to call the timeout.
:
:"But as they were getting it done, the clock wasn't starting. I thought,
: let them run that and then we'll call timeout."
:
: Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren knows how important the defeat
: could be. Seattle is 7-4, in the thick of the playoff race.
:
: "It's hard. It's like losing a game on a Hail Mary deal," he said.
: "You're pretty sure your game is won and then it's lost.
:
: "Not to mention the extenuating circumstances in the memos we
: received today. I almost wish that wasn't part of it, but that's also
: part of it."

But, only partly.


: Holmgren, a former chairman of the league's competition
: committee, refused to criticize White and his crew.

Lest he be fined like Coach Billick?


: "I appreciate the league being very candid about it," he said.
: "Nothing changes, but we had chances as a team. It had
: nothing to do with the officials. We had chances and we just
: didn't do it when we needed to do it, and it ended up biting us."

Good Form, Coach H. !

Nevertheless, while your players had their chances, so did this
crew.  Major BuFu!  Meanwhile, the Reporting Rule continues to
cause WAY more trouble than what it's worth.


--  Scott