January 2, 2020
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Here’s hoping that you and yours have a joyous, prosperous, happy and healthy 2020!!
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Can 2019 be the year of the pass interference? If so, then 2019 is over and we can get back to some sanity in officiating this rule.
Let’s just get back to basics we all have agreed upon since the 1980s. For instance, if the defense doesn’t make a play on the ball and there is contact then it is pass interference. If either player pulls and turns the other player, then it is also interference. The stuff in between is subjective and we can all understand.
Other sports have come to this understanding about judgement calls. In basketball, deciding between block or charge can be tough, but there are certain principles to follow. If the defender falls sideways, they didn’t establish legal guarding position and it should be a block. If the offensive player dips a shoulder into the chest of a defender, it is a charge. No need to complain and we all can move on with our lives.
But pass interference in the NFL? That has turned into Laurel and Hardy. I am going to point to 3 plays on Sunday. The first play was a pass to Michael Thomas in the end zone. The ball was underthrown, the defender never turned for the ball, and contacted Thomas to where he could not make a play on the ball. I don’t care when the contact occurred, the benefit of the doubt goes to the offense 1,000 out of 1,000 times since I started paying attention to football in 1982 at the age of six.
But not in the NFL of 2019. It was the same no call as January 2019. Fortunately, Payton threw the challenge flag, and the correct call was made. A friend sent me a text that I cannot repeat in this article. My response was that I was glad the game was not in doubt at this point or I would be pretty annoyed as well. I also pointed out that if Eli Apple did the same thing there would be flags all over the field. Easy call.
Fast forward to the second half with the game out of reach. The Panthers throw a deep ball. Cut and paste my description from above, but Lattimore is the defender. It looked like the field was covered in yellow confetti there were so many flags thrown. No need for replay this time, and it was the correct call. I just wonder why this was obvious call was made on the field, but the first half play needed replay.
Then, Sunday Night Football happened. With the game on the line, the 49ers linebacker bear hugged the Seahawks tight end in the end zone preventing the receiver from making a play on the ball. Since there were less than two minutes, the league has to decide to review the play. Keep in mind, even the most obvious replay decisions take over a minute to decide. Yet, with less than 30 seconds to review a play that the retired official working for the TV and 100% of non 49er fans thought was pass interference, the league decided there was no penalty. How is that implementing the spirit and purpose of replay? The game is on the line and they aren’t going to stop the game and make sure?
What is mind boggling to me is that the officials get so many more difficult plays called correctly. The spot on the next play in the Seahawks game was amazing to get right. It just shows me that the NFL has done a poor job of training this rule and making the expectations clear to everyone.
I believe the Saints can make the Super Bowl from the third seed. There is enough depth on this team to win three games in three weeks. The problem is that there is not one fiber of my being though that believes the NFL can officiate their own rules properly and that is not a good feeling.
Aside from the NFL’s inability to handle issues that college football has figured out, 2019 has been glorious football to watch. The Saints and LSU combined to win 29 games and lose just 4. Can they keep it going in 2020? At this point, fall 2020 still looks good, but January 2020 will be heart pounding to watch to be sure. It should be a lot of fun and hopefully we catch a few breaks along the way. Happy New Year!
HEY REF
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