Officiating at the very top level of any sport must be incredibly tough.
No matter how good you are, sometimes you will have to make a judgement calls, and whether it’s the correct or incorrect decision as per the rules, you are always going to upset some people.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Sunday’s fiercely fought divisional playoff between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.
Deep in the fourth quarter, the score 26-21 to the Packers, with the Cowboys 4 and 2, Tony Romo looked deep to his favourite receiver, Dez Bryant, down the left touchline. Bryant leaped, and looked to have pulled off a miraculous catch to put the Cowboys within touching distance of the go ahead score. But then came the decision that got everyone talking.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy threw the challenge flag, and Cowboy fans wept as the on-field decision was overturned by referee Gene Seratore, who ruled an incomplete pass, turning over the ball to the Packers on downs.
In the post-match interview, Bryant cut a dejected figure. Hounded by microphones and cameras, he attempted to answer impossible questions from America’s press, but one thing he did say was that he would be devastated if he reads or hears all next week that the catch should have been called legal.
Other players and fans also voiced their displeasure at the call, and requested clarification on the rule, including NBA star LeBron James and fellow NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior.
On that front, neither they or Bryant should look any further than the Vice President of Officiating for the NFL, Dean Blandino.
The rule is actually quite clear, and as upset as it makes players, coaches and fans across the league, it has been applied fairly consistently for five years – ever since the controversial ruling out of a Calvin Johnson touchdown for Detroit against Chicago.
In that situation, wide receiver Johnson touched the ball into the ground immediately after he had control when making a crucial catch in the end zone, and as such the ball was grounded during the act of going to ground and therefore ruled incomplete. Detroit were quick to remind everyone of this via their Twitter feed.
Blandino tweeted instantly that Bryant would have to hold onto the ball throughout the entire process of contacting the ground, and ruled that as he hadn’t done this, so it was an incomplete pass.
Whether or not the rule is a good one is a different argument all together.
Coach-turned-pundit Tony Dungy and former great Deion Sanders both queried the rule as opposed to the call, and Sanders went as far to say that the rule will be changed in the offseason.
But for the Cowboys, whom it must be remembered benefited from a hugely controversial call last week to beat the Detroit Lions, any rule change will come too late.
The Packers in the meantime can look forward to a huge match-up in Seattle against the Seahawks, and throughout the coming week, all eyes will be on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Prior to the game, Hall of Famer and former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman stated that he would take Tony Romo over any quarterback in the country at the moment. While I am loath to question his judgement, I’ll happily make do with Aaron Rodgers myself.
In leading his team to the win yesterday, Rodgers displayed once more why he is the top quarterback in the NFL. With his calf clearly troubling him, he produced a near flawless second-half performance to reinforce his MVP credentials, throwing 24/35 for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns.
His pinpoint bullet to tight end Richard Rodgers for the go ahead score was as good a pass as you’ll ever see, and was just one of many darts that he threw to receivers who looked to be well covered.
At Lambeau Field this year Rodgers has lead his team to a 9-0 record and an astonishing 28 touchdowns without a single interception. However you look at it, this is a staggering record.
But next week will be a much sterner test for the Packers. Despite finishing with an equal record to Seattle (12-4), the Pack will have to leave their frozen fortress behind them and head west to the number 1 seed Seahawks. There, Rodgers, the most effective long-range passer in the league, will go head-to-head with arguably the best cornerback in the league, Richard Sherman.
Sherman taunted Rodgers after their week 1 match-up – which the reigning Super Bowl Champions won 36-16 – claiming the Packers’ number 12 was too scared to throw to him. Sherman even played on special teams at the end of that game as Rodgers stayed away from the all-conquering cornerback. However, the Packers are a much different team to their September incarnation, and next week – providing Rodgers stays healthy – will be a different story.
But Sherman is in great form as well. After securing an interception while defeating Carolina this weekend, Sherman was quoted as saying that he’d heard that “he [Cam Newton] was going to try me. He didn’t care which side he threw it to. You gotta make people pay for those bad decisions”.
Rodgers will also undoubtedly be made to pay for any bad decisions he makes next weekend. The question is whether the star quarterback will make any.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Simon, thanks for the link, there's some great viewing there!
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
The Guardian compiled a collection of ridiculous, inhuman catches from the NFL, and one thing they all have in common is that the players all, without fail, make 100% certain that they keep the ball in the air. So maybe, knowing the rules, Dez Bryant should have ensured it was an catch beyond all doubt. Here is the link. Some ridiculous catches here... www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/24/odell-beckham-jr-incredible-nfl-catches
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
Ye for sure Mushi, it's certainly creating some debate in the States. I'm sure Deion Sanders is probably onto something when he said the rule might be revisited. But it was the same in that Lions v Bears game. It was an incredible, match winning catch and was ruled out. It's a case where the rule says one thing and it's applied to the letter, as opposed to allowing for the spontaneity of the sport.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
Absolutely Allanthus. In fact you could argue that the loose interpretation of a catch (by NFL standards) in the AFL actually creates the opportunities for some absolute stunning marks to be taken and paid, let alone the ones that are attempted. If the rules were such that makes where the ball hits the ground are not paid, then there is no incentive to actually even attempt to catch it and spoils would be all we would see on the field.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
No worries Harry, and I agree with you, it was such a terrific catch and there has to be something wrong with a rule when something like that takes away from the athleticism involved in the act of taking that catch. It also, inadvertently affects players in the future from trying to score in similar situations, instead simply hoping to secure the ball and settle for a complete catch. I'd would have thought there would be some leeway if trying to score... I hesitate to use the "benefit of the doubt" statment seeing as it appeared to cause so much controversy in try scoring in the NRL, but it certainly wouldnt hurt to apply some common sense...
HarryT
Guest
Thanks for that further explanation Simon. As a newby to NFL my knowledge of the rules is sketchy at best. The controversy has taken away from the terrific skill involved in the pass and catch which is a shame. On the SI site, there is a set of 14 still photos that show Bryant catching the ball at the 5 metre line, taking it to his chest with both hands, then transferring it to his left hand, and raising his hand above his shoulder to place the ball centimetres from the end zone. How someone can travel 5 metres and not perform a football move is a big judgement call and hardly irrefutable. Looks like a football move to me, but as I say I'm no expert. Packers are looking good.
mushi
Roar Guru
Apparently the guideline on a football move is that you need to stopfalling (get upright again) before it's considered a new move and not a continuation of the catch. As a former referee said (paraphrasin) if 50 drunk guys in a bar who hate the cowboys think it's a catch then the rule is broken. If the rules don't refelct the intent of the sprot then they need to be revisited. It's the ludicrous tuck-rule all over again.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Crazy rule. Imagine if that was applied in the AFL, we'd never see a contested mark ever again.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
Hi Harry, I believe - according to the rule as it is implemented and has been implement since the benchmark case of Calvin Johnson in 2010 - that the ruling was correct and that the call should have been overturned. Whether or not that is how it should be is open to debate. It's such a tough one, because the NFL Officials have to make a judgement call on whether the receiver uses the ground to control the ball in making the catch. What they've done is remove the grey area and said that if the ball hits the ground and control is not maintained then it's ruled incomplete. For my money, and I'm an unashamed Packers fan so my views have to be taken with that in mind, it was the correct decision, albeit an incredibly harsh one. There was sufficient evidence on the video in that when he landed, the ball popped out and as Dez Bryant slid on his back you can see clearly him reach up and regather the ball. That is losing control in the process of going to ground, and because the ball hit the ground, it's easy to apply the ruling. As for the football move argument, that is very much a judgement call. Dean Blandino was interviewed on NFL Network's Gameday Final and he was asked that same question, and he immediately said that "we need to see something more obvious than that". Again, that's an opinion and has to be a subjective judgement call based on the officials feelings at the time.
HarryT
Guest
I thought that by catching the ball with two hands to his chest and then using one hand to extend his reach to the end zone, he performed a 'football move'. Regardless, there was never conclusive evidence to reverse the call from the field.