2012 Post-Season Week 1 Clips
TECHNICAL NOTE: For those not aware, when viewing these videos in the You Tube window, you can adjust the resolution for a sharper view. Notice in the lower right hand corner of the video player window a setting icon that looks like a gear. Click on that and you can adjust the setting up to 360p, 480p or even 720p in some cases. This will give you a sharper image.
Poll Results:
In last week's poll, we featured a play that may have looked like a foul initially but after a closer look, maybe not. Was the kicker fouled? Was the player who hit the kicker fouled? Of the 95 viewers who responded to the poll, 93% said "no foul." The most frequent comment was "what about the holding by the kicker's teammate."
False Start - Offside - Nothing ? Officiating the line of scrimmage pre-snap requires tremendous concentration. The slightest distraction can cause an official to miss the very minimal movement required to have a false start. This play appeared to upset the Team A coach. Perhaps he thought Team B was offside? Would he be that agitated if he thought his own team should have been flagged for a false start. Please view the video and take the poll below. (Please remember to scroll down and click on the DONE button after making your choice.)
End of Kick Spot The spot where a kick ends can be a critical spot when there is a foul during a scrimmage kick play. It is so critical that officials are instructed to mark that spot with a bean bag. On some scrimmage kick plays, the covering officials observe an illegal touching spot in advance of where the kick ends. There can be a temptation to quickly forget about the end of kick spot and not even mark it with a bean bag since the officials know Team B will elect to put the ball in play at that illegal touch spot. But doing so can have disastrous effects in some situations. If there is a foul by Team A (except KCI) before the end of the kick, Team B can elect to have that penalty enforced from where the subsequent dead ball belongs to them (10-2-4). That spot is not going to be an illegal touching spot unless that spot is also the spot where A takes possession of the ball, making it a dead ball. Consider this example: During A's scrimmage kick, A20 holds at the line of scrimmage. The kick is illegally touched by A10 at the B-30 and then A-15 grabs the ball at the B-25. B's options are to have the penalty enforced from previous spot with a rekick or take the ball at the B-25 with the 10 yard penalty tacked on from there. We must have that spot where the kick ends to enforce this penalty correctly. In the video, observe the B. He appears to focus only on the spot of illegal touching and disregards the end of kick spot. Normally, this will be of no consequence. But there are times when doing this could put he and his crew in a difficult position.
Receiver Forced Out of Bounds Good job here to recognize the receiver was forced out of bounds. Since he immediately tried to return in bounds, when he did so and caught the pass, he did so legally ((7-3-4 Exception).
Unsportsmanlike Conduct Wave Off In this play, there appeared to be a TD scored which would have caused the game to end immediately in Extra Periods. The team which thought it had scored, rushed the field and a flag was thrown by an official. The crew correctly ruled the ball carrier stepped out of bounds before crossing the goal line so the game had to continue. The R waved off the flag. This is an understandable decision since it could be legitimately argued they team thought they had won the game. If their actions caused no delay in continuing the game, then there was no harm done. However, WHAT IF....what if the team had come on the field and engaged in taunting activity towards the opponent? What would you do? Ignore it or let the flag stand and penalize the conduct?
Running Into Converted to Roughing the Kicker This is a very confusing situation and if any of our viewers know or think they know what might have happened, please send us your take. Initially it seems the R has judged the contact to be a running to the kicker foul. However, as he continues communicating with others, that seems to change to roughing the kicker. If he had ruled it roughing at the start there would have been little reason to look to the coach for a penalty decision. The kicker was hit hard, endangering him. The fact that the plant leg was hit makes it even more of a roughing foul. That would be a roughing the kicker foul. Situations like this where a crew looks confused can ruin the perceptions of the crew for the entire game. The crew could have worked a perfect game to this point and work a perfect game after this but this pointless delay makes them look incompetent and that is the perception of them many will leave the game with.
Not a Horsecollar Tackle Foul Good job to get this right although there should not have even been a flag thrown initially. Since the horsecollar took place while the ball carrier was still in the tackle box, there is no horsecollar tackle foul (9-1-15).
4th Down Fumble Rule The ball is snapped at the B-16. The QB carries it to the B-17 before he is hit and fumbles the ball. It is recovered by a differnet Team A player at the B-21 and he advances to the B-19 where he is tackled. 7-2-2-a Exception 2 says that on 4th down, before a change of team possession, a Team A fumble that is caught or recovered by someone other than the fumble is to be immediately ruled a dead ball. If the spot of catch/recovery is in advance of spot of fumble. return the ball to spot of fumble. If catch/recovery spot is BEHIND the spot of fumble, the ball stays where caught/recovered. In this play that would mean a 1st and 10 for Team B at the B-21.