- Mark Clayton is an OU guy. Therefore, I'm inclined to support him. But, why wasn't he flagged for spiking the ball after making a 1st down reception? Since when is that not a 15-yard foul?
- Twice, Colts' RT Ryan Diem has drawn 5-yard penalties (one of which moved the Colts out of the shadow of their own goal line) by moving when a defensive player jumped into the neutral zone. Both times, it looked like he did it on purpose and that it wasn't just a reaction. Two questions: (1) why don't more offensive linemen do that if the officials are inclined to rule in their favor even though they shouldn't and (2) how is the official supposed to be able to determine if it is actually a spontaneous reaction?
- Peyton Manning went deep to Reggie Wayne on a 3rd down play. Wayne got knocked down and a flag was thrown. However, the officials determined that it was not PI because there wasn't enough contact to warrant PI. Apparently, the flag was thrown for illegal contact. Because the ball was in the air, illegal contact couldn't be called. That is absurd. The contact caused the intended receiver to fall down on a ball that would have been "catchable". It wasn't a case of guys feet getting tangled inadvertently. It was PI!
- Marvin Harrison is killing Peyton Manning. Twice last week, Manning was picked off because he wasn't in sync with Harrison on routes. Today, McAllister almost intercepted a Manning pass because Harrison stopped on a route. McAllister was over the top of Harrison and Manning threw a good ball. Ray Lewis got a finger on the ball, which knocked it off line enough that McAllister didn't make the catch. Harrison wasn't even in on the play and I have no idea why. Then, after the flea-flicker, when Manning made a great play to evade the rush and make a perfect throw to Harrison, Harrison was so quick to get out of bounds and avoid contact that it almost looked like he failed to get both feet down. He wasn't going to take a huge shot, but he didn't want to get hit at all.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Playoffs?
Some comments on the 1st half of the Colts v. Ravens game:
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2 comments:
Regarding point number 2: I don't understand these calls at all. I guess the rule was changed recently so that if a defender moves into the neutral zone and that "causes" the offensive player to jump, then it is not a false start but a "neutral zone infraction" equivalent to offsides? My question is, why do they need to penalize this? If a defender moves into the neutral zone, or even across the line, but gets back in time, then there is nothing wrong, unless he induces an offensive player to budge? That's idiotic.
If an offensive player budges, then perhaps the officials have to stop the play, I suppose. But they don't have to penalize either team. They can just reset the play, right? Why do the rules insist on moving the ball and possibly changing the down for so many silly things? Why don't personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct come out of player salaries instead of team yardage, for example? I just don't like that arbitrary enforcement of all these silly rules has so much influence on the outcome of the game.
Each team had one holding penalty, I believe, both against their left tackles. The holding the Colts committed directly prevented a sack, but the Jonathan Ogden's was more suspect a call. I say, don't call holding unless you see a direct influence on the outcome of the play. Maybe give the player a warning, and if he does it again, regardless of influence, call it. But that questionable (I thought) call ruined the Ravens' drive an may have influenced the game's outcome.
As another example, in last night's Eagles Saints match-up, the Saints sacked Jeff Garcia (on third down, I believe), but they lost fifteen yards and an automatic first down because one of the assailants snagged Garcia's helmet. Why can't we keep the outcome of the play and punish the offender some other way?
The biggest play of the game may have been another mistake by the officials. On Ed Reed's second interception of Peyton Manning, early in the fourth quarter, he lateraled the ball to a teammate before going out of bounds. However, for some inexplicable reason, the officials stopped the play rather than allowing the return.
What if he had run it back for a touchdown? Or even merely for forty yards or so? We might very well have a different team in the AFC Championship game next week. How can they screw up such important details?
Am I wrong in thinking he was clearly in-bounds? I was in a crowded pub a bit far from the screen, but I heard the commentators discussing it, and they seemed to think he was still in.
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