Special thanks to a collegiate official for sending along the NFL rules ... and I'll note here that it's maddening the NFL doesn't provide it's official rulebook anywhere online like the MLB does. Anyway, remember the question about why the officials let the play clock run out on Eli Manning when he tried to call back-to-back timeouts?
People were wondering why Joe Gibbs was penalized 15 last year for doing the same thing?
Well, it's not the same thing at all. Gibbs was trying to "freeze the kicker." The NFL has a specific rule to deal with this ...
1. Rule 4-5-1 item 3 states that: "a second charged timeout by either team during the same dead ball period is prohibited." Penalty - 5 yards Delay of Game - This is what Manning did.
2. Rule 4-5-1, item 4 states that "An attempt to call ... a second timeout in the same dead ball period by Team B in an attempt to 'freeze' a kicker shall be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will subject the offending team to a 15 yard penalty." This is what Gibbs did.
Just as I suspected ... and as usual ... the officials got the call correct in both cases.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-29-2008 @ 3:38PM
Brody said...
This just goes to show how good these refs actually are. In two very similar situations, they knew exactly which rule to call, despite the fact that both rules are seldom used and are almost completely unknown to the viewing public.
Despite what some people may think, these guys DO know what they're doing. As soon as we come up with a way to put eyes in the back of their heads and provide them all with X-Ray vision, then we can start lambasting them for missed calls. Until then, deal with it. No amount of expertise, training or knowledge is going to allow refs to see plays that are physically impossible to see.
The only thing refs should get serious flack for are mental errors and actual erroneous calls. For instance, using the wrong rule in a situation, blowing a whistle too soon, being out of position in a situation where there's no excuse for it, etc.
But simply not getting a call right because their eyes simply couldn't identify what actually happened - there's nothing to be done about that. Deal with it. It's part of being human.
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10-30-2008 @ 10:26PM
Catwoman said...
My oppinion on coaches, Jeff Fisher is definitly # 1 . He reminds me of Schuler with the Dolphins. I really enjoy watching the Titans play because I like his coaching so much. I am the # 1 fan of the Giants and Eli Manning. I enjoy watching him play. Who is going to the Super Bowl this year?
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10-31-2008 @ 1:46AM
Catwoman said...
Jeff Fisher is definitely # 1. He reminds me of Schuler with the Dolphins. I love watching the Titans play because he amazes me with his knowledge of NFL rules. However I am the # 1 Giants-Eli Manning fan. From the first time I watched Eli play, I knew he really had the talent to go a long way. He just needed the experience and confidence!!!
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