The Colts - Chargers game tonight has been scintillating, to say the least. Sure, there have been weird/awkward moments that involved challenges and more potentially damaging to the reputation referee behavior. But on the whole, just a great game between two
Then, with about 20 seconds to go, something weird happened. Jyles Tucker was injured and stayed on the ground for a few minutes as the Colts were preparing to hike a second-and-four ball from deep in their own territory. The Chargers, because of Tucker's injury, were forced to take a timeout. One problem: they didn't have any left.
So, the ruling on the field became: "San Diego has been charged their fourth team timeout" and as a result, the Colts had a timeout restored. Yes, restored. As in, like, something out of Family Feud or Guitar Hero III. (/elderly nerd)
Perhaps that's already in the NFL rulebook; I wouldn't put it past the league to already have that in place (or at least written in by midnight on Sunday). But at the same time, how are we supposed to actually believe -- based on the job officials have done this year -- that anyone isn't just making this up as we go along?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-03-2009 @ 11:41PM
Suzanne said...
I would like to know when the league is going to do something about the officiating. I am neither a San Diego nor Colts fan, but the officiating in this game was horrendiously biased against the Colts.
Perhaps, instead of fining players every week, they should start fining officials.
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1-03-2009 @ 11:46PM
JDBreeze1 said...
I'm not a fan of either team either, but did you look at the replays after those penalties were called (especially the ones late)? The refs got those calls absolutely right.
1-03-2009 @ 11:46PM
Football4uf said...
you are so right. I love the game but what a one sided event!
1-04-2009 @ 12:14AM
Craig said...
I have to agree.........that had to be the worst I've seen in years. I guess what goes around comes around. The officals that did this game did the same thing to the Colts against Green Bay. Go Steelers.........
1-03-2009 @ 11:51PM
Adam said...
I didn't see any calls that were too bad. I've been saying all season the officiating this year was the worst I've ever seen, but this game seemed about right. Certainly the defensive holding and facemask on that last drive were legit calls.
1-04-2009 @ 3:02AM
YouFaceTheTick said...
The calls at the end of the game were on the money. Actually, the holding call on Jennings with Chambers should have been PI as Jennings never looked back for the ball. He just blocked Chambers from getting it after the Defensive Holding.
The facemask was clear as day. One would need to be blind to miss Sessions' fingers wrapping in the grill and twisting Sproles' head.
Officiating was bad. and the restored time out thing I've never heard before. Maybe it is a rule but I thought if a team is out of time outs and they have an injured player on the field it's a delay of game penalty. Maybe that only applies to offense?
1-03-2009 @ 11:44PM
Wade said...
Brinson, are you looking for Snyder's wrath?
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1-03-2009 @ 11:56PM
knidsrok said...
Dude, Brinson, wtf are you talking about?
There's nothing that unusual about what went down. On the play in question, the Colts called a timeout at the end of the play, which the ref awarded them, before anyone realized that there was a Charger down. Since the Chargers injury timeout would stop play, the Colts didn't need to take their 2nd timeout, so it was "restored."
Things along these lines happen a handful of times a year. Nothing to see here.
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1-03-2009 @ 11:57PM
Fishinhole said...
Winters' crew should have donned Charger cheerleaders uniforms for the fourth quarter and overtime. What a travesty. Two phantom defensive holding calls on the final drive, Freeney being held nearly every play with not one call, making up timeout rules on the fly.....unbelievable.
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1-04-2009 @ 12:04AM
jakob said...
There may as well have been real zebras out there officiating in the black and white outfits today, it was a complete miscarriage of justice.
Winnipeg, Canada COLTS FAN
1-04-2009 @ 12:03AM
Fishinhole said...
SD #61 was holding Indy #55 when the face mask penalty was called. SD #22 was holding on multiple lead "blocks" with never a call. The overload went in favor of the home team. Yes, referees have been poor season-long and tonight was a great display of ineptitude. I'm a Chiefs fan so I was dispassionate about any team on the field today. The officiating was poor.
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1-04-2009 @ 12:15AM
ET said...
Great game - the two late penalties cost the Colts dearly.
Officiating is always problematic in sport, you live with it.
And lets face it, if you want to win these games, you need to the scores on the board, and the Colts couldnt do that.
I am amazed they tumble out on the first day of the playoffs, but thats sport.
Looking forward to tomorrow...
see ya
ET
http://tariksport.com/nfl-blog/
http://www.tariksport.com/superbowl.shtml
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1-04-2009 @ 12:21AM
LightningBug43 said...
You'd better watch out for Darren Sproles, the Lightning Bug of the San Diego Super Chargers. #43, you just see it going by in a blur.....
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1-04-2009 @ 12:24AM
rick said...
when will the NFL start fining the refs instead of the players. In my opinion the Colts got hosed big time on the officiating side of the game. I don't recall a holding or illegal hands to the face on the charger lineman trying ti keep freeney or matthis from rivers. I counted four times thes chargers had illegal hands to the face mask, not to mention several tackles made by offensive lineman from the chargers. I don't want to sound like a whinner, but whats good for the gooose is also good for the gander. The officiating in this game sucked golf balls through a garden hose and the officiating crew needs to be seriously looked at. The fans are sick and tired of the calls versus non calls but ht e vegas sports bookis are even more peived. In closins all I have to say to the chargers is what goes around comes around and as for the colts great run at the end it is just to bad the officials weren't seeing things on both sides of the ball. The entire officiating crew should be not only scrutinized for there performance but be fined for a lack of imcompetence. Players are fined all the time isn't it time we start fining officals for their imcompetence.
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1-04-2009 @ 1:47AM
pshaw said...
STOP WHINNING AND LEARN HOW TO SPELL
IMCOMPETENCE?
1-04-2009 @ 1:14AM
Rachel said...
If a player is injured while the clock is running and his team (Chargers) has used all three of its timeouts for the half, the team is awarded a fourth timeout without penalty to allow the injured player to be removed from the field, and ten seconds are allowed to elapse on the game clock (which may end the half or the game). For all subsequent injuries, the team is penalized five yards for each injury timeout awarded. This rule is intended to prevent teams from feigning injuries to stop the clock in crucial situations (there is also the requirement, not just in last 2 minutes, that the injured player be sidelined for at least 1 play).
Since Indy had called the time-out and been granted PRIOR to the refs realizing there was an injured SD player on the field, they gave it back.
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1-04-2009 @ 3:44AM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Thanks Rachel.
1-04-2009 @ 2:14AM
coach said...
That's very impressive, Rachel. You go girl!
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1-04-2009 @ 10:23AM
jay said...
Wow the chargers won dispite norv turner, a over the hill injury prone LT........
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1-04-2009 @ 12:07PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Yeah, Norv's awful. The way he's turned Rivers in a top 5 QB is wretched. The league's second highest rated offense - horrible. The 3 playoff victories in his short stint (v. 0 for all San Diego coaches since Bobby Ross) - loser. Norv's obviously out of his element winning games even though the crappy defensive coordinator forced on him by AJ Smith (Teddy) kept the team down all year. Norv had no idea what he wanted (Ron Rivera) and luckily Rivera's only helped turn the unit around.
Blame Norv for the two straight years the Chargers have won games in the playoffs, the maturation of Rivers as a legit MVP QB and the ability to win when the franchise won't give up on a broken-down RB. Blame Norv!