NFL issues statement on Seattle/Green Bay outcome

[Playoffs]

The NFL has issued the following statement regarding Golden Tate's winning touchdown reception for Seattle against Green Bay on Monday night:

In Monday's game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, Seattle faced a 4th-and-10 from the Green Bay 24 with eight seconds remaining in the game.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pass into the end zone. Several players, including Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings, jumped into the air in an attempt to catch the ball.

While the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game. It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay.

When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player. The result of the play was a touchdown.

Replay Official Howard Slavin stopped the game for an instant replay review. The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball. In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable. That is not the case in the field of play, only in the end zone.

Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood. The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review.

The result of the game is final.

Applicable rules to the play are as follows:

A player (or players) jumping in the air has not legally gained possession of the ball until he satisfies the elements of a catch listed here.

Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 of the NFL Rule Book defines a catch:

A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.).

When a player (or players) is going to the ground in the attempt to catch a pass, Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 states:

Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5 states:

Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.

[Say Watt]

**** the NFL. That is an insult to the intelligence of every single football fan around the world. Absolutely ridiculous for them to stick up for this.

[texanhead08]

Basketball reasons

Signed,
David Stern

[gwallaia]

Sad day for the NFL.

[GlassHalfFull]

Nothing I can say will add to this discussion.

The NFL is making a horrible decision.

[Mr teX]

Originally Posted by Playoffs

The NFL has issued the following statement regarding Golden Tate's winning touchdown reception for Seattle against Green Bay on Monday night:

A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.).




Jennings secured control of the ball well before Tate did b/c he caught the ball with both hands from the jump.

& he also had control of the ball before Tate did so that effectively rules out simultaneous possession right there.........at least according to the letter of the rule.

[The1ApplePie]

I've had to write some total bull**** spin in my day, and I did not envy the copywriter/PR guy that had to write this. This is some intelligence-insulting spin though. Reads like a lawyer had a hand in it, which is probably the case.

Should have thrown out some buzzwords like 'speed of the game" at least.

[chicagotexan2]

B.S. and they know it. All I can say to make me feel ok about this b.s. call is that I'm glad I'm not a Packers fan. Pathetic 'explanation'.

[ChrisG]

New strategy for last minute hail mary passes:

The offensive team should prevent the defender from touching the ground until they can get a hand on the ball. That way it is a "simultaneous" catch, because possession doesn't start until his touches the ground, while he is in the air apparently he is in the twilight zone where the ball is still fair game. Have everyone hold him up. LOL, this is a complete joke by the NFL

[HoustonFrog]

This makes it even worse. Seriously how is this Simultaneous!!

http://twitpic.com/ay40m6



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Stemp]

*cough* Bulls--- *cough*

[Cerberus]

Originally Posted by Say Watt

**** the NFL. That is an insult to the intelligence of every single football fan around the world. Absolutely ridiculous for them to stick up for this.

Fans asked for this when they didn't cry "foul" after the Tuck game. The fact it was the Raiders that got screwed had many snickering with delight, but now the NFL is pulling out the same routine here because the fans let them do it before. Just remember, Walt Coleman said Brady's arm was going forward, but later it was shown that Brady had two hands on the ball, so the NFL pulled the Tuck Rule out and dusted it off to justify Coleman's throwing of the game. If fans would have stood up to the NFL then, who knows what they would have done now; but they didn't, so the NFL is using the same after-the-fact spin to say the play was called correctly. NFL fans have no one to blame but themselves.

[ChrisG]

one hand touching the ball is now possession. He is just touching the ball by reaching around Jennings. LOL

[gwallaia]

This jellyfish response from the NFL is disappointing but completely predictable.


We need an NFL face palm.

[eriadoc]

The NFL knows that they can say or do whatever they want and there's not a damn thing anyone will do about it. No one will stop watching, no one will stop buying Bud Light, the stadiums will still sell out, the cities will still foot the bill for their palaces to play in, and people will actually pay more attention when these things happen. So of course they're going to be arrogant about it. We've trained them.

[Cerberus]

Originally Posted by Mr teX

A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.).




Jennings secured control of the ball well before Tate did b/c he caught the ball with both hands from the jump.

& he also had control of the ball before Tate did so that effectively rules out simultaneous possession right there.........at least according to the letter of the rule.

So, good call bad rule?

[Cerberus]

Originally Posted by ChrisG

New strategy for last minute hail mary passes:

The offensive team should prevent the defender from touching the ground until they can get a hand on the ball. That way it is a "simultaneous" catch, because possession doesn't start until his touches the ground, while he is in the air apparently he is in the twilight zone where the ball is still fair game. Have everyone hold him up. LOL, this is a complete joke by the NFL

Jennings should have just swatted the ball down like defenders are taught to do, then you take the decision out of the refs' hands.

Bad call, but I've seen more than my fair share of those in my days.

[Cerberus]

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

This makes it even worse. Seriously how is this Simultaneous!!

http://twitpic.com/ay40m6



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

How is this an incomplete pass?

[Dutchrudder]

By the way, the replay guy doesn't have to rule it an INT, because he can't, but he can rule it an incomplete pass because the WR never had control of the ball. That's what the replay guy should have ruled. The ball doesn't have to hit the ground either because the refs called the play dead after they hit the ground.

[RazorOye]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

The NFL knows that they can say or do whatever they want and there's not a damn thing anyone will do about it. No one will stop watching, no one will stop buying Bud Light, the stadiums will still sell out, the cities will still foot the bill for their palaces to play in, and people will actually pay more attention when these things happen. So of course they're going to be arrogant about it. We've trained them.

Absolutely.

This doesn't shock me at all. It's just the evolution of ego. Goodell has moved from players to teams to the entire league.

Everytime I see something new come out, I am reminded of Dave Chappelle's bit before his R. Kelly "I Wanna Pee on You" parody:

Originally Posted by Dave Chappelle

You know I gotta tell you. I just bought one of the hottest albums in a long time. That Chocolate Factory… that R. Kelly! I mean say what you wanna say about his scandal, but his music is scandal-proof. But if you’ve been a real fan and payin attention to what he's been saying, you might have seen it commin’ like I did!