The 2013 NFL Playoffs? PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS??? Morathread

[CountDeMoney]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Yeah, I saw that, too.  But I also noticed the ref under the goal posts, who'd be in the best position to make that call, wasn't watching the line play at all, but the punter to see when he would step out of bounds.

What surprised me more was how the Niners were totally unprepared for the possibility of a safety in that situation.  They were in a standard punt block formation with no gunner blockers that could've rushed in from the corners.  The refs were expecting a safety in that situation, but the Niners were not.

But yeah, the refs all game long were going to let the players play.  There were plays all night long that both teams could've gotten a ton of laundry on the field for.

[Admiral Yi]

And I really wish the NFL Network would take all coverage of the AFC away from CBS.  Talk about two networks light years apart in competence, talent and overall quality.

Agree with this.  Not so much on Jim Nantz, but hard to see Simms as top shelf color.

[Valmy]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

[CountDeMoney]

And I really wish the NFL Network would take all coverage of the AFC away from CBS.  Talk about two networks light years apart in competence, talent and overall quality.

Agree with this.  Not so much on Jim Nantz, but hard to see Simms as top shelf color.

Of all the former QBs in the booth that do color commentary for the networks, from Fouts to Simms to Buerlein to Gannon, I think the best color commentator is Troy Aikman on Fox.  He's got his midwestern accent, which can be as grating as Simms' "I-asked-him-and-he-goes", but Troy knows his ball game better than any of them.*



*Although Todd Blackledge does college, and he's my true fave-rave color man from a knowledge of the position POV.

[sbr]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

What rule change could you make that would have prevented Baltimore from holding in the end zone there?

[Ed Anger]

I like Dan Fouts. Can't hold anything back now.

[CountDeMoney]

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

That totally just dawned on me while the page was refreshing. 

If anything it would've stopped the clock, which may have had an impact, since Koch burned 7 seconds off by stalling before he went out of bounds.

[Grey Fox]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

What rule change could you make that would have prevented Baltimore from holding in the end zone there?

Ball turnover at your 1 yard line?

[CountDeMoney]

I like Dan Fouts. Can't hold anything back now.

I like him too, but he's prone to Dierdorf-esque hyperbole at times. 

Gannon is just a blabbering idiot.  Obviously Siragusa cut all oxygen off to his brain when he landed on him in the '00 AFC Championship.

[derspiess]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

What rule change could you make that would have prevented Baltimore from holding in the end zone there?

It's a tough issue to address, but you could say that if you're in punt formation and you hold in the endzone, you get hit with the safety plus a 10-yard penalty on the ensuing free kick.

FWIW, the Niners did the exact same thing to the Bengals late in a regular season game in 2012.  Took several seconds off the clock and I'm pretty sure they were holding.

[Admiral Yi]

Of all the former QBs in the booth that do color commentary for the networks, from Fouts to Simms to Buerlein to Gannon, I think the best color commentator is Troy Aikman on Fox.  He's got his midwestern accent, which can be as grating as Simms' "I-asked-him-and-he-goes", but Troy knows his ball game better than any of them.*

I said before that IMO Aikman is the best color guy to *ever* work the game. 

Stuff like "there are a lot of QB hits that look worse than they feel, but that one where you get hit with the helmet in the armpit, that one really hurts a lot," it just doesn't get any better than that. 

Uses jargon when it's necessary but doesn't overkill, non-stop like Gruden.  Aikman will talk about Sluggo routes then explain it's a slant and go.

[sbr]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

What rule change could you make that would have prevented Baltimore from holding in the end zone there?

Ball turnover at your 1 yard line?

That makes no sense in the context of the current rulebook.

[alfred russel]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

But don't they call the penalties when they happen? What if something crazy happened that could have made that penalty matter (eg, Baltimore gotten a first down)? After the play ended, would they retroactively throw a penalty flag? It seems to me the refs just missed it.

[Ed Anger]

I like Dan Fouts. Can't hold anything back now.

I like him too, but he's prone to Dierdorf-esque hyperbole at times. 

Gannon is just a blabbering idiot.  Obviously Siragusa cut all oxygen off to his brain when he landed on him in the '00 AFC Championship.

I was doing a Waterboy reference.

[Grey Fox]

I noticed that on the safety, Baltimore was holding like crazy. It seems the players were told to do whatever it took to give maximum time to the punter, damn the rules. However, I don't think a flag was thrown. It didn't make any difference on that play, but it still illustrates a point: the refs weren't going to make any call that late in the game unless they absolutely had to.

Since holding in the end zone results in a safety players are taught to hold like crazy during an intentional safety play.  The result of the play and the penalty are exactly the same so there is no reason to call it.  They might want to change that rule after that play though.

What rule change could you make that would have prevented Baltimore from holding in the end zone there?

Ball turnover at your 1 yard line?

That makes no sense in the context of the current rulebook.

It has to be 4th down obviously but the rule could be : In the event of Offensive Holding on a play that resulted in a safety, the safety is nullified & the ball is turned over. In the other 3 downs : ball on 1 yard line, no down repeat.