I imagine a “secret” office in the NFL headquarters. Inside lies a monster-book that is slowly but surely ripping through its bindings and will soon break free from its protective shield and grow into a monster book that cannot be subdued.
This “book” is the NFL Rule book and the zebras continue to feed this monster with egregious calls.
On a weekly basis I find myself learning a new rule, one that even the broadcasters are unsure of…and even the officials.
This trend is bothersome but trending and this season has been filled with such examples.
I spent most of the weekend transferring my personal belongings from an apartment into a townhouse and though I wasn’t able to follow most of the play that took place within the NFL, I was able to watch the fourth quarter and overtime portion of the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs contest.
The Chiefs were playing without most of their starters as the game held no true worth to their playoff destiny, but their counterparts were scratching nail-by-nail to earn the win for a spot in the playoffs.
Courtesy: Washington Post
Late in the fourth quarter the Chiefs lined up to attempt a 41-yard field goal with only a handful of seconds left to clinch the win and knock the Chargers out of their misery.
Ryan Succop, the Chiefs kicker, lined up and kicked the ball towards the goal post. The ball never had a chance as he missed right, giving the Chargers another shot to earn a playoff spot.
Though officials are supposed to be the know-it-alls on the field, they missed a call that the rest of the world didn’t even know existed untilMonday morning. The Chargers placed seven players on the line to the left of the Chiefs center which according to the rabid NFL Rule book is illegal.
Within the monster lies a page (Rule 9, Section 1, Article 3)that states: “[n]o more than six Team B players may be on the line of scrimmage on either side of the snapper at the snap” when Team A lines up in a conventional field goal formation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans were sitting at home poking their Succop-voodo dolls I believe.
For those unaware, the Steelers had a slight chance to get into the playoffs. The team came into Sunday needing to beat the Cleveland Browns while hoping the following teams lost their week-17 contest: Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Chargers.
The missed field goal meant the Chargers weren’t out of things just yet, and that the Steelers weren’t playoff-bound either.
On their first possession in overtime, the Chiefs failed to net a first down. It was fourth-and-two at their own 28-yard line. The Chargers were in their punt formation and many believed the Chiefs were to get the ball and finally end this madness.
The Chargers ran one of the gutsiest calls I’ve ever seen. The call was a direct snap to Eric Weddle, the personal protector, who ran up the gut and was met with a sea of bodies. Only 6’, Weddle was engulfed and it was tough to see exactly where he was in the pile. It was a human pile-up and right as it looked like the Chargers earned a first down, a Chiefs player emerged from the scrum, holding the football. He carried the ball to the Chargers end zone which would have marked the end of the game and a playoff spot for the Steelers.
Bill Leavy, the head official for the game, negated the touchdown and ruled that Weddle had earned the first down. Many things were confusing about this and the most important is how did Leavy reach this decision?
Was Weddle’s forward progress stopped? Did his helmet come off before fumbling? Was he down before he fumbled?
The limited verbiage from Leavy fed the beast that is known as “the book.”
Through countless replays, Weddle was not down nor had his helmet come off before fumbling. The only reasonable interpretation was that his forward progress was stopped. Andy Reid challenged the call on the field but to no avail.
The Chargers later kicked a field goal and held the Chiefs scoreless on the following drive. The Steelers fans were none too pleased while the Chargers earned the final playoff spot in the AFC.
The power of “the book” and the officials are becoming an unstoppable force while game-after-game is being decided by the zebras. It’s hard to fathom that a whole season was played and in the final week, an official made an errant call that decided the fate of two teams. The zebras need to tame the monster and open the pages and read line-by-line to fully understand the rules so Monday mornings can be more about the talent on the field and not about missed calls.
Roger Goodell needs to understand the ramifications of blown calls and the damage it does to the shield. The NFL is at the top of the mountain in the sports world and that will never change. But, the reputation is slowly declining through botched calls.
Thanks for allowing me to rant.
