Green Bay @ Detroit

Anyone who didn't see this one live (it was actually rather dull through the first 3 quarters) will definitely be seeing highlights of the ending all over the sports sites Friday.. 61-yard Rodgers-to-Rodgers (Aaron to Richard) Hail Mary that ran with 0:00 left due to a facemask penalty called on the Lions as the clock expired the play before.

Notable, too, was that Richard Rodgers' Dad, Richard Sr, threw two of the laterals in the famous Cal-Stanford game in '82.

I tend to watch a lot of Green Bay's games - they're my dad's team, and who I generally pull for after the B&G - anyone feeling nostalgic for how the Steelers looked with Vick under center should fire up some of their games over the past couple of months. Ugly.

 

Not a face mask. Looked like it real time and yes his thumb did hit his face mask, but in no way did he grab and pull as it seemed he did. A+ on Rodgers for whipping his head around and face planting to sell the call!

Now they should have been able to make a play on that ball in the end-zone though.....

 

Whatever football karma we didn't have in Seattle last week Green Bay found in Detroit. That was nuts.

Good no-call on the incidental contact on Abberderis that GB fans were probably screaming for PI, followed by a facemask call that will be made every time but isn't really a penalty according to the rules, and then to finish it all up a ridiculous attempt at defense by the Lions on the hail Mary.

Glad I was able to watch it.

 

That was one of the most exciting football games I've seen in awhile, and I couldn't care less about GB or Detroit.

The best part for me was that I have both Aaron Rodgers and Richard Rodgers on my fantasy team, so my fantasy scored rocketed up after that one play.

 

Yeah, I couldn't believe how they kept saying it was obvious and had to be called.

 

He'll never admit it, but you could see he threw his head around like it was getting tugged and made sure to land so his helmet twisted! That's some smooth thinking right there! There's no way your head does that if someones pulling on your shoulder. (We tried at work it's just not happening naturally...lol)

 

Ok.. I didn`t watch the game...

Saw the highlights..

And I gotta say, Aaron Rodgers(who I usually admire), did a "Brady-esque"(Who I do NOT admire) job, of making it look like his helmet had been twisted around, when he got up off the field..

Maybe "selling" the penalty to the ref`s...

It was borderline...

I could see Harrison, or Suh, getting flagged for it, but, it was ticky-tack...

All that aside..

I have another "technical" question, and I had never thought of it before, even tho I`ve seen a hundred "Hail Mary`s"...

Is there not "pass interference", pretty much every time a qb chucks the ball into the endzone, on a play like that?

I`m not saying I wanna see it called, but if they go by the "letter of the law", how can there NOT be "interference", when there are roughly 5 guys from each team, shoving each other around, in the endzone, to get in position, to make the catch, or knock the ball down?!?

I don`t want the ref`s to do anything different, but, if a head coach, like say, maybe Belicheat, challenged the play,..
Nevermind, I answered my own question.

They can`t challenge a "non-call"...

But as they start looking at changes to the rules.. this could be an "unintended consequense"...

There is "pass interference" happening, every time a team tries this desperation play..

Of course, there is "holding" happening, on every offensive snap...

I think this is a good case of the refs "letting them play"...

But if it gets questioned, wouldn`t they have to follow the "lettter of the law", instead of the "intent"?


Keep Bill off the "Competition Commitee"!!!

 

So you got to grab people by their shoulders and throw them down at work? Sounds like I got the wrong job.

 

Yes, we were just BS'ing around and someone said there's no way his head went that way if the guy was pulling on his shoulder. My job is pretty boring. most of the time we're waiting for a technician to call or email us, then we show them what they already should have known. (Usually: check the cables)

 

Interesting way to try to defense a Hail Mary for sure.

http://cbssports.com/images/blogs/Aaron_Rodgers_Hail_Mary_2.png

 

Oh My!

That's disturbing....

 

I think this has to do with how a DB can pretty much get away with anything as long as he is looking back for the ball. Same with the hail Mary's. Since everyone should be looking back for the ball, as long as the defenders don't try to go through someone to get the ball they will be ok. They can try to go over, under, around a WR but not through.

 

Thanks for the answer, But I`m still not sure I`m clear on this...
I get that a D-back gets some lee-way, as long as he is "looking back for the ball..."

He is still not allowed to hold a receiver`s arm, or "impede their progress", on a "cathchable ball", right???
(Edit, I forgot that both players have a "right" to the ball, when it is in the air, I guess that is what makes it legal, to fight for the ball, in the endzone, or anywhere else, on the field... it just seems they get flagged any other time...)

I`m really not trying to be a jerk, I`m just playing "devil`s advocate", or, doing my best "lawyer" impersonation...

As far as I understand the rules, there is no exception made, for a "Hail Mary", right?

And after watching a few games yesterday, while waiting on our Steelers to play, a similar question occurred to me...

Why is it legal to "spike the ball", to "kill the clock"?

Isn`t that "intentional grounding"?

The QB, is "between the tackles", with "no eldgible receiver in the area", right?

I guess it would have to do with the fact that he`s not doing it to "avoid a sack"?

Who`s to say a defender(like Troy), wouldn`t jump over the center, and sack the QB?

To me, by the "letter of the law", that`s "intentional grounding", resulting in a loss of down......

I may be ignorant of a rule that allows this, and if so, I would like to be informed of it,

before a coach like Belicheat, uses it to his advantage..

And it`s not like Ben has never used a "fake spike", to gain us a first down..

If we can do it, it can be done against us...

Why is that legal?
(Not the FAKE spike, the REAL spike?)

 

The rule for intentional grounding is specifically worded to the effect that it occurs if the QB 'does so under imminent loss of yardage due to pressure from the defense.' Thus, the spike is legal since there is no such imminent threat.

 

Fake spike is legal. The one where the QB wanders all over the backfield waving his arms like he's trying to get a play in and it gets snapped to the upback isn't anymore I believe.