Normally I don’t write about sports, the NFL in particular. That’s because my business is sports marketing. My company has merchandised “hot market” properties, including the Super Bowl for many years. I made a decision a long time ago not to become emotionally involved with any NFL team, because my heart had been broken too many times. Last night’s game is a reminder of why I decided to disengage.
I watched the Green Bay/Cardinals game last night and thought at the end, “man what a lousy way for Green Bay to lose!” I missed the final play because I switched channels for moment and came back to see the replay of the touchdown. I saw all I needed to see, Green Bay lost in a heart breaker. What a way to lose a big game, right?
Then this morning I got up and much to my surprise I find that Green Bay didn’t lose in heart breaker, they were robbed! The refs “missed” one of the most blatant face mask calls I’ve ever seen.
When Adams sacked Rodgers he held on to his face mask and twisted forcefully … disgusting! There should have been a 15 yard penalty against the Cardinals. The way Rogers was throwing last night there was a very good chance of the Pack going down the field for a Field goal or a touchdown.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_oKVuzExJw[/youtube]
Want more? This is from NFL Fanhouse
Here’s the section of the rulebook that applies to roughing the passer in this situation (12-2-13, p. 85):
In covering the passer position, Referees will be particularly alert to fouls in which defenders impermissibly use the helmet and/or facemask to hit the passer, or use hands, arms, or other parts of the body to hit the passer in the head, neck, or face (see also the other unnecessary-roughness rules covering these subjects). A defensive player must not use his facemask or other part of his helmet against a passer who is in a virtually defenseless posture — for example, (a) forcibly hitting the passer’s head, neck, or face with the helmet or facemask, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the passer by encircling or grasping him, or (b) lowering the head and violently or unnecessarily making forcible contact with the “hairline” or forehead part of the helmet against any part of the passer’s body. This rule does not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or non-crown parts of the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle on a passer.
The problem is it was not like a normal facemask. A normal facemask occurs when the defender grabs the facemask for the purpose of causing either a tackle or a fumble to occur.
In this instance, the defender was GOING FOR THE BALL. As their hand brushed the ball away, what was behind the ball was the face mask was. So you can’t call it a normal facemask. The defenders hand, after causing the fumble, had no place to go but the facemask.
However, the fact that once his hand hit the facemask, he did seem to just sort of hold onto to it was not a good thing. I think it is a mistake to look at the play as an automatic facemask since the facemask was an incidental result of swatting the ball away.
The ref could have called it a fumble, given the ball to Arizona, and then backed them up another 10 yards from the spot of the fumble because of the facemask.
However, then it could be argued that the facemask prevented the QB for trying to regain the ball after the fumble.
The fumble was totally legitimate and totally caused by the defender, it is unfortunate that everything that happened afterwards looks like a facemask and adds such a cloudy layer to an otherwise fine play.
One other thing that could have happened. Since the game can’t end on a defensive penalty, the refs, at the very least, could have ruled touchdown, but also ruled a penalty on the defense for facemasking after the fumble. This could have resulted in a one of a kind, here to for impossibility, a sudden death overtime game in which the scoring team hast to then kick off to the losing team because the assessed defensive penalty for one final play.
Now that would have put a final punctuation on a very exciting game
Sorry Alessandro, I don’t agree with you. Take a real good look at the play, and watch it in slow mo. There are lots of videos on the web shot from different directions that show how blatant the act was.
The “defender” went for Rogers facemask twisted his head violently and followed him down to ground with his hand still on the facemask. Watch his black glove, that’s all you have to do. It wasn’t incidental or accidental.
Sandstone
Facemask all day long my Packers were robbed and would have scored a touchdown no questions asked. I feel the same way I don’t know if I can really watch the NFL funk anyone over anymore, it leaves a sore spot in my heart.