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Walk-On [121]
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What Happened to Blowing the Whistle?
Dec 31, 2019, 9:28 AM
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I am not normally one to post about Clemson football other than to congratulate my favorite team about a victory, but the controversy about "the fumble that wasn't" just compels me to speak on the subject. I agree that the officials got the call wrong but not for the reason that you think.
Up until the last two or three years, it has been the practice of officials to blow the whistle when a runner's forward progress has been stopped. Officials in the last few years let plays go on too long even when it is obvious a runner's progress has been stymied.
On that play, you will not that the Clemson receiver's forward progress was stopped. He was wrapped up and being pushed backwards. Under traditional officiating up until the last few years, the whistle should have been blown when he began to be pushed backwards. Play over. Anything that happens after forward progress has ended should have been a non-event. What constitutes a football move is irrelevant to me. His forward progress was stopped. Play over.
That's what needs to be reviewed in the offseason. We see it on running plays where runners are stood up and the whistle is not blown until he is mugged by six or seven defenders who are not only trying to throw him to the ground harshly but also to strip the ball. Players will get hurt at some point if refs continue not to make "forward progress has stopped" calls like was once the norm in the game.
As for the controversy over the targeting call, what Trevor did with his head on that play is irrelevant too. A player simply cannot lead with his head for the very fact you don't know what the offensive player is going to do with his head. That call was the most obvious call of the ball game.
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Orange Blooded [2352]
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Re: What Happened to Blowing the Whistle?
Dec 31, 2019, 9:32 AM
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Agreed! I wondered about forward progress being stopped as well on that play.
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Orange Blooded [2352]
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Re: What Happened to Blowing the Whistle?
Dec 31, 2019, 9:32 AM
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Agreed! I wondered about forward progress being stopped as well on that play.
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All-TigerNet [10531]
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Re: What Happened to Blowing the Whistle?
Dec 31, 2019, 9:40 AM
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That was my thought too.
The other one I’ve seen lately, player is down, which of course means that the play is over....then a defender jumps on the down player. I’d throw a flag on that BS every single time.
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All-TigerNet [11934]
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The “replay” safety net has changed everything.
Dec 31, 2019, 9:37 AM
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Officials now are hesitant to blow any play dead until they have no choice.
The current attitude appears to be, “Always let it go and then straighten it out on replay.”
Of course this can cause as much or more controversy than getting it wrong in real time.
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All-In [27445]
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Re: The “replay” safety net has changed everything.
Dec 31, 2019, 10:03 AM
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We all remember when the OL wasnt permitted to push the ball carrier. I don’t know why that was changed. I don’t believe it was s rule change, the officials just started doing in on their own.
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CU Medallion [58861]
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Athletic Dir [889]
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Re: What Happened to Blowing the Whistle?
Dec 31, 2019, 10:31 AM
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A couple of things...
Watch how quickly the play happened in regular speed, not replay. I don't believe there was enough of a time elapse to use the argument of forward progress.
Because of replay, the last thing the official should do is blow the whistle on a play like that. The best thing to do is to let it play out and use replay to make the correct call. What if it was a fumble but the ref was quick on the whistle? You can undo a play with replay but you can't undo a blown whistle.
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CU Medallion [58861]
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Here's the problem with that re Ross catch . . .
Dec 31, 2019, 10:41 AM
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Assuming Ross made the catch, at the time his forward progress was stopped, the refs still had not determined the catch had been made (they were still trying to make that determination), then BAM the ball is on the ground, he scoops and scores, and THEN they rule it a catch and fumble. Then it goes to replay. They could not blow it dead due to forward progress being stopped, because it had not been ruled a catch yet. Once it went to replay, the focus became "was it a catch or not?", which had to be determined before forward progress mattered (if no catch, no forward progress was possible). It was correctly ruled "no catch", therefore there could have been no forward progress.
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Walk-On [121]
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Re: Here's the problem with that re Ross catch . . .
Dec 31, 2019, 9:35 PM
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C’mon, ball in hands, at least three steps (though laterally and backwards). It was a catch but forward progress is stopped almost immediately.
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Walk-On [121]
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Re: Here's the problem with that re Ross catch . . .
Dec 31, 2019, 9:35 PM
[ in reply to Here's the problem with that re Ross catch . . . ] |
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C’mon, ball in hands, at least three steps (though laterally and backwards). It was a catch but forward progress is stopped almost immediately.
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Legend [16207]
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The three steps isn't because Ross is attempting to run.
Dec 31, 2019, 9:44 PM
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He simply reacting to being driven backwards. His choices are to be pushed to the ground or attempt to stay upright. If someone tries to push you down your normal reaction is to put one foot in front of the other to attempt to stay upright.
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Mascot [17]
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Re: What Happened to Blowing the Whistle?
Jan 1, 2020, 2:07 PM
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OP is dead on. The trend will continue until someone gets badly hurt I guess. Not good.
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