Bad call in Super Bowl

[erod]

This bad call didn't make a difference in the outcome of the game, of course. The Seahawks certainly earned their championship. However, it was a bad call nonetheless. When Russell Wilson was out of the pocket and being chased by defenders, he threw a shuffle pass to no one to avoid a sack. However, the ball didn't get to the line of scrimmage. By rule that's intentional grounding. The announcers were saying that the refs must have thought the ball got close enough. However, that's not the rule. By rule the ball has to get back at least to the line of scrimmage or it's grounding. Flag should have been thrown.

There was a receiver there, so it doesn't have to reach the line of scrimmage. That's the rule.

The line of scrimmage comes into the play when the QB is throwing the ball away to no one outside the pocket.

 

[Iron_Man]

I don't remember seeing a receiver there, but if there was one, then it wasn't a bad call. The rule doesn't require that it be a good pass, only that a receiver be there.

I believe there was a TE within a couple yards of the imcompletion.

 

[morasp]

The bad call was the non PI call on Earl Thomas towards the end of the second quarter. At that point the Broncos were in the game and it was a real momentum killer. Lest you think they were letting the DBs play and calling it the same both ways, Denver did get called for PI in the end zone on a third and goal which gave the Seahawks a touchdown instead of another field goal.

 

[KB1122]

Intentional grounding is one of those penalties that needs simplifying. If he's out of the box, in the box, yada yada yada. There are too many rules that are too conditional to the situation. Either he threw it to avoid a sack or he didn't.

 

[Nova]

If it's a forward pass and thrown very near an elgible receiver, than it's ok.
In the play in question, there was no receiver in the vicinity.

I don't remember seeing a receiver there, but if there was one, then it wasn't a bad call. The rule doesn't require that it be a good pass, only that a receiver be there.

Apologies for the low quality, but here's the screen grab.

Intended receiver, Kellen Davis marked.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonprethrow_zps28c0c76d.png


It's really tough to synchronize when the ball lands with my choppy work connection, so the ball is still in the air. Since the quality is poor, I put a yellow dot under the football.

It actually lands right on the 45 yard marker. Kellen Davis ends up closer to the line of scrimmage, and the ball lands about 2 yards from him before bouncing into his hands.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonthrow_zps787b7326.png

 

[Beast_from_East]

Apologies for the low quality, but here's the screen grab.

Intended receiver, Kellen Davis marked.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonprethrow_zps28c0c76d.png


It's really tough to synchronize when the ball lands with my choppy work connection, so the ball is still in the air. Since the quality is poor, I put a yellow dot under the football.

It actually lands right on the 45 yard marker. Kellen Davis ends up closer to the line of scrimmage, and the ball lands about 2 yards from him before bouncing into his hands.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonthrow_zps787b7326.png

Nice work...........clearly the receiver is close enough to the ball to avoid a flag.

 

[Tabascocat]

Apologies for the low quality, but here's the screen grab.

Intended receiver, Kellen Davis marked.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonprethrow_zps28c0c76d.png


It's really tough to synchronize when the ball lands with my choppy work connection, so the ball is still in the air. Since the quality is poor, I put a yellow dot under the football.

It actually lands right on the 45 yard marker. Kellen Davis ends up closer to the line of scrimmage, and the ball lands about 2 yards from him before bouncing into his hands.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonthrow_zps787b7326.png

 

[Nova]

The bad call was the non PI call on Earl Thomas towards the end of the second quarter. At that point the Broncos were in the game and it was a real momentum killer. Lest you think they were letting the DBs play and calling it the same both ways, Denver did get called for PI in the end zone on a third and goal which gave the Seahawks a touchdown instead of another field goal.

I thought that happened when it was still 15-0, but it was actually 22-0 at that time. Still they missed the call.

If Earl Thomas had've been there already, then he's entitled to that space, but he meets Julius Thomas there and impedes him, not even playing the ball. Missed call there.

Don't think it would've affected the game that much, but you cannot miss something that obvious. Honestly, I thought it was more blatant than the one called on Denver that led to the TD.

 

[JBS]

Excuse makers never cease to amaze me.

Broncos lose by 35 points and there are people here talking about bad calls, lolol. Get real

 

[Kevinicus]

I thought that happened when it was still 15-0, but it was actually 22-0 at that time. Still they missed the call.

If Earl Thomas had've been there already, then he's entitled to that space, but he meets Julius Thomas there and impedes him, not even playing the ball. Missed call there.

Don't think it would've affected the game that much, but you cannot miss something that obvious. Honestly, I thought it was more blatant than the one called on Denver that led to the TD.

A lot of replays of Seattle's coverage included holding and illegal contact. Not sure if the same is true of Denver because coverage wasn't much of an issue really and they didn't show much.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Excuse makers never cease to amaze me.

Broncos lose by 35 points and there are people here talking about bad calls, lolol. Get real

What part of "it wouldn't have affected the outcome of the game" did you not understand? No one's making excuses for the Broncos. We're just talking about one play in the game and whether it should have been grounding.

Apologies for the low quality, but here's the screen grab.
Intended receiver, Kellen Davis marked.

It's really tough to synchronize when the ball lands with my choppy work connection, so the ball is still in the air. Since the quality is poor, I put a yellow dot under the football.
It actually lands right on the 45 yard marker. Kellen Davis ends up closer to the line of scrimmage, and the ball lands about 2 yards from him before bouncing into his hands.

Thanks for the screen shot. This clears it up. I stand corrected. It was a good non-call after all. At the time, I didn't think a receiver was close enough, but clearly one was.

 

[Beast_from_East]

A lot of replays of Seattle's coverage included holding and illegal contact. Not sure if the same is true of Denver because coverage wasn't much of an issue really and they didn't show much.

Denver looked intimidated, maybe being physical with them got in their heads.

 

[morasp]

I thought that happened when it was still 15-0, but it was actually 22-0 at that time. Still they missed the call.

If Earl Thomas had've been there already, then he's entitled to that space, but he meets Julius Thomas there and impedes him, not even playing the ball. Missed call there.

Don't think it would've affected the game that much, but you cannot miss something that obvious. Honestly, I thought it was more blatant than the one called on Denver that led to the TD.

Exactly, those two plays add up to an 11 point swing. Three points instead of seven for Seattle and possibly seven points for Denver. 18-7 would have been a lot more manageable going into the third quarter.

 

[DFWJC]

Apologies for the low quality, but here's the screen grab.

Intended receiver, Kellen Davis marked.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonprethrow_zps28c0c76d.png


It's really tough to synchronize when the ball lands with my choppy work connection, so the ball is still in the air. Since the quality is poor, I put a yellow dot under the football.

It actually lands right on the 45 yard marker. Kellen Davis ends up closer to the line of scrimmage, and the ball lands about 2 yards from him before bouncing into his hands.
http://i238.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff136/Ntegrase96/wilsonthrow_zps787b7326.png

Yeah, he was close enough.
Good stuff.

 

[jimmy40]

I thought that happened when it was still 15-0, but it was actually 22-0 at that time. Still they missed the call.

If Earl Thomas had've been there already, then he's entitled to that space, but he meets Julius Thomas there and impedes him, not even playing the ball. Missed call there.

Don't think it would've affected the game that much, but you cannot miss something that obvious. Honestly, I thought it was more blatant than the one called on Denver that led to the TD.

if the receiver would have made any effort whatsoever to fight through the contact he probably would have gotten the call.

 

[SportsGuru80]

You're wrong:

1. Intentional grounding will be called when a passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage due to pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completion.
2. Intentional grounding will not be called when a passer, while out of the pocket and facing an imminent loss of yardage, throws a pass that lands at or beyond the line of scrimmage, even if no offensive player(s) have a realistic chance to catch the ball (including if the ball lands out of bounds over the sideline or end line).

It is either, or.

Well explained...

 

[casmith07]

Yeah, he was close enough.
Good stuff.

Doesn't matter if he was close or not, Wilson was out of the pocket.

 

[Picksix]

Doesn't matter if he was close or not, Wilson was out of the pocket.

Right, but if there hadn't been a receiver close enough, it would have been grounding, because it didn't get back to the LOS.