Dez - Forward Progress Play

[Proximo]

Unfortunately I did not DVR this game so I haven't been able to rewatch, but while it happened I felt it was a poor call for the refs to blow the whistle on the play where Dez broke several tackles after a catch near the sideline and appeared to break free for a TD. Does anyone have a GIF of this?

I really thought the whistle was blown quickly (especially considering every single time Richardson got the ball they wouldn't blow the whistle on his forward progress until there was a gigantic pile pushing him back several yards). Looked like Dez would've had a pretty impressive TD there.

 

[EGTuna]

2 guys on CLE clearly pulled up. Good call.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yea they let up when the whistle was blown. It was a good call. It happened so fast it looked like Dez broke off and the whistle was blown.

 

[Proximo]

2 guys on CLE clearly pulled up. Good call.

I just discovered that there's a video of the game in a thread in the "News Zone". You can see the play at approximately 8 minutes and 15 seconds into the video of the 3rd quarter. It appears as though the tackles were already broken and they blow the whistle as he was taking off. I believe the refs saved the Browns 6 points there.

 

[JohnsKey19]

It was the right call. However Dez IMO broke free just as the ref blew the whistle. He was going to score. But again, the ref made the right call to blow it dead given they had Dez stood up and forward progress momentarily stopped. We'd be complaining if the refs didn't blow it dead and the Browns were able to strip the ball.

 

[Eskimo]

I think Dez didn't break free until a moment after the whistle. The whistle was the right call in that situation. We'd have been mad at the refs in that situation if Dez got popped from a defender flying into the pile or if the defense managed to strip the ball which is the other thing they try to do.

I think Dez played one of his better overall games today but I wish he could have squeezed that slant on 3rd and short on the first drive in OT. It also would have been nice if he won that ball that Romo threw up for him near the end zone as that would have been a huge play. It's also a shame that Romo underthrew him on that stop and go when he was about 5 yards beyond the defender. The ball was thrown late likely due to Romo's lack of faith in Dez's read/route.

It does seem as though Romo is looking to Dez a lot these days but they haven't quite got their timing down just yet. I'm really hoping that final switch is going to click and Dez can morph into a Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson type of threat out there. It was good seeing Romo throw a few to him down the field again.

 

[Kilyin]

Shoulda been a TD.

http://i1239.***BLOCKED***/albums/ff506/kilyin74/DezBreaksTackles_zpsd23c6fe4.gif

 

[hairic]

It was a bad call. Dez still had forward progress going when they blew the whistle. Regardless of being grasped or not, it doesn't matter if the runner is still advancing the ball.

I think the ref blew it because a defender ran into him.

[youtube]QPLXk8vEpjc&loop=1&playlist=QPLXk8vEpjc[/youtube]

 

[JohnsKey19]

It's apparent the ref blowing the whistle did not impact whether the defenders tackled Dez or not. The whistle was blown only a hair before Dez spun free. Oh well...again, it works both ways. If they strip it, we'd have a beef with that.

 

[Kevinicus]

It was a bad call simply based on the fact that progress was not stopped and Dez was still moving forward as he was fighting. He was not stopped or going backwards. And the whistle had no effect on effort. Should have been a TD but the refs screwed it up.

 

[links18]

It was a bad call simply based on the fact that progress was not stopped and Dez was still moving forward as he was fighting. He was not stopped or going backwards. And the whistle had no effect on effort. Should have been a TD but the refs screwed it up.

Maybe they were giving Dez the benefit of the doubt and thought he wanted a business decision there.

Dez had a great game, but that play in the first half where he just stepped out of bounds was bizzare.He could have fought for the first down.

 

[Hoofbite]

I don't have a problem with the call.

There were 4-5 defenders right there and multiple guys had him grasped.

As far as forward progress goes, I'm not sure about all the intricacies of how they define it but I could see there being small inclusions of the rule where he wouldn't be making forward progress.

Had he been tackled just before breaking loose, they're spotting the ball a yard further up field than where the tackle would have occurred. After blowing the whistle, they tacked on a yard to spot the ball where they concluded the play ended in order to credit him for his forward progress.

1st and 10 at DAL 20 (Shotgun) T.Romo pass short left to D.Bryant to DAL 33 for 13 yards (S.Brown).

He advanced to the 33 before his initial progress was stopped by the Cleveland defender. From that point on he is in the grasp of the players until breaking free and he never gets back to his furthest point of advancement. He breaks loose at the 32 (or abouts) but during the time when he's in the grasp he never makes it beyond the 33.

Throw in the fact that they aren't going to let guys take unnecessary shots when they are stopped by 3-4 guys if that player isn't clearly pushing the pile while advancing the ball. Had he taken a hit that resulted in injury, the NFL would probably get crapped on by the media for letting a play go too long.

As I said, I don't know for sure how the rule is written or defined but I can see a line being drawn and combined with the safety emphasis I don't have a problem with the whistle.

A player who's advancing the line of scrimmage with each step versus a player who is regaining lost yardage towards his furthest point of advancement.

If you make it to a point and then get driven back 5 yards only to push the pile forward 2 yards, have you really made forward progress? Regardless of pushing the pile 1, 2, 3 or even 4 yards when the play is over the ball gets spotted at the point of furthest advancement which was still further up the field than the distance you could recover after getting driven back.


As I said, not entirely sure. It's likely I could be wrong but I can't look it up right now.

 

[erod]

If they didn't blow the whistle, he would have been clocked. The Browns pulled up.

It was absolutely a good call.

 

[lane]

hanna was wide open and would have had at least a 30 yard gain.

 

[lwehlers]

i also thought it was a good call to stop the play dezs forward progress was stopped.

 

[percyhoward]

Shoulda been a TD.

Agreed. If that's a RB struggling one-on-one with a defender, there's no way they blow the whistle. Not one Browns defender near the play pulled up, and it absolutely should have been a touchdown.

Looking at it again, it's not even that close.

 

[Hoofbite]

Agreed. If that's a RB struggling one-on-one with a defender, there's no way they blow the whistle. Not one Browns defender near the play pulled up, and it absolutely should have been a touchdown.

Looking at it again, it's not even that close.

But if it's a WR in a one-on-one they wouldn't blow it either.

It was like 4-5 on one.

 

[percyhoward]

It was like 4-5 on one.

Dez got away from Sheldon Brown, who was wrestling with him and got credit for the tackle. Usama Young bumped him and bounced off.

Nobody else was involved.