How was that not interference on Turpin (running into punt receiver)?

[HungryLion]

I’m sure someone has commented on this already, but Tolbert was NOT a passive player, meaning it was a legal play.

It’s hard to be passive when somebody is shoving their hand right into your face.

 

[Kellsbells]

I agree that was the craziest thing. And the announcers did nothing to help explain the situation. I’m still hung up on the whole “passive” wording. Why would any passive player be within 5 yards of a punt returner, close enough to be pushed into him? Of course they’re there to be blocking. Regardless, the Charger player touched him as well, which should have made that point moot.

 

[Vandyr]

Have you guys never watched an NFL game before? Pushing a blocker into a fair catch returner has always been legal, kinda blows my mind seeing all this angst about something the rest of the league has known for decades. The guy that was blocking was not passive. The Chargers player's contact came after the Cowboys player's contact, which I imagine means he's no longer contacting a "safe" player.

 

[droopdog7]

Who is “passive” on a football field? All 22 players should be doing something

Plenty of guys can be passive on a punt, for instance, when someone is watching the ball roll.

 

[OmerV]

Looks like a foul by the rules to me. Pertinent text in red.

RULE 10 OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH A KICK, FAIR CATCH​

SECTION 1 OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH A KICK​

ARTICLE 1. INTERFERENCE. During a scrimmage kick that crosses the line of scrimmage, or during a free kick, members of​

the kicking team are prohibited from interfering with any receiver making an attempt to catch the airborne kick, or from obstructing​

or hindering his path to the airborne kick, regardless of whether any signal was given.​

​

Item 1. Contact with Receiver. It is interference if a player of the kicking team contacts the receiver, or causes a passive player​

of either team to contact the receiver, before or simultaneous to the receiver touching the ball. It is not a foul if a kicking team​

player is blocked into the receiver or the contact is the result of a foul.​

​

Item 2. Right of Way. A receiver who is moving toward a kicked ball that is in flight has the right of way. If opponents obstruct his​

path to the ball, or cause a passive player of either team to obstruct his path, it is interference, even if there is no contact, or if he​

catches the ball in spite of the interference, and regardless of whether any signal was given.​

I guess the question would be how to define a "passive player". Would a player actively trying to block another player be considered a "passive player"?

 

[MyFairLady]

Tolbert is to blame. He needs to get out of the way or stand his ground like a man.

 

[droopdog7]

This conveniently does not discuss that the Chargers player also touched Turpin simultaneously to blocking Tolbert into him, nor does it even mention the obvious illegal hands to the face that preceded all of it.

It was a horrible call, and the league isn't going to get out of it. Might as well send the apology letter to Dallas tomorrow morning.

Also, for sake of clarity, the muff does not actually occur until Tolbert attempts to recover it.

Because it does not matter. Geez people are dense. Tolbert was blocked into Turpin. The rest is incidental.

 

[Acheman08]

im guessing tolbert thought turpin touched the ball and tried to jump on it. i dont agree with the call at all, he pushed the blocking player back into a fair catch, not the other way around, and not only hit the player attempting to catch the ball but also had hands to the face. BS all the way around.

 

[droopdog7]

I agree that was the craziest thing. And the announcers did nothing to help explain the situation. I’m still hung up on the whole “passive” wording. Why would any passive player be within 5 yards of a punt returner, close enough to be pushed into him? Of course they’re there to be blocking. Regardless, the Charger player touched him as well, which should have made that point moot.

When a guy calls a fair catch, or the punt is rolling on the ground, plenty of guys get passive. Heck, they often run away from the ball.

 

[Flamma]

There was an angle that showed the Charger pushing back the Cowboy and the Charger made contact with Turpin.

 

[Pass2Run]

Aikman and Buck nonchalantly dismissed that the Charger player bulldozed Tolbert directly into Turpin who called fair catch, while also making contact with Turpin as well? I couldn't have been the only one puzzled by this? If this is legal why not just attempt to drive receiving blockers into the punt receiver on every punt? This changed the entire momentum of the game and almost cost us.

I agree with you, 100 percent.

 

[Pass2Run]

I couldn't believe it either, I found this.



No excuse for the Special Teams coach to ever allow such a thing, and Tolbert should have to walk to the airport. It's a rule that should obviously be changed.

I don't get blaming Tolbert. If what everyone else is saying is true, Tolbert's "mistake" is a moot point.

 

[Kellsbells]

I don't get blaming Tolbert. If what everyone else is saying is true, Tolbert's "mistake" is a moot point.

I agree. Turpin was behind him, he has no way of knowing if the ball hit him or not. Especially the way the ball bounced off to the side of Turpin, it seemed as though it deflected off of him. If he didn’t go after it, people would be blasting him for lack of awareness and hustle. I think he did the right thing, not knowing.

 

[blueblood70]

Aikman and Buck nonchalantly dismissed that the Charger player bulldozed Tolbert directly into Turpin who called fair catch, while also making contact with Turpin as well? I couldn't have been the only one puzzled by this? If this is legal why not just attempt to drive receiving blockers into the punt receiver on every punt? This changed the entire momentum of the game and almost cost us.

Exactly they need to change that play, the rule should be if it's obvious that the other team purposely shoves the player into our guy it's a dead ball that's interference... Just because he didn't directly run into our guy it was intent, he knew he could push our guy into our punt returner... So he did that's just like him running into him he did it on purpose and that should be a rule that is the same as interference the Halo rule interference should be the same if it was intentional to push the player into our player regardless if he didn't hit them first...

That's easy you just call it a dead ball right there at that spot don't throw a flag for a penalty just the rule should be you give the ball to that team the receiving team at that spot period end of story that's a dumb rule!!! That was one of many really ridiculous calls in this game but i think it needs to be adjusted, like NOW...

 

[blueblood70]

I don't get blaming Tolbert. If what everyone else is saying is true, Tolbert's "mistake" is a moot point.

You can't blame tobert because he didn't know that it wasn't a live ball nothing was called dead no one knew if the ball was touched or not it's the rule that's bad.. So if he doesn't attempt to go after that ball and it was a live ball that he could have recovered and he didn't people would have been on him for his lack of effort they thought it was live for anybody to get and he had to make a play on it and it failed that wasn't the bigger issue..

Exactly they need to change that play, the rule should be if it's obvious that the other team purposely shoves the player into our guy it's a dead ball that's interference... Just because he didn't directly run into our guy it was intent, he knew he could push our guy into our punt returner... So he did that's just like him running into him he did it on purpose and that should be a rule that is the same as interference the Halo rule interference should be the same if it was intentional to push the player into our player regardless if he didn't hit them first...

That's easy you just call it a dead ball right there at that spot don't throw a flag for a penalty just the rule should be you give the ball to that team the receiving team at that spot period end of story that's a dumb rule!!! That was one of many really ridiculous calls in this game but i think it needs to be adjusted, like NOW...

 

[blueblood70]

Aikman and Buck nonchalantly dismissed that the Charger player bulldozed Tolbert directly into Turpin who called fair catch, while also making contact with Turpin as well? I couldn't have been the only one puzzled by this? If this is legal why not just attempt to drive receiving blockers into the punt receiver on every punt? This changed the entire momentum of the game and almost cost us.

Exactly the rule needs an adjustment not much of A change it needs an adjustment it literally is still a Halo rule you still within tip pushed the guy into our receiver and gave him no chance to catch the football

 

[Big D]

Fassell sucks. We have arguably the most dynamic returner in the game. Instead of blocking the gunners at the line of scrimmage and giving turpin room to work, he has tolbert and whoever is on the other side chasing the gunners down from behind after not touching them off the line of scrimmage. Tolbert then gets pinned to turpin while he's trying to make the catch. None of it happens if you BLOCK THE GUNNERS!

 

[Brax]

Best watch the play again

Another who doesn’t understand special team play

 

[Scotman]

Unclear if Tolbert could have seen that they did *not* touch the ball.

And if it had been touched and Tolbert did nothing, we'd be crucifying's him for that. That entire play is on the officials, not Tolbert. If the league doesn't address this, you're going to see two gunners picking one guy to run through the returner.

 

[MyFairLady]

The way I see it is a more aggressive opponent physically rag dolled one of our players. This ended up causing a turn over. Our solution is to then cry to the ref to bail us out. I find to be the hallmark of a team that is not going to go very far. The coaching staff needs to stress to our players that if you are the one planting the opponent on their behinds then good things will happen. If you are getting man handled and pushed and thrown around then bad things are probably going to happen.