Miami was not offsides on onside kick

[AbeBeta]

I think the confusion is in calling it off sides. When a player fails to get set on offense they don't call him for being offside, they call illegal motion or illegal shift. They probably need to figure out something along those lines for the kickoff.

Who cares about the confusion - no one on the field was confused and the announcers literally explained the call in real time.

 

[jujoboys]

Ok they said in the game the players had to have 1 foot on the 34 yd line as ball is kicked.
so here is a pic

I don't see anything wrong here, and even the announcers said it was close, so too me this was
either another bad call, or just being way too picky.
The guy at very top is #31 who they called for offsides, and he is also the one who got the ball.
The ref is right there, so either the ref is daydreaming about cheerleaders, or the player is really stupid
to be offsides when the ref is right by him.
But I just dont see it, I watched several times, and no way this should have been called.

I also think changing the rules on the onside kick was a bad move, and they killed something which used
to be exciting at times.

First off, the view you give is at an angle. If the view went straight down the 35 yard line you could make an argument that his helmet is touching or across the 35 yard line. While it is correct that their foot must be on the 34 yard line when the ball is kicked their is also another piece to the off sides rule that says "A player is Offside when any part of his body or his person is in the Neutral Zone, or is beyond his free kick line, or fair catch kick line when the ball is put in play, unless he is a holder of a placekick for a free kick (6-1-3-b-1) or fair catch kick (11-4-3), or a kicker (6-1-3-b-2). The snapper is offside if any part of his body is beyond the neutral zone. The kicker is not offside unless his kicking foot is beyond his Restraining Line when the ball is kicked."

It appears that the Miami player is potentially in the neutral zone area or beyond it. The only person that has a reliable angel to determine this is the official. Your picture is centered on the 45 so it does not give a shot down the 35 yard line so we can determine whether the guy was offsides or not. He is definitely closer to the 35 than the other Miami players so i will assume because he is closer then he is probably in the neutral zone or beyond it. Looks like he got too anxious and left a little early. The video of the play showed him moving before the other Miami players.

 

[Runwildboys]

gotta meet the point spread...

Wait a minute. I read here yesterday that the league had a meeting with the officials and the officials were encouraged to help the Dolphins keep the score close.

NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE!!!

 

[JD_KaPow]

Ok they said in the game the players had to have 1 foot on the 34 yd line as ball is kicked.
so here is a pic

I don't see anything wrong here, and even the announcers said it was close, so too me this was
either another bad call, or just being way too picky.
The guy at very top is #31 who they called for offsides, and he is also the one who got the ball.
The ref is right there, so either the ref is daydreaming about cheerleaders, or the player is really stupid
to be offsides when the ref is right by him.
But I just dont see it, I watched several times, and no way this should have been called.

I also think changing the rules on the onside kick was a bad move, and they killed something which used
to be exciting at times.

It's kind of too bad, because that was one of the most beautiful onside kicks I've ever seen. I like to see excellence rewarded, not punished by ticky-tack penalties, even if it's against our team. Well, at least when we're going to win anyway...

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

31-6... I've moved on.

 

[charron]

Well if that is true, then yes he was moving.
I have to wonder why the players would not be coached to watch the ball, when it is kicked you go.

why do dlinemen jump offsides?

 

[gimmesix]

Just negative stuff

So your response to negativity is to be negative?

I don't consider everything brought up that doesn't favor my team to be negative. Posts like the OP's can spark legitimate discussion about the onside kick rules, which I don't think a lot of fans understand anymore.

 

[OmerV]

Who cares about the confusion - no one on the field was confused and the announcers literally explained the call in real time.

It's important for viewers to understand - it's a spectator sport that relies on the spectators for its existence. Maybe I missed something because I saw/heard the announcers looking at and talking about whether the player crossed the line.

 

[gimmesix]

As it was posted before, the guy was moving before the kicker got his foot on the ball, that's considered off sides by rule. It was close but by rule it was a penalty. They really should change the name of it from off sides to false start.

That actually would be better terminology since the ball is lined up at the 35 as the "line of scrimmage."

 

[Hdsportsfan]

Nevermind.………..

 

[gimmesix]

It's important for viewers to understand - it's a spectator sport that relies on the spectators for its existence. Maybe I missed something because I saw/heard the announcers looking at and talking about whether the player crossed the line.

The players line up at the 34 now. They are not allowed to move forward until the ball is kicked. The line he crossed was the 34. He "broke the plane" before the ball left the tee, or as the ball left the tee. One of those is a foul, the other is not.

 

[JBond]

Ok they said in the game the players had to have 1 foot on the 34 yd line as ball is kicked.
so here is a pic

I don't see anything wrong here, and even the announcers said it was close, so too me this was
either another bad call, or just being way too picky.
The guy at very top is #31 who they called for offsides, and he is also the one who got the ball.
The ref is right there, so either the ref is daydreaming about cheerleaders, or the player is really stupid
to be offsides when the ref is right by him.
But I just dont see it, I watched several times, and no way this should have been called.

I also think changing the rules on the onside kick was a bad move, and they killed something which used
to be exciting at times.

False. Moving forward.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

This thread................

 

[OmerV]

The players line up at the 34 now. They are not allowed to move forward until the ball is kicked. The line he crossed was the 34. He "broke the plane" before the ball left the tee, or as the ball left the tee. One of those is a foul, the other is not.

Are they actually prohibited from crossing the 34, or do they just line up at the 34 to help prevent accidently crossing the 35 before the ball is kicked?

 

[gimmesix]

Are they actually prohibited from crossing the 34, or do they just line up at the 34 to help prevent accidently crossing the 35 before the ball is kicked?

They are prohibited from crossing the 34. They line up at the 34 and cannot move forward at all before the ball is kicked or it is a penalty, under the new rule. This is especially difficult on players on onside kicks because if they wait to leave when the ball is kicked, it's mostly too late to get to the ball before the other team recovers. In this case, if No. 31 had hesitated to make sure the ball was kicked before taking off, he might not have gotten there before Awuzie (I believe that was who was going up for the ball for Dallas). No. 31 tried to time his takeoff perfectly and got going just slightly early.

Again, I know some are refuting that with these still shots, etc., but you've got an official watching that line intently looking from sideline to sideline at the ball. He can easily see that fraction of a second when the player leaves before the ball does. It might be ticky to call that, but it could have been the difference between the successful recovery and Dallas recovering the ball.

 

[Whirlwin]

But it has no effect for kick returns, just for onside kicks and I can't recall too many Guys getting hurt on OSK's

It definitely has effect on kick returns running start. I'm there for seconds faster I think you actually got it backwards. It has no effect on onside kicks I agree with that makes them impossible. But that's what you need to win you shouldn't be in that situation anyways I think that's what the league thinks

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

It's kind of too bad, because that was one of the most beautiful onside kicks I've ever seen. I like to see excellence rewarded, not punished by ticky-tack penalties, even if it's against our team. Well, at least when we're going to win anyway...

This is the opposite of ticky tack. The violation directly led to the success of the play. Beautiful kick but running forward is illegal and they were properly whistled for it. Without it he doesn't get the recovery.

 

[Rockport]

So your response to negativity is to be negative?

I don't consider everything brought up that doesn't favor my team to be negative. Posts like the OP's can spark legitimate discussion about the onside kick rules, which I don't think a lot of fans understand anymore.

Not at all. Just to be clear again for the millionth time, and you should know this, I only out those that are constantly almost always crapping on either a player, a coach or the organization. It’s like Whack a Troll. Once the usuals pop up with a negative take again, I whack em down. The OP doesn’t fit in this mode and I wasn’t being negative with him. Just wanted to know who cares about an offside penalty when the game is over. Although he could’ve made a post on something positive for the Cowboys. Regardless, and again because you seem to be told multiple times, I only Whack a Troll on the consistently negative posters.

Just call me “Whack a Troll Rockport”.

 

[elcowboi]

Ok they said in the game the players had to have 1 foot on the 34 yd line as ball is kicked.
so here is a pic

I don't see anything wrong here, and even the announcers said it was close, so too me this was
either another bad call, or just being way too picky.
The guy at very top is #31 who they called for offsides, and he is also the one who got the ball.
The ref is right there, so either the ref is daydreaming about cheerleaders, or the player is really stupid
to be offsides when the ref is right by him.
But I just dont see it, I watched several times, and no way this should have been called.

I also think changing the rules on the onside kick was a bad move, and they killed something which used
to be exciting at times.

Oh well....the Boys won

 

[HungryLion]

1. Yes it was offsides.

2. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. Cowboys would still win either way.

3. The NFL should just eliminate kick offs entirely. That’s the direction they are going. Just do it already. They just need to come up with a viable alternative to the onsides kick, to allow scoring teams a slim chance of getting the ball back in close games. Something like, let them take the ball from their own 30 yard line with a 4th and 15.