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POSTED 10:26 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:17 a.m. EST, January 26, 2007
LEAGUE ADMITS FACE-GUARDING SCREW UP
In response to an item in our Conference Championship Ten-Pack regarding a key pass interference call on Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs that allowed the Colts to complete an 18-point comeback and knot the game at 21, a member of PFT Planet has alerted us to a January 25, 2007 "Q&A" on Jaguars.com in which Vic Ketcham writes that the NFL has acknowledged that a bad call was made.
Writes Ketcham, in response to a question that chastised him for suggesting that face-guarding is still forbidden:
"Face-guarding was discontinued several years ago and I completely missed it. I talked to Dean Blandino in the league office and he confirmed what you're saying. Blandino, by the way, was in the replay booth at the Patriots-Colts game. Ellis Hobbs should not have been flagged for pass-interference. He didn't make contact with the receiver and in no way did Hobbs impede Reggie Wayne's ability to catch the pass. Blandino confirmed that the incorrect call was made. It advanced the ball from the Patriots' 19-yard line to the one-yard line and was the big play in a touchdown drive that led to a two-point conversion and a tie game at 21-21. Referee Bill Carollo made no reference to face-guarding in his explanation, but CBS analyst Phil Simms did. Apparently, he, too, doesn't know the rule no longer exists. The next time you hear a TV analyst say, 'he wasn’t playing the ball,' think of the Hobbs play, then turn down the sound."
Make no mistake about it, it was a key call. And, to their credit, we haven't heard a public peep from the "no class" Pats about the play.
Gee, what would Napolian have done if that phantom flag had been thrown on a member of the Colts' defense?
LEAGUE ADMITS FACE-GUARDING SCREW UP
In response to an item in our Conference Championship Ten-Pack regarding a key pass interference call on Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs that allowed the Colts to complete an 18-point comeback and knot the game at 21, a member of PFT Planet has alerted us to a January 25, 2007 "Q&A" on Jaguars.com in which Vic Ketcham writes that the NFL has acknowledged that a bad call was made.
Writes Ketcham, in response to a question that chastised him for suggesting that face-guarding is still forbidden:
"Face-guarding was discontinued several years ago and I completely missed it. I talked to Dean Blandino in the league office and he confirmed what you're saying. Blandino, by the way, was in the replay booth at the Patriots-Colts game. Ellis Hobbs should not have been flagged for pass-interference. He didn't make contact with the receiver and in no way did Hobbs impede Reggie Wayne's ability to catch the pass. Blandino confirmed that the incorrect call was made. It advanced the ball from the Patriots' 19-yard line to the one-yard line and was the big play in a touchdown drive that led to a two-point conversion and a tie game at 21-21. Referee Bill Carollo made no reference to face-guarding in his explanation, but CBS analyst Phil Simms did. Apparently, he, too, doesn't know the rule no longer exists. The next time you hear a TV analyst say, 'he wasn’t playing the ball,' think of the Hobbs play, then turn down the sound."
Make no mistake about it, it was a key call. And, to their credit, we haven't heard a public peep from the "no class" Pats about the play.
Gee, what would Napolian have done if that phantom flag had been thrown on a member of the Colts' defense?
