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http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/news/story?id=4658671
Two challenges at center of miscues
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By Calvin Watkins
ESPNDallas.com
Archive
GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- NFL officials admitted to one officiating mistake and appeared to commit another in Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game.
The first occurred with the Cowboys trailing 10-0 in the fourth quarter. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson forced a fumble on a corner blitz when he sacked Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. When the ball popped loose, running back Felix Jones appeared to recover near the Cowboys' 20, but Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly dove on top of Jones, forcing the ball to come loose again. Linebacker Clay Matthews scooped the ball and was pushed out of bounds by tight end Jason Witten at the Cowboys' 3 with 11:41 to play.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips challenged, saying Jones recovered and didn't lose the ball. After about a two-minute pause in play, referee Jeff Triplette said the fumble couldn't be challenged. He admitted that the crew wasted time starting the review process when they shouldn't have.
"They said because they ruled it a fumble all the way through, that I couldn't challenge it even though we recovered the ball and our guy was touched and he knew the guy was down," Phillips said.
Triplette said to a pool reporter after the game. "My mistake, that's not a reviewable aspect of a play. A recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is not reviewable by rule. So we just couldn't review it."
Triplette said he never actually got a chance to review the play because he and other officials began talking about whether the play was reviewable.
"We never got in the booth to review," he said. "Just put the headphones on and starting talking through what we had."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he understands why the rule doesn't allow for review of possession of fumbles, but that there should be room for exceptions.
"I know why they have it because so many times there are piles and scrums so it gets really hard to see," Jones said. "But that wasn't a play out in the middle of the field where you'd have a scrum."
The other apparent mistake by the crew occurred with 6:29 to play in the fourth quarter. Cowboys wide receiver Patrick Crayton made a diving catch for 14 yards. The Packers challenged the catch, but after another delay in play, Triplette said Green Bay didn't have any more challenges left.
According to the NFL rule book, Rule 15, Section 9, "For initiating a challenge when all of a team's timeouts have been exhausted or when all of its available challenges have been used: Loss of 15 yards."
But the referees allowed play to continue without penalizing the Packers, who had used up all their challenges.
"I have to ask the league," about the call, Phillips said. "We don't have any challenges left and you challenge and stop the game. It kind of helps you regroup. I thought it was at least a delay of the game, but it wasn't."
If the penalty is called, it would have moved the Cowboys from the Packers' 29 to the 14. The Cowboys were turned away on that drive when Romo threw an interception at the goal line with 5:53 remaining and Dallas trailing, 17-0.
The Cowboys would go on to lose 17-7.
Calvin Watkins covers the Dallas Cowboys for ESPNDallas.com. E-mail him at calvin.watkins@espn3.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/news/story?id=4658671
Two challenges at center of miscues
Comment Email Print Share var stobj = SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title:"Officials%20admit%20making%20error%20in%20Cowboys%20game", url:"http://espn.go.com/chicago/story?id=4658671", published: "2009-11-15" }); stobj.attachButton(document.getElementById("espnstlink"));
By Calvin Watkins
ESPNDallas.com
Archive
GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- NFL officials admitted to one officiating mistake and appeared to commit another in Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game.
The first occurred with the Cowboys trailing 10-0 in the fourth quarter. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson forced a fumble on a corner blitz when he sacked Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. When the ball popped loose, running back Felix Jones appeared to recover near the Cowboys' 20, but Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly dove on top of Jones, forcing the ball to come loose again. Linebacker Clay Matthews scooped the ball and was pushed out of bounds by tight end Jason Witten at the Cowboys' 3 with 11:41 to play.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips challenged, saying Jones recovered and didn't lose the ball. After about a two-minute pause in play, referee Jeff Triplette said the fumble couldn't be challenged. He admitted that the crew wasted time starting the review process when they shouldn't have.
"They said because they ruled it a fumble all the way through, that I couldn't challenge it even though we recovered the ball and our guy was touched and he knew the guy was down," Phillips said.
Triplette said to a pool reporter after the game. "My mistake, that's not a reviewable aspect of a play. A recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is not reviewable by rule. So we just couldn't review it."
Triplette said he never actually got a chance to review the play because he and other officials began talking about whether the play was reviewable.
"We never got in the booth to review," he said. "Just put the headphones on and starting talking through what we had."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he understands why the rule doesn't allow for review of possession of fumbles, but that there should be room for exceptions.
"I know why they have it because so many times there are piles and scrums so it gets really hard to see," Jones said. "But that wasn't a play out in the middle of the field where you'd have a scrum."
The other apparent mistake by the crew occurred with 6:29 to play in the fourth quarter. Cowboys wide receiver Patrick Crayton made a diving catch for 14 yards. The Packers challenged the catch, but after another delay in play, Triplette said Green Bay didn't have any more challenges left.
According to the NFL rule book, Rule 15, Section 9, "For initiating a challenge when all of a team's timeouts have been exhausted or when all of its available challenges have been used: Loss of 15 yards."
But the referees allowed play to continue without penalizing the Packers, who had used up all their challenges.
"I have to ask the league," about the call, Phillips said. "We don't have any challenges left and you challenge and stop the game. It kind of helps you regroup. I thought it was at least a delay of the game, but it wasn't."
If the penalty is called, it would have moved the Cowboys from the Packers' 29 to the 14. The Cowboys were turned away on that drive when Romo threw an interception at the goal line with 5:53 remaining and Dallas trailing, 17-0.
The Cowboys would go on to lose 17-7.
Calvin Watkins covers the Dallas Cowboys for ESPNDallas.com. E-mail him at calvin.watkins@espn3.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
