The NFL replacement officials had not gotten a call so wrong that it caused the effect of the game. It did tonight. September 24, 2012. Russell Wilson threw a touchdown to Golden Tate, but was it really a touchdown to give the Seattle Seahawks a 14-12 win over the Green Bay Packers?
In the words of Aaron Rodgers, “It’s awful. Just look at the replay…It’s awful, that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Let’s look at the evidence. Here is a sequence of photos:
What’s the call there, sir?
It appears Packers S M.D. Jennings caught the interception.
Clearly, the replacement officials have no clue what they are doing.
Rule 8 – Section 3 – Article 1 – Item 5: Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
According, the photo above, Green Bay Packers safety M.D. Jennings has possession of the football before Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate subsequently gained joint control, ruling out it isn’t a simultaneous catch.
Here’s the video of the play. Watch first the “push off,” by Golden Tate, and resulted in a no call. However, it should have been pass interference. Next, watch who gained control of the football first: Jennings or Tate?
Also, remember this may not have happened had offensive pass interference been called on Sidney Rice, instead of defensive pass interference on Sam Shields. Just food for thought.
No matter what, the NFL has to do something about the replacement officials. It is hurting the integrity of the game. The ball is in your court, Mr. Goodell.
Good night.
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