Cowboys/Giants Safety

[mcrowder]

Anyone see the play in the Cowboys/Giants game where Barber was tackled behind the line as he was lunging for the goal line? Just before the ball hit the ground, his knee hit. The ball appeared to be partially across and partially on the goal line. The announcers kept harping on how the ball "barely broke the plane" of the goal line (this part I agree with - maybe even half of the ball got out) and was therefore not a safety (nonsense).

The officials initially ruled the ball a fumble and a Dallas TD - but the review showed that A) his knee hit before the ball did and B) the ball was in his possession when his knee hit. What struck me was that the officials seemed more worried about whether the ball was loose or not than where the ball was when he was tackled - and they ruled Barber was simply down out of the EZ and let NYG punt.

It should have been a safety.

This seemed to be a horrible call - but no comment of that sort was made by the announcers (who had no clue) and I see nothing in the paper or online about it. Am I completely mistaken here?