Controversial Ending in Florida Playoff Game

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by grantsrc

Geez, guys (not us, the paper that produced this video), this is a high school game. It's great that they took the time and effort to become educated about the rules pertaining to this situation. It certainly looks like a simultaneous catch to me, but I'm sitting in front of a computer and not on the field of play. But was surprises me, is that the paper went through such extrodinary measures to show what they feel is an error in a high school game! It seems that these types of critical articles are popping up more and more in relation to high school games. Errors occur unfortunately. I don't understand team's desires to immediately call their lawyer when they feel they've been robbed. It's detrimental to HS sports.

Should have been a touchdown.

Having experienced the critical review of a controversial as in wrong call from a newspaper web site that slowed the video down to 1/5 normal speed I can tell you this is something we can expect a lot in the future. Don't you wish you had the luxury of sitting at your computer and reviewing the call!?

Officiating is a human endeavor, therefore, it comes with some degree of error. On this particular play it could well be the simultaneous catch rule was not well understood or the official had not experienced it before. Ask yourself how often you have seen one and what did you do the first time you did see one.

As if lawyers don't invade our lives enough this could become a new practice, the bad officiating practice, where a lawyer is on the coaching staff ready to assemble whatever is needed to appeal to the athletic authority when required. And you thought the hot coffee spill at McDonalds was too much!

[insatty]

If the overruling official is a LJ in a 5-man crew, he has no business calling the players OB on the endline. At best, he could have had the players bobbling the ball. In HS ball, there is not enough teaching of officiating philosophies. When in doubt, it's not a catch. But even under a strict rule interpretation, it's a simultaneous catch and a touchdown.

[Warrenkicker]

I really hope this was a 6- or 7-man crew because the video from the Naples paper shows the line judge on the line-of-scrimmage when the ball is thrown. At the very end of the video it shows three officials, one of which could be that line judge, discussing the play. If the line judge got into that discussion it is highly unlikely that he would have had any information relating to the play. Only officials at or behind the goal line could have seen exactly what happened.

That said I think touchdown was the right call.

[Theisey]

Originally Posted by insatty

...... In HS ball, there is not enough teaching of officiating philosophies. When in doubt, it's a catch. .....

I disagree with your statement..
From the NF Football Officials Manual, the guideline for "when in question"

(a) incomplete pass or fumble... incomplete pass.

(b) Catch or not ... no catch.

NCAA says the same thing... no catch.

[insatty]

Theisey: You're correct. I misspoke. "When in question, the catch, recovery or interception is not completed." NCAA 2-2-7-e