Roughing or not Study Group ? #1

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Fair enough, and point made. Reading the OP, I don't believe that decision was made at all. "at the feet" is not the same as deliberately intending the pass to be incomplete. the description in the OP is not a foul ... unless there is more here than was posted, or more intended by those words than what he said.

I would add that if a referee were to feel, in his heart, that such a pass is intentionally incomplete, and flagged it as such, then he would likely have his judgement seriously questioned by his superiors.

I think the problem is we're trying to relate to a verbal question, rather than something we've actually seen and I hope we're seeing different pictures. Looking back at the original question, the comment is preceeded by "under heavy pressure.....", which, at least to me, suggests the pass was "dumped".

I also believe 'dumping" is a purely judgment call that has to be made EXCLUSIVELY by the referee. He may get help from his wings in situations where a receiver cut a different way, fell down or there were other contributing factors, but the referee has to read dumping directly in, and from, the passer. There is no supervisor I can envision ever being in a position to "seriously question" that judgment.