End of Giants-Redskins game

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by tmagan

A way to solve this problem, in the future, is to use both arms to signal second or third down, why? Because 'first down' is always signaled with one arm. It is something I always saw the late Gordon McCarter do. Either that or late in a half, always have the referee signal the down with an open microphone.

People say they never saw this before. Something like this happened to Bob McElwee about a decade ago in a Bears game at the University of Illinois stadium while Soldier Field was undergoing renovations.

I don't think the problem here was the signal, as Triplette was signalling like a crazy man. The problem was that one official who had a good view thought it was a first down, and the other didn't. (The secondary problem was one official marking the ball at a point where a first down would have been gained - but the umpire taking the spot from the other official). The "fix" here is not to change mechanics ... but to measure when it's really this close - or alternately - when Triplette sees the chains moving, stopping play.