Post by scorpion42 on Dec 16, 2008 14:49:19 GMT -7
Second guesses: NFL needs to break the plane
by John Czarnecki
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 30th year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Updated: December 15, 2008
I may be in the minority, but I believe referee Walt "Tuck Rule" Coleman got it right in Baltimore Sunday night. The football doesn't have to cross the white goal line. It simply has to touch the goal line.
Well, Santonio Holmes had both feet in the end zone and the ball definitely touched the plane of the goal line. OK, it might not have totally been in the end zone, across the line, but those aren't the rules regarding a touchdown. I also thought it was indisputable, and that's why Coleman overruled the original call on the field.
How many times have we seen a running back dive over a pile of human bodies and somehow touch the plane before being knocked back on his butt? I would say thousands. And most of those impossible-to-see plays have been called touchdowns, many of them irrefutable.
For many a year, I have argued with the league that, in this age of mechanisms and advanced technology, there should be a laser-beam line at the front of the goal line and a chip inside every football. When the ball touches the line, a touchdown red light goes on and we don't have to rely on the eyesight of some 55-year-old referee with glasses.
The technology is there to do this. If games are going to be decided by instant replay, which is accepted by every coach and owner, why not spend a few more bucks on a goal-line sensor system? There was a goal-line plunge in the Washington-Cincinnati game Sunday, and believe me, no two side judges would have ruled the same way on a dive by the Redskins' Mike Sellers.
The league can tell me otherwise, but those views from 15 yards away are pretty hard to read, especially on bang-bang plays when the runner is flying forward and then meeting a linebacker who is knocking him backward. Few people would spot the ball, based on forward progress, at the same exact spot. But that's what the NFL demands of its officials. It's a very difficult job and hardly foolproof.
The NFL puts computer chips in every football for the Super Bowl. The technology is there for the red-light touchdown signal. Because for as many people who say Holmes didn't score, Coleman and I and others are convinced that he did. Take the doubt away. If the NFL wants to live by instant replay, which often slows down a game, add another gadget to make sure the ball really did touch the plane of the goal line.
It's definitely needed on those silly goal-line plunges when an official can barely see who has the ball, let alone be convinced that the guy scored.
Titans showing some flaws
The Tennessee Titans better hope that today's MRI reveals that there's nothing structurally wrong with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth's knee. The Titans won't win a playoff game without him.
This team has suddenly become too fragile, especially on offense where Kerry Collins has returned to earth. Tennessee's running game doesn't have a chance unless Collins is hot and can force the safeties out of the box.
I have to question Titans coach Jeff Fisher deciding against a potential winning field-goal attempt of 49 yards with two minutes left. Instead, Fisher elected to try to convert a fourth-and-three and his team failed. Fisher said after the game that the kick would have been outside the range of kicker Rob Bironas, partly because of wind conditions.
Meanwhile, Titans owner Bud Adams said that Vince Young could be back as a starter next year, which is probably news to Fisher and his players. But if that's the deal, and Adams is not going to pay Collins, who is an unrestricted free agent, then Tennessee has problems.
This isn't the time for Adams to be talking up Young, who is under contract for three more years. Fisher and this team have had a great run, but there are two games left and nothing in the playoffs is assured. The Titans play so many of their games too close for comfort. They lost to a very much improved Houston team, one that has found its offense with the return of quarterback Matt Schaub, who passed for 284 yards, or 100 more than Collins did.
Steve Slaton also recorded his second 100-yard game against the Titans, which is very impressive for a rookie. This has to be the best rookie running back class in recent NFL history.
Panthers are the real deal
The Carolina Panthers will finish the season with an 8-0 home record and, with 11 wins and with Tampa Bay's collapse, look like the second-best team in the NFC after ripping the Denver Broncos.
Unlike the Bucs, the Panthers have a proven superstar in receiver Steve Smith, who had another spectacular game with nine catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. Both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart had a rushing touchdown as owner Jerry Richardson watched from his stadium suite.
Williams and Stewart have combined for 25 touchdowns, 23 rushing, and they are the best tandem in the game right now, since no one knows when Brandon Jacobs is going to turn up again in the New York Giants' backfield.
Kudos for John Fox and GM Marty Hurney for having the guts to trade away next year's first-round pick for rookie right tackle Jeff Otah. The kid has sealed the deal for the Panthers. Otah is a road grader. He's not a pass-blocking technician like Denver rookie left tackle Ryan Clady, but he's not being asked to do that. He's muscling opposing linemen and linebackers, helping give the Panthers a shot to go deep into the playoffs.
This has been a statement year for Hurney and Fox, who hated to read all those rumors that their careers were in jeopardy if they didn't win this season. Well, they and the Panthers are winning this season. Plus, they are peaking at the right time — in December, when the big games count. Next Sunday they visit the Giants in the Meadowlands and nothing but the top seed in the NFC playoffs could be at stake.
Yes, I have my concerns about Jake Delhomme, but right now everything is clicking in Carolina.
Chargers catch a break
Chargers coach Norv Turner deserved to have one of these one-point games go his way, but it took a remarkable collapse by the Chiefs in Kansas City and some heroics by quarterback Philip Rivers to pull it off.
San Diego has been carrying the moniker as the NFL's most disappointing franchise, having lost eight of 14 games this season. The Chargers have lost five games by a total of 11 points. They are everyone's heartbreak kids.
But can they win in Tampa Bay next Sunday? I say, yes, they can. The Bucs simply don't scare you on offense, even if Jeff Garcia returns. Tampa Bay has no superstars on offense. But can the Bills beat the Broncos in Denver? That's the thousand-dollar question. The AFC West hangs in the balance. If the Chargers win and the Broncos lose, that sets up a playoff showdown in San Diego three days after Christmas.
It would be only fitting should that happen. The Chargers were robbed by referee Ed Hochuli in Denver back on Sept. 14. They should have won that game, but a fumble wasn't ruled a fumble. You look around the NFL and there are not a lot of very good teams out there. The Broncos don't strike me as better than the Chargers. And that isn't saying much.
The teams playing well right now are the Giants, the Panthers, the Vikings and the Cowboys. The Falcons are pretty close, but I'm not sure they could beat those four teams. It's another good year for mediocrity in the parity-filled NFL.
Week 15 quick hitters
* The AFC better start worrying about Peyton Manning and the Colts, who continue to win without Joseph Addai and safety Bob Sanders. Both of those players are proven difference makers when the playoffs begin.
* The Packers continue to struggle big time on defense and their offense, which has so many weapons directed by a heady coach in Mike McCarthy, continues to be outscored. The Packers are now worse than Jacksonville, and that's a shocker.
* The San Francisco 49ers continue to play very hard for Mike Singletary, even tight end Vernon Davis. The offense outplayed the Dolphins but couldn't score enough to win. That was a very tough loss in Miami, considering the 49ers dominated play and didn't turn over the ball.
* The Rams have to start all over and find some offensive linemen and maybe allow quarterback Marc Bulger to leave town. I like Bulger, but he's no longer a fit in St. Louis, especially if the team is going to go younger and rebuild.
* Finally, how disappointed is owner Daniel Snyder in Washington? His Redskins displayed so much promise in October. But they have lost five of their last six to sink to 7-7, and they were physically dominated by the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, the Redskins are beat up, but they shouldn't be losing to a team like Cincinnati, which is led by a journeyman at quarterback and running back. Stick a fork in the Redskins and hope that new head coach Jim Zorn has learned enough to get ready for next season.
by John Czarnecki
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 30th year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Updated: December 15, 2008
I may be in the minority, but I believe referee Walt "Tuck Rule" Coleman got it right in Baltimore Sunday night. The football doesn't have to cross the white goal line. It simply has to touch the goal line.
Well, Santonio Holmes had both feet in the end zone and the ball definitely touched the plane of the goal line. OK, it might not have totally been in the end zone, across the line, but those aren't the rules regarding a touchdown. I also thought it was indisputable, and that's why Coleman overruled the original call on the field.
How many times have we seen a running back dive over a pile of human bodies and somehow touch the plane before being knocked back on his butt? I would say thousands. And most of those impossible-to-see plays have been called touchdowns, many of them irrefutable.
For many a year, I have argued with the league that, in this age of mechanisms and advanced technology, there should be a laser-beam line at the front of the goal line and a chip inside every football. When the ball touches the line, a touchdown red light goes on and we don't have to rely on the eyesight of some 55-year-old referee with glasses.
The technology is there to do this. If games are going to be decided by instant replay, which is accepted by every coach and owner, why not spend a few more bucks on a goal-line sensor system? There was a goal-line plunge in the Washington-Cincinnati game Sunday, and believe me, no two side judges would have ruled the same way on a dive by the Redskins' Mike Sellers.
The league can tell me otherwise, but those views from 15 yards away are pretty hard to read, especially on bang-bang plays when the runner is flying forward and then meeting a linebacker who is knocking him backward. Few people would spot the ball, based on forward progress, at the same exact spot. But that's what the NFL demands of its officials. It's a very difficult job and hardly foolproof.
The NFL puts computer chips in every football for the Super Bowl. The technology is there for the red-light touchdown signal. Because for as many people who say Holmes didn't score, Coleman and I and others are convinced that he did. Take the doubt away. If the NFL wants to live by instant replay, which often slows down a game, add another gadget to make sure the ball really did touch the plane of the goal line.
It's definitely needed on those silly goal-line plunges when an official can barely see who has the ball, let alone be convinced that the guy scored.
Titans showing some flaws
The Tennessee Titans better hope that today's MRI reveals that there's nothing structurally wrong with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth's knee. The Titans won't win a playoff game without him.
This team has suddenly become too fragile, especially on offense where Kerry Collins has returned to earth. Tennessee's running game doesn't have a chance unless Collins is hot and can force the safeties out of the box.
I have to question Titans coach Jeff Fisher deciding against a potential winning field-goal attempt of 49 yards with two minutes left. Instead, Fisher elected to try to convert a fourth-and-three and his team failed. Fisher said after the game that the kick would have been outside the range of kicker Rob Bironas, partly because of wind conditions.
Meanwhile, Titans owner Bud Adams said that Vince Young could be back as a starter next year, which is probably news to Fisher and his players. But if that's the deal, and Adams is not going to pay Collins, who is an unrestricted free agent, then Tennessee has problems.
This isn't the time for Adams to be talking up Young, who is under contract for three more years. Fisher and this team have had a great run, but there are two games left and nothing in the playoffs is assured. The Titans play so many of their games too close for comfort. They lost to a very much improved Houston team, one that has found its offense with the return of quarterback Matt Schaub, who passed for 284 yards, or 100 more than Collins did.
Steve Slaton also recorded his second 100-yard game against the Titans, which is very impressive for a rookie. This has to be the best rookie running back class in recent NFL history.
Panthers are the real deal
The Carolina Panthers will finish the season with an 8-0 home record and, with 11 wins and with Tampa Bay's collapse, look like the second-best team in the NFC after ripping the Denver Broncos.
Unlike the Bucs, the Panthers have a proven superstar in receiver Steve Smith, who had another spectacular game with nine catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. Both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart had a rushing touchdown as owner Jerry Richardson watched from his stadium suite.
Williams and Stewart have combined for 25 touchdowns, 23 rushing, and they are the best tandem in the game right now, since no one knows when Brandon Jacobs is going to turn up again in the New York Giants' backfield.
Kudos for John Fox and GM Marty Hurney for having the guts to trade away next year's first-round pick for rookie right tackle Jeff Otah. The kid has sealed the deal for the Panthers. Otah is a road grader. He's not a pass-blocking technician like Denver rookie left tackle Ryan Clady, but he's not being asked to do that. He's muscling opposing linemen and linebackers, helping give the Panthers a shot to go deep into the playoffs.
This has been a statement year for Hurney and Fox, who hated to read all those rumors that their careers were in jeopardy if they didn't win this season. Well, they and the Panthers are winning this season. Plus, they are peaking at the right time — in December, when the big games count. Next Sunday they visit the Giants in the Meadowlands and nothing but the top seed in the NFC playoffs could be at stake.
Yes, I have my concerns about Jake Delhomme, but right now everything is clicking in Carolina.
Chargers catch a break
Chargers coach Norv Turner deserved to have one of these one-point games go his way, but it took a remarkable collapse by the Chiefs in Kansas City and some heroics by quarterback Philip Rivers to pull it off.
San Diego has been carrying the moniker as the NFL's most disappointing franchise, having lost eight of 14 games this season. The Chargers have lost five games by a total of 11 points. They are everyone's heartbreak kids.
But can they win in Tampa Bay next Sunday? I say, yes, they can. The Bucs simply don't scare you on offense, even if Jeff Garcia returns. Tampa Bay has no superstars on offense. But can the Bills beat the Broncos in Denver? That's the thousand-dollar question. The AFC West hangs in the balance. If the Chargers win and the Broncos lose, that sets up a playoff showdown in San Diego three days after Christmas.
It would be only fitting should that happen. The Chargers were robbed by referee Ed Hochuli in Denver back on Sept. 14. They should have won that game, but a fumble wasn't ruled a fumble. You look around the NFL and there are not a lot of very good teams out there. The Broncos don't strike me as better than the Chargers. And that isn't saying much.
The teams playing well right now are the Giants, the Panthers, the Vikings and the Cowboys. The Falcons are pretty close, but I'm not sure they could beat those four teams. It's another good year for mediocrity in the parity-filled NFL.
Week 15 quick hitters
* The AFC better start worrying about Peyton Manning and the Colts, who continue to win without Joseph Addai and safety Bob Sanders. Both of those players are proven difference makers when the playoffs begin.
* The Packers continue to struggle big time on defense and their offense, which has so many weapons directed by a heady coach in Mike McCarthy, continues to be outscored. The Packers are now worse than Jacksonville, and that's a shocker.
* The San Francisco 49ers continue to play very hard for Mike Singletary, even tight end Vernon Davis. The offense outplayed the Dolphins but couldn't score enough to win. That was a very tough loss in Miami, considering the 49ers dominated play and didn't turn over the ball.
* The Rams have to start all over and find some offensive linemen and maybe allow quarterback Marc Bulger to leave town. I like Bulger, but he's no longer a fit in St. Louis, especially if the team is going to go younger and rebuild.
* Finally, how disappointed is owner Daniel Snyder in Washington? His Redskins displayed so much promise in October. But they have lost five of their last six to sink to 7-7, and they were physically dominated by the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, the Redskins are beat up, but they shouldn't be losing to a team like Cincinnati, which is led by a journeyman at quarterback and running back. Stick a fork in the Redskins and hope that new head coach Jim Zorn has learned enough to get ready for next season.