Nobody here is arguing that the 49ers would have won had that holding penalty been called. We're just saying that the rules should be changed because the Ravens gained a clear advantage whether the penalty wasn't called or enforced. That's not how a penalty should work.
Careful, or you could be accused of "whining" by some members here. p.s. I agree exactly with what you've said.
So you feel it is like the Fake . .. get the guy in the air and jump into him with no chance to make a shot but to get to the foul line . .. type of rule change Rocket River
What if you are the team with the ball and trying to win. No times outs .. . so you hold every other play . . to stop the clock Rocket River
They already address that with 10 second runoffs on the clock. Yet another case where the officials DO manipulate the time clock due to a penalty.
Why don't they do that now? The rule wouldn't change, other than that the time would go back onto the clock if the defense accepted it.
So . . . . it would be two contradictory rules. 10 second run off if you hold. .. but if it benefits the defense. . then there is a reset? Too Complicated Rocket River
Is it though? The dumbest replacement ref would be able to tell that having more time will benefit the losing team.
Couldn't you just say holding under 2 mins = 10 sec runoff if you're losing, reset clock if you're winning? Unless penalty is declined, in which case neither one happens.
dude...I keep saying the NBA rewards intentional fouls. NBA uses intentional fouls every single game. It is not cheating. This is so minor...it's ridiculous. There is NO WAY the NFL should impose rules where they stop the clock on a flag. That is so ripe for abuse. You are trying to solve a .001% occurrence issue by blasting a new rule throughout all play calls. stop it.
NFL already has the most complicated rules in all sports around the entire GLOBE. And you want to make a broad-sweeping change to the rules to account for a Super Bowl play that happens about 2 times a year (intentional safety to seal a game). And SF still had NO FREAKING WAY to win that game if you gave them another 5 seconds. 70 yrd Hail Mary....Right. So, all you the NFL fans who think the NFL is so great because they change the rules all the time, really believe this change won't create more loop holes than it stops. smdh at NFL fans.
Nice hyperbole. First, its not a sweeping change. Its one simple change. Second, it has precedence. They don't end halves on defensive penalties AND they run time off the clock on offensive penalties in the last 2 minutes. Third, unlikely as it is a 70 yard drive is still very possible in 2-3 plays and has happened several times in NFL history. And teams in the Super Bowl deserve that chance.
Why not make a simple change? You should not be able to hold a player to gain an advantage. Simple as that. Or a 67 yard FG attempt. We've seen the pass actually be completed.
seriously, going nuts over a simple change. It's small, it's easy, and it closes a loophole. Why not fix a problem? Something that happens 2x a year during an important point in a close game seems enough of a reason to spark change. You can't assume that every closed loophole opens one up. That's how you end up sitting on the status quo for no reason.
MLB not addressing the infield fly rule. Instead of making the runner automatically out, just make them automatically safe if they don't catch the ball. It only happens twice a year, but as we saw in the Braves/Cardinals WC game, it can be pretty damn huge.
Joe Flacco, the idiot: Joe Flacco told teammates to tackle Ted Ginn from the sideline during Super Bowl free kick return By Doug Farrar | Shutdown Corner – 11 hours ago It's a good thing that Joe Flacco has made himself into an "elite" (and soon to be very highly-paid) quarterback, because the Baltimore Ravens signal-caller and Super Bowl MVP needs a lot of work as a special teams coach. With four seconds left in Super Bowl XLVII, San Francisco 49ers return man Ted Ginn, Jr. stood ready to accept a free kick from punter Sam Koch. It was one play after Koch took an intentional safety to give Baltimore a better chance of pinning the 49ers back on their side of the field. It also made the score 34-31, and the Ravens were very much aware of Ginn's return skills. As a matter of fact, Flacco was telling his teammates on the sideline to go onto the field and tackle Ginn if the speedster got beyond the Ravens' return coverage team. Ginn returned the ball 31 yards from the San Francisco 19-yard line to midfield, saving referee Jerome Boger (who did not, under any circumstances, have a great Super Bowl himself) from having to deal with what would have been the weirdest play in Super Bowl history. NFL Films' "Sound FX" program caught the drama for posterity. "Are we gonna win this?" Flacco asked Ravens head coach John Harbaugh from the sideline. "Yeah -- the game's over if we cover this kick," Harbaugh responded. "We don't make it easy, do we?" Flacco posited. "No, we don't," Harbaugh said. "If he starts to break it, go tackle him," Flacco then said to Pitta. "Really?" "I don't know ... I mean ... what else can they ... they might be able to give them a touchdown on that? I don't know," Flacco told Pitta. Flacco, flush with enthusiasm over his new tackling tactic, then went around and tried to get other teammates on his side. "Hey! If he breaks this ... if he busts it for some reason? Tackle him! Go tackle him," Flacco said to guard Marshal Yanda and center Matt Birk. "I don't know what the rule is on that, but..." "Why don't you?" Yanda asked. "I'm going to!" Well, he didn't have to, and it's a good thing. Under the rules, Boger could have awarded the 49ers a touchdown anyway. Per Rule 12, Section 3, Article 3 of the NFL Rules Manual: "Palpably Unfair Act. A player or substitute shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair. Penalty: For a palpably unfair act: Offender may be disqualified. The Referee, after consulting his crew, enforces any such distance penalty as they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The Referee may award a score." So, imagine that. After a 34-minute blackout in the Superdome, and a series of very questionable calls on both sides, Boger -- a mediocre official at best -- would have been left to decide who won the Super Bowl based on his own discretion. ---------------- Flacco told teammates to run onto field and tackle Ginn to keep him from scoring.
