Last nights game deciding face mask...good or bad call?

[Cincyfan78]

That was just the Lions being the Lions this year.

It was almost as if they had never practiced a hail mary defense before. Didn't have a single player standing on the goalline.

The funniest part of the hail mary....go check the replay. There is a Lions player standing on the 40 yard line right in front of the packers bench. 20 yards from Rodgers and 40 yards from the end zone. What exactly the hell is he doing there? There has to be a reason why the coaches sat him over there (I can't think of one). And then count the numbers on the field. 3 Lions rushing the passer, 6 Lions in the 2nd zone. 1 in no mans land in the video. That means there was one more Lion playing zone on the bottom side of the field that didn't run to the end zone. Why are they guarding the side line on an untimed down?

There are a lot of situations where I think coaches get unfairly blamed and fired because of lack of talent or players just not performing. But this Lions team is probably the most unprepared team I have seen from an NFL team in quite awhile. Caldwell has more than earned the pink slip that will be handed to him at the end of the season.

Very odd alignment indeed.

I'm not a huge fan of the just rush 2 or 3 guys in that situation. Yeah, you want additional guys in the back line, but only rushing 2 or 3 (as many teams do) just gives the QB too much time and space to even get a throw off. I'd rather send the traditional 4 guys and see if you can force a quicker throw, that ends up traveling less than the needed yardage.

As you pointed out, it could have easily been done by sending 1, or both, of the oddly aligned players. Rodgers wouldn't have been able to scramble as he did, nor get into a full throwing motion (in theory, of course).

 

[ducky]

There was also one on the other side doing the exact same thing.

Yeah I edited after I counted. I couldn't see him on the video but the numbers add up to that and assumed that was what they were doing.

I laugh when people think football is so tough because it is such a highly intelligent and advanced game. It is only difficult because 1/2 the coaches in the league are complete idiots and they are trying to teach the game to players that are often times even dumber than them.

The NFL has fallen prey to complete brain drain via their incestuous hiring methods where they never look outside of the league for ideas. I'm almost convinced that a group of teenager playing Madden on Xbox would make better coaches and handle end of game situations better than some of the coaching staffs we see around the league lately.

I came to this conclusion after listening to talk radio about 10 years ago and having to listen to the at the time exciting new coaching hire who still is passed around the league:

 

[The Derski]

lmao Packers are such a whiny fanbase and Rodgers is the biggest douche QB in the league imo. Always crying or whining about something. That was clearly not a facemask. The defender TOUCHED the mask but never grabbed it. Rodgers is a known flopper so no surprise this happened.

Facemask rule, as written, wasn’t violated by Lions

Article 5 No player shall twist, turn, or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction. Penalty: For twisting, turning, or pulling the mask: Loss of 15 yards. A personal foul. The player may be disqualified if the action is judged by the official(s) to be of a flagrant nature. A.R. 12.12 Third-and-10 on A30. Runner A1 runs to the A33, where he is tackled by B1, who incidentally grasps A1’s facemask on the tackle, but it is not a twist, turn, or pull. Ruling: A’s ball, fourth-and-seven, on A33. No Foul.

Was an amazing throw and catch though. Not many QBs can huck it like that from their own 30.

 

[whywork2]

...and the same goes for you. If it was Brady and not Rodgers, you'd be saying no foul.

I don't agree, I would have thought boy did they luck out and get a huge break, which they undoubtedly did, but I wouldn't think how can they call that. I would have thought it sucks but that just how it worked out.

 

[The Derski]

Rodgers was trying to make an evasive move to avoid the defender. He actually ducked his head into the defenders outstretched arm. The ref who threw the flag had no way of seeing if the face ask was actually grabbed or even touched. There is no way that flag should have been thrown. The ref was assuming the face mask was grabbed because of the way Rodgers was tackled. How an official can throw a flag at that point in the game based on an assumption is beyond me.

This point can't be argued because we all saw the replay and we all saw the facemask was never grabbed.

Two refs threw their flags...

 

[whywork2]

Apples and oranges.

I made a relish with apples, oranges and cranberries for Thanksgiving. It's delicious.

 

[LambeauRambo]

I blame my Mom for calling me during the game.


It was 17-0 when she called. Hung up just in time to see the last shit

You should have just invited Mom to come down to the basement and watch the game together.

 

[NEhomer]

Not a fact because it wasn't the last play of the game, and the Lions still had a chance to defend. But you can go on thinking you're right, though you're not. Doesn't bother me. Cheers.

It wasn't the final play BECAUSE OF THE FLAG....cripes.

Fact, if the flag is not thrown, the clock had expired and there never would have been another play.

 

[NCChiFan]

In real time, it looked like a face mask from the field. In slow motion from a different angle, no it wasn't a face mask. Ref's don't have slow motion from different angles when they toss a flag and some crap isn't reviewable.
Right call in real time... Bad call in slow motion.

 

[Podunkparte]

Exactly...you can't blame the ref because he couldn't see the entire play from behind, but the fact that no other official stepped up to correct the call, fuels the need to review penalties on some level.

That right there is exactly my problem with the officiating league-wide. They don't wait to throw a flag only when they actually see a penalty occur. Instead, they also throw them when they see something that maybe kinda sorta was a penalty if they had been watching that player instead, from a different angle. The ref last night did not see a facemask penalty. He saw Rodgers' head turn slightly from behind and assumed he saw a facemask penalty. Huge difference

 

[beardown07]

You should have just invited Mom to come down to the basement and watch the game together.

 

[LambeauRambo]

View attachment 61604

Sorry, I had to, you just left it to wide open for it. I'm sure you'll return the favor.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

That right there is exactly my problem with the officiating league-wide. They don't wait to throw a flag only when they actually see a penalty occur. Instead, they also throw them when they see something that maybe kinda sorta was a penalty if they had been watching that player instead, from a different angle. The ref last night did not see a facemask penalty. He saw Rodgers' head turn slightly from behind and assumed he saw a facemask penalty. Huge difference

It's bad when the Nantz watching the replay said...and I'm paraphrasing..."did he really grab the facemask?...no it doesn't appear that he did"...screwed.

 

[The Derski]

Can't we all just bask in the glory that is Aaron Rodgers?

70. Yards. In. The. Air.

Recognize.

 

[Cincyfan78]

It wasn't the final play BECAUSE OF THE FLAG....cripes.

Fact, if the flag is not thrown, the clock had expired and there never would have been another play.

And still proving my point. Regardless of the flag Detroit had a chance to win if they just play basic defense. THAT cost them the game. Not the flag.

But feel free to continue on.

 

[Ricky Roma]

Like most people....live and it looked like a penalty. Replay...not so much.

However, I don't feel too badly for the Lions. Last play of the game, so you know what the call is from where the LOS was. It's a shot to the end zone, and pretty much everyone knows this....except it seems Caldwell. Where were the hands team, ie preparing for an onside kick. Where was Calvin Johnson? He was the first player I thought of in that scenario....I'm pretty sure he wasn't on the field.

 

[Wazmankg]

One thing that isn't mentioned. Could there not have been another penalty on that play? Rodgers was tackled by a hand pulling him down by his shoulder pad. Horse collar tackle, 15 yard penalty.

Nobody has mentioned it because it wasn't a horsecollar tackle. He has to get his hand inside the collar for it to be a horse collar tackle. That didn't happen either, just like the facemask didn't happen, though it looked like it at first glance.

and for those arguing Rodgers helmet and chin strap were askew and displaced as evidence of the facemask, look at the video again. Neither of those things happened until his head hit the ground. You can see his helmet on straight and chin strap in place as he fell to the ground.

 

[Wazmankg]

The thread title sucks. It was not a "game deciding facemask."

Ok. The Lions played stupid D on the last 2 plays but if that face mask isn't called the game is over... literally. So I don't see how you can say it wasn't game deciding.

 

[Wazmankg]

That was just the Lions being the Lions this year.

It was almost as if they had never practiced a hail mary defense before. Didn't have a single player standing on the goalline.

The funniest part of the hail mary....go check the replay. There is a Lions player standing on the 40 yard line right in front of the packers bench. 20 yards from Rodgers and 40 yards from the end zone. What exactly the hell is he doing there? There has to be a reason why the coaches sat him over there (I can't think of one). And then count the numbers on the field. 3 Lions rushing the passer, 6 Lions in the 2nd zone. 1 in no mans land in the video. That means there was one more Lion playing zone on the bottom side of the field that didn't run to the end zone. Why are they guarding the side line on an untimed down?

There are a lot of situations where I think coaches get unfairly blamed and fired because of lack of talent or players just not performing. But this Lions team is probably the most unprepared team I have seen from an NFL team in quite awhile. Caldwell has more than earned the pink slip that will be handed to him at the end of the season.

Caldwell said they were anticipating another lateral-fest, as if Rodgers can't throw the ball 60+ yards.
That's probably why he was there.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

Ok. The Lions played stupid D on the last 2 plays but if that face mask isn't called the game is over... literally. So I don't see how you can say it wasn't game deciding.

Because it does not fit the definition of game deciding.

Merriam:

: to make a choice about (something) : to choose (something) after thinking about it

: to choose whether or not to believe (something) after thinking about it : to reach a conclusion about (something) because of evidence

: to cause (something) to end in a particular way : to determine what the result of (something) will be

Had Rogers not caught that hail mary, which occurred after the facemask call, the game would have ended differently, therefore, the call was not the deciding factor in the game.

I understand your point, but that is not the definition of "decide," and I'm a fucking stickler for the actual meaning of words.