Regardless of the precise procedure that will apply to the handling of the oversized video board hanging from the rafters of the brand-new Cowboys Stadium, a league source tells us that something will need to be done.
Per the source, the “do over” option doesn’t represent a viable long-term for dealing with punts that bounce off the structure.
The approach isn’t nearly as simple as it might sound. As Tom Curran pointed out earlier today, the “gunners” on the punt coverage team will be gassed after the first try.
Other potential problems include properly resetting the clock for the “do over,” along with the possibility that some of the penalties occurring during a play that didn’t count can’t be ignored, such as personal fouls.
As the source explained it, the league office and/or the Competition Committee will make a list of all potential consequences of the “do over” option, and then make a list of all potential alternatives.
The biggest problem? Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a key player in the coming labor showdown, already has made it clear that he won’t be happy with anything other than the “do over” scenario. Also, Jones will point out that the league approved the stadium design, and that the league knew all along the 240-foot board would be hanging 90 feet over the playing surface.
As the source explained it, the league meticulously reviews the plans for each proposed stadium, and ensures that there will be no problems. So Jones (perhaps justifiably) will be more than a little miffed if told that he needs to find a way to pull the video screens higher or, if that can’t be done, take the thing down.
Still, there’s a certain irony to the fact that the mammoth, four-sided movie-screen structure has created what could turn out to be a huge mess. As legend has it, Texas Stadium was built with a hole in the roof so that God could watch his favorite team play. Though Jones was wise to replicate the feature in the new Cowboys Stadium, he never should have blocked the Alpha and the Omega Fan’s view.
A billion+ $ are spent on this stadium and not 1 frikkin’ engineer or contractor could figure out that this would happen? unbelievable.
Sources are great, but they are not the horses mouth. How about we hear from the commish to know if jerrah has overstepped his bounds?
It hurts my brain trying to understand how a league that bothers to police players’ socks could somehow overlook the fact that punts soar higher than 90 feet.
Hell..Just raise the damn thing……..It took all of one game to realize it was too low…….Specs or no specs…..It’s too low…..”Do Over” scenario?…..For real?….Whats next, if he doesn’t like how the game is going is he going to take the football and go home?……
Florio, it’s not blocking fan’s view of the field. There’s not a bad seat in the house, even leaving the screens right where they are. Stow that nonsense. I did run across an interesting article, though. I’ll provide some pertinent excerpts. Seems that it was built and placed inside NFL specs, so maybe the NFL should pay to have it raised if they can’t wait for it to be done for the U2 concert.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/12098560
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones helped set the height at 90 feet above the field — 5 feet above the league minimum — even though tests using the team’s punter, Mat McBriar, showed he could clear 100 feet. The reasoning behind cutting it close was that during the tests, McBriar was trying to boot it that high, but a regular punt has a lower arc and is usually kicked toward a sideline, not right down the middle.
“I’m not worried about it,” Jones said. “I’m very comfortable that our height on our scoreboard is OK.”
The board has to go up to fit the stage for a U2 concert on Oct. 12. The Cowboys could leave it at that new height or they could use that opportunity to put in a system that would let them raise and lower it whenever they want. However, that would add to the price tag of a stadium that’s already nearly double its originally projected cost of $650 million.
They also might not want to make any changes based on one preseason game.
First Yankee Stadium, and now this?
Well, what does one expect for 1.5 billion (perfection)?
Shoot, ya get up ta take a piss, and tha darn thing knocks yer ten gallon hat off!
clearly there is no God or everything he said was a lie…..over 50% of church goers are divorced! therefore 50% of church goers are hypocrites and do not practice what they preach….
So maybe Jones realized this and could not care less about a God who answers no-ones prayers.
League should pay for the change to the stadium if they approved it.
And if they were Gods favorite team why did he blow up their practice dome.
screw him! why believe in God when you can believe in yourself??????????
The NFL need to have them move it up or move it out. The do over option favors the return team and this will be a lingering problem that will eventually be moved up or out. So why not now. Jones should have had Lechler out there punting to test it out months ago. Problematic if it remains the same.
OK, admittedly I’m a Boys fan. But I’m not sure that has any bearing here. I’d feel the same if we were talking about Philly’s new scoreboard or whatever.
So, what’s the big deal? MLB parks have quirks that the home teams have learned to use to their advantage. Green Monster, anyone? You KNOW the Sox have learned to play balls off that abomination better than their opponents. If you have a poor-bunting team, you slope the base lines so that the other team’s bunts go foul. And so on.
The Boston Celtics played for years in the Boston Garden, which had known dead spots in its hardwood floor. The Celts learned to use those spots to their advantage – forcing teams to dribble through them. So, maybe intentionally, maybe unintentionally the Cowboys have such a quirk in their facility.
So, my bet is that McBriar will learn to punt so as to avoid the scoreboard. Either he will kick it farther and longer (as he did last night), or will aim so that the apex of the punt is somewhere other than inside the big TV set. If the opposing punters can’t learn to do that, advantage goes to the Boys. Gee, that’s so unfair. Not.
God doesn’t like watching the playoffs, apparently.
Amazing….so no one, ANYONE, thought to have some practice punts kicked while the stadium was being built/conceived to see how high they might go ???
This is what happens when businessmen and glamour guys get to make decisions and the sport is put second.
Kinda fitting though that it happened with Jerry Jones & the Cowboys
It’s Texas, just have the scoreboard lift itself up by its bootstraps.
Only happy with a “do over” scenario? He can always rebuild the stadium.
When they unveiled plans for the stadium and the giant display people were talking about punts hitting it. This most definitely isn’t something that just presented itself.
Have been reading alot of stuff about this screen..does not seen right…if the nfl approved the plans…they can pay too raise the thing…that only seems fair…and all this talk about disadvantages for the kicker and punters…well that goes for both teams so its a level playing field..and is it not the rule..that scoreboards and such have 2 be 85 feet above the field..that video screen is 90….can’t wait 2 see how many punters pull a hammie trying 2 hit it on purpose lol…so i say if it has 2 be raised…let the guys that gave it the green light pay for it…..I think this is a case of stadium envy …just my guess
Jerry Jones is fine with do-overs.
He’s been doing it with his facelifts for decades.
I heard Jerry wanted a do-over of that sorry affair on the last day of the season last year. He didn’t get one there either.
That thing is hideous, ruins the entire (otherwise) beautiful stadium IMHO. They showed what the thing looks like to the fans in the upper deck. It’s SO massive that it’s a huge huge distraction to the game going on underneath on the field. This is Big D-sized massive overkill on a scale that only Jerry Jones could conceive. It definitely needs to be moved, no matter who is to blame for its existence. Frankly, the place would be better off if they just got rid of the thing altogether and put in “normal” sized replay screens at both ends of the joint.
A “Do-over”, are you freaking kidding me? JJ wants the solution to be “Do-overs”?
I think that last face-lift may have finally moved his brain all the way to his ass.
Game off.
Please shut up about this.
We get it, you hate the Cowboys.
Heh.
The Cowgirls (and their owner) are a lot like their gawdawful new video monitor…
The flashiest boob-tube(s) that money can buy, and it will still get it’s backside kicked because it’s a lot low-hanging and fruity.
what a joke, where was all the outrage when NBC and ESPN had their little overhead camera on wires during games and there’s been do overs when the football hit their wires, not a word…. now that it’s cowboy stadium and a soon to be walmart greeter hits the board which he clearly was trying to do, since the ball didn’t travel thirty yards, now it’s a big deal for gunners, lmao!!!!
The hipocrits of a league that approved the plans of the stadium and mandated the 85 foot height which is actually 90 feet above the stadium, but now it’s a problem… want some cheese with that whine!!
1.2 Billion and your scoreboard is in the way. LMAO…only in Texas.
Much as I hate the Cowboys, if the NFL approved the screens and now they’re a problem, the NFL should pay to have them moved, not Jerry Jones.
It needs to be moved or otherwise changed so as not to interfere with the play of the game. Despite the fact that the league reviewed it they can’t simulate real gameplay and this falls into this category.
Bottom Line:
Jerry needs to pull his head out of his 3rd point of contact and make the change.
“Whats next, if he doesn’t like how the game is going is he going to take the football and go home?”
I dunno, maybe they’ll call dead ball while it’s still bouncing around on the field after a wide receiver spikes it at the one yard line on the way to his touchdown dance.
“The do over option favors the return team”
Right, for both sides. You know, like cold games are cold for both teams, not just the ones from Florida.
“A “Do-over”, are you freaking kidding me? JJ wants the solution to be “Do-overs”?”
That’s the NFL’s solution. Sorry, but that’s the truth unless and until they come up with something better (and pay for it, since the screens are higher than the NFL specifies that they need to be).
“It’s SO massive that it’s a huge huge distraction to the game going on underneath on the field.”
It’s not Jerry Jones’ fault if you have ADD or are easily distracted by shiny objects. No fans in attendance had a problem, apparently.
1. Having play continue with the ball being a “live ball” even after touching the screen is obviously not a viable solution. This isn’t Arena football.
2. Having “do overs” anytime a punt hits the screen is obviously not a viable solution, at least in the long term. The whole concept of the “do over” is just foreign to the whole mentality of the game.
3. Thus, the only viable option is to have the screen raised so that no part of it is within reach of an NFL punter. Now, you can haggle about who has to pay for it (and though I more of a Cowboys hater than a Cowboys fan, I think the ‘Boys could legitimately argue that since the NFL blew it by approving the plans, the NFL should pay for the raising), but I don’t think anyone in their right mind could argue that the screen can remain where it is. Simply because, if it’s low enough that it can be hit, then it’s going to be hit. Which inevitably leads to either #1 or #2, both of which are options the league is clearly not going to allow long-term.
what a joke, where was all the outrage when NBC and ESPN had their little overhead camera on wires during games and there’s been do overs when the football hit their wires, not a word….
Hear hear!
Scoreboard envy is just penis envy!
“Despite the fact that the league reviewed it they can’t simulate real gameplay and this falls into this category. ”
Good point. I don’t think any punters are going to be trying to hit the screens when the games are live. That dude last night was definitely trying to hit it. He was trying to zero in on it before the game. Why’s he looking up in the sky anyway, that’s a good way to get your head knocked off on a football field. He was looking up because he was aiming for the screens and he wanted to see if he would hit what he was aiming at. He didn’t even attempt to jog downfield to cover his punt.
It’s real simple, if you’re punting to hit it you probably will. If you’re punting for field position you probably won’t. If he wasn’t trying to hit it, the Titans need a punter that can control his punts better than that. That’s the difference between a Pro Bowler punter (like Matt McBriar, who had no problem at all firing off several long punts as well as a couple of coffin corner types) and a slapdick camp fodder guy like that Titans punter. You got your fifteen minutes dude, see ya later byebye.
The league approved it….The league should have to pay for it……I hate the Cowgirls and JJ but it’s not their fault.
Do over would be ridiculous . . . unless it would only happen twice a year. The NFL and Cowboys should both be looking for alternatives though.
cowboys fan here. lived in dallas for many years, lived in valley ranch, went to many games, so the star is deep within me, but …..
have to look at this sensibly, and not let the ego get in the way … ya listening jerrah? swallow yer pride for the first time in your life!
matt mcbriar didn’t hit the board cuz he has practiced there and has a home field advantage, hello!
obviously from jerrah’s comments about punting, he doesn’t understand the game. no surprise there. maybe he should talk to his special teams coach and others around the game. funny how he was jokin’ it up with hentrich and trapasso before the game after he saw them hitting the board.
if i’m a returner, and i see a punt going to the side, what chances are there that the punt gets lost in the screen? just like a fly ball gets lost in the sun or in the color of the roof, aka tropicana or metrodome?
i don’t want the arena league jerrah. just raise the damn scoreboard 15 or 20 feet, leave it there, and be done with it. swallow your damn pride. from the view of the upper level, 15 or 20 feet higher would be a good thing anyway, wouldn’t be so distracting. watching the game from the upper deck always looks just like watching a movie anyway, you’ve just taken it to a higher level … no pun intended.
you can move it up for a U2 concert, but can’t accommodate the business of football (not a game anymore), the real money-maker for this stadium? you are risking making this stadium looking like a joke … and that’s not even figuring in the factor that your practice dome collapsed due to poor construction … what the hell happens if the world’s hugest punt blocker falls? you don’t exactly have a good track record here with such things.
wishing for the days of the triplets, and becoming further disillusioned by the day with the competency of this franchise …
aikman8
VoxVeritas says: August 22, 2009 8:15 PM
“It’s real simple, if you’re punting to hit it you probably will. If you’re punting for field position you probably won’t. If he wasn’t trying to hit it, the Titans need a punter that can control his punts better than that. That’s the difference between a Pro Bowler punter (like Matt McBriar, who had no problem at all firing off several long punts as well as a couple of coffin corner types) and a slapdick camp fodder guy like that Titans punter. You got your fifteen minutes dude, see ya later byebye.”
Ok now your justifying this by a player’s capabilities and making the argument that it is ok where it is. So what you are saying is that every team that comes to Jerry Jones’s money grubbing stadium should have a Pro Bowl punter?
Wow, I am so glad I have a Pro Bowl punter instead of a Pro Bowl “-Insert whatever player you want.” on my team. In fact I want a QB that fails miserably in December on my team and can’t win a playoff game- that is also in the Pro Bowl.
44-6 Vox… crawl back under your rock.
# Jackal138 says: August 22, 2009 6:32 PM
Jerry Jones is fine with do-overs.
He’s been doing it with his facelifts for decades.
s.”
Good point..
He and Tony Romo have also been doing it with making and winning in the playoffs.
Romo: Oh well Jerry we can always do over next season.
Jones: Yeah that sounds like a good idea… Tony? TONY?
Romo: Sorry Jerry I keep fainting when my mind does a do over of the 44-6.
If its not raised or torn down take away all the home games from the cowpukes
Or find a nice high school to play at
U2 should pay for it. Let Jerry ir the NFL front the money and let U2 reimburse them when they were paying anyway… Should be cheaper for U2 since they do not need to raise it and then lower it again.
Vox, I challenge you to a game of Madden on that screen. You seem to have a lot of pull in the stadium…. Or frogger if that is more your speed.
44-6 Vox… crawl back under your rock.
————–
So funny.
That’s all you guys have to go on. Eagles fans would rather beat Dallas twice in a season than win a Super Bowl. It speaks volumes too. They are so proud of it because it’s the Cowboys. If they beat someone else the same way by the same score to get in the playoffs, it wouldn’t be as big a deal. The Eagles are the modern day Buffalo Bills. Only they like to choke in championship games.
*5-0
“Ok now your justifying this by a player’s capabilities and making the argument that it is ok where it is.”
No, I’m actually saying that the NFL says it’s ok where it is until the NFL says otherwise.
“So what you are saying is that every team that comes to Jerry Jones’s money grubbing stadium should have a Pro Bowl punter?”
No, I’m saying that an NFL caliber punter should have some control over where his kicks go, and if he can’t then maybe it’s a bad kick. If he routinely can’t control his punts then maybe he’s better suited for other work.
“Wow, I am so glad I have a Pro Bowl punter instead of a Pro Bowl “-Insert whatever player you want.” on my team.”
It’s not like you’re allowed only so many pro bowl players. Stop being a dumb Eagirls fan, if your substandard genes will allow it.
“In fact I want a QB that fails miserably in December on my team and can’t win a playoff game- that is also in the Pro Bowl.”
Too bad. You’re stuck with McNabb, and his best football is way behind him.
i keep reading this argument on here that the punter was trying to hit the world’s largest punt blocker on purpose during the game …
do you REALLY think a second string punter … c’mon … SECOND STRING PUNTER, in a pre-season game, trying to win a job, is going to try to do that?!?!? think about it folks.
come to think of it … the way the world is today, maybe he DID do it on purpose, to make a name for himself, to get other teams interested in a SECOND STRING PUNTER … after all, we sure know a. j. trapasso’s name now don’t we? this, combined with the trick play in the hall of fame game he was part of, he sure has made a name for himself.
too bad it’s come down to that, and not what he’s done on the field … besides hitting the world’s largest punt blocker.
c’mon jerrah, you’re better than this!
“U2 should pay for it.”
You know I think that that’s exactly what they’re going to do. I don’t really give a shit who pays for it though. Jerry Jones isn’t going to go broke over it, probably made enough in $8 nachos sales Friday night to pay for moving it. I’m pissed off that the thing was built to exceed NFL’s specs, and a couple of weeks before the season starts, all of a sudden it’s a huge problem and everybody wants to make a big deal out of it. Fact is the NFL has a remedy on the books for times when a football may come in contact with an overhead obstruction. You kick again. That’s the rule. It’s happened before. Why is this even a big deal at this point?
I’d pwn you nerd-style at Madden or Tiger Woods ’10. Forget about Tecmo Super Bowl, you’d know true pain if we were to play that. Look at this and tell me that thing’s not badass. Don’t lie. And I have zero pull with the stadium, but I do have a couple of friends with American Airlines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0PUPih-VOE
i don’t want the arena league jerrah.
—————————————-
This is from a Cowboys fan, who probably just wants to watch football, root for his team, and would like a return to past days of glory..Yes i’m well aware of the cowboys PAST success…….I have never seen such a level headed statement on here, is it going to be labeled as hate? Sure, it’s fine when opposing teams fans bust balls, thats what this site is all about and it’s a great way to make the rivarly burn hotter..Whatever ammo you get, you use it..,But it’s refreshing to see a fan who actually doesn’t sugarcoat everything, doesn’t give far fetched references and/or inane stats to emphasize his blogesphere status…..Perhaps he has seen the last decade as a football fan, and is unhappy about it, and feels no need to enhance his status ……..Kudos to you Mr.Aikman8…..
Hubris invites nemesis.
VoxVeritas says: August 22, 2009 10:11 PM
“It’s not like you’re allowed only so many pro bowl players. Stop being a dumb Eagirls fan, if your substandard genes will allow it.”
Substandard genes huh? Well my brother actually played 4 years for Penn State and is now a strength and conditioning coach there. I myself have my Master’s degree and I am military officer with 14 years of proud service to our nation. My younger brother is currently deployed to Iraq, and I have just recently returned.
Sister is the department head of Level III trauma center. Damn I hate to see what your definition of a scholar is.
Do you honestly believe this punter was trying to hit this piece of crap poor excuse for a stadium visual distraction? Perhaps in pre-game warmups but not in game conditions. I am guessing you had some sort of clairvoyance into his brain to uncover his true intentions.
Ever since Jones had his horrific facelift he’s obsessed with do-overs. Hell, the FCC should fine any network that shows his face on tv. At bedtime my nephew keeps thinking Jerry Jones is hiding in the closet and won’t go to sleep.
“…# urinal mint says: August 22, 2009 7:14 PM
Please shut up about this.
We get it, you hate the Cowboys….”
We don’t hate the Cowboys, we hate the Patriots.
The Cowboys just suck.
Do-over is not a workable solution.
My suggestion is to make any punt that hits the scoreboard a touchback + a 15 yd penalty on the home team. In situations where opponents punted, they would be rewarded with a Cowboy’s start at the 10 (half the distance). In situations where the Cowboys punted, the opponents would be rewarded with a choice of starting at the 35 yd line or the location of where the play ended.
If Jerry won’t pay to remedy the situation, then his team should.
Might make for some interest in games and punts forgo length and direction while aiming for the scoreboard.
I’d be willing to bet that if the Crypt Keeper drafts a punter that has a really long hang time (lets your coverage teams converge to the ball, usually putting the kibosh on long returns) that the stinking screen gets raised.
Don’t try to argue with Vox. He’s a Cowboys fan who considers his team successful.
Obviously little things like “the facts” don’t concern him. Likewise, he also has clairvoyance into the true intentions of anyone he’s arguing with or about.
Vox Veritas says:
“I’d pwn you nerd-style at Madden or Tiger Woods ’10. Forget about Tecmo Super Bowl, you’d know true pain if we were to play that.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What a MAN……LMMFAO…I’m sure you’re the envy of all, in the land of STEERS & QUEERS!
Want true pain? Try exerting yourself physically as a regular part of your routine or better still, reread your posts!!!
theron2666…………would you like a cookie?
it is stuff like this that is ruining football. how on earth are we even CONSIDERING altering football’s rules to accomodate a huge video board?
and how on earth did NO ONE think that having a low-hanging video board wouldn’t interfere with punts? did this not occur to anyone?
Don’t laugh at the scoreboard. One day it will hang in the Jerry Jones museum of Jerry Jones Ego. Oh, my bad…it already does.