Comments on: Lions lose as apparent Calvin Johnson game-winner is incomplete

By: SmurfJuice

SmurfJuice — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:08:31 +0000

MattStaffordWillSaveUs brings up an incredibly good point. If it were outside of the final two minutes, I truly do not believe even Lovie is dumb enough to challenge that.
On the flipside, if it was initially ruled a no-TD on the field, would Schwartz have challenged? Absolutely.

By: MrSir

MrSir — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:12:27 +0000

The referee that reversed the call was either gambling on the game and/ or was up against megatron and had the Bears “d” in FF this week . That would explain arguably, one of the worst calls ever made in the history of the NFL. All kidding aside,The problem is bigger then the “rule” Other players, coaches and teams with history get that call. Thats what is so pathetic about NFL officiating. Whether it’s human nature or not, it’s the hierarchy or chain of command that permits these calls to stand that needs to change. Could you imagine the black eye the NFL would have had to deal with had the catch been allowed to stand ? Images of the Cleveland beer bottle shower come to mind. Shame on the NFL and its spineless officials.

By: eyefeeler

eyefeeler — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:17:26 +0000

It was a catch; no question about it. The rule is there for plays with more question marks and they lost the points because of a bad rule. All rules and calls aside: don’t throw the effin ball at the wall; just get up and celebrate. WTF are you doing?

By: ARCPower

ARCPower — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:47:28 +0000

@chad call urself an idiot, not the people expressing the CORRECT opinion. He caught the ball, landed on his back in the end zone with complete control, then turned over and put the ball on the ground as he was getting up. Because he was in the END ZONE he is down on his back, the ball already crossed the goal line. Touchdown end of story with the rules as they are.

By: kindbek

kindbek — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:24:55 +0000

What’s important here is that he got to celebrate for an extra half second. That’s more important than winning.

By: rarson

rarson — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:31:31 +0000

“according to the rules they got the call right”
No, they didn’t. The rule states “he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground”. Johnson had control the whole time. His ass hit the ground and he STILL had control of the ball.
The rest of the rule mentioned above doesn’t even apply here, because he never lost control.

By: chad

chad — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:12:44 +0000

i dont understand how people are blaming the refs…according to the rules they got the call right….it was the rule that is a little bit off….so before you post a dumbass comment, understand what it is that happened….theres tons of idiots on this site

By: Fat Old Sun

Fat Old Sun — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:47:41 +0000

I say he should change his name to “The Process”
I would hate to be an NFL official, or any of the higher ups at corporate right now. You would think the last thing anybody would want is the entire city of Detroit pissed off at them.
They really don’t have much more to lose. This is a population that sets stuff on fire to celebrate … when they are happy. You don’t want to know what they are thinking when they are angry! I was born there. I’ve seen it.
When Bears fans say the Lions got screwed at Soldier Field, that alone should tell you how heinously wretched the call was.

By: M BAUMAN

M BAUMAN — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 01:43:16 +0000

Even if you buy the assertion that possession
was never completed anytime prior to the ball
touching the turf the fact remains that the ball
never came loose during the “process of the catch”.
When the ball contacted the turf he was still controlling it. He downed the ball in the endzone. So unless there’s another rule about having to still maintain possession after you down the ball it would seem the rule in question was totally misapplied and the play should have resulted in a touchdown.
The NFL needs to cull all the garbage from the rulebook and adopt the NHL system where all reviews are done at league headquarters.

By: Suh-weet

Suh-weet — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:20:03 +0000

Lifetime Lions fan here – unfortunately – and these guys just can’t catch a break. If I were Calvin, I wouldn’t give that ball to any ref until they signed for it after EVERY catch, whether its for a TD or not, for the REST of the season, just to be sure he completes the “process” of catching the ball. He could change his nickname from Megatron to FedEx Man!

By: JDMP

JDMP — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:51:15 +0000

If this was in reverse and it was a Cutler to Hester pass it would’ve been a touchdown cause the league always stands up for it’s big market teams.
Total BS screwjob!

By: bigO

bigO — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:29:25 +0000

This still pisses me off. If a WR catches the ball standing up and spikes it immediately, doesnt he have control for less time than Megatron did on this play. This is the stupidest rule I’ve ever seen.
This was so obviously a TD, ridiculous.

By: faulkn22

faulkn22 — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:45:59 +0000

Horrible ending and horrible rule/call

By: SmurfJuice

SmurfJuice — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 06:38:47 +0000

There are some people that have suggested he should have pulled the ball in towards his body, clutched it close as he went to the ground. If the refs can’t see the damn ball in his hand when it’s outstretched, how the hell are they gonna see it when it’s up close to him?
Still no official words from the NFL on this issue.. I’m quite interested to see how they spin this.

By: mattSTAFFORDwillSAVEus

mattSTAFFORDwillSAVEus — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 04:39:59 +0000

Lets say this play occured in the middle of the fourth quarter instead of in the final minute….Lets say the call on the field was a TD , do you reall think the Bears would look @ that replay and issue a challenge ? I doubt it.

By: rarson

rarson — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:45:10 +0000

“A receiver by rule does not have possession until he completes the “act” of making the reception. To do this he needs to remain possesion until the dust settles and the play is 100% completely over.”
That’s clearly not true. Have you ever watched a football game before?
Apparently many of you can’t read. The rule says “he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground”. I’d say that his ass hitting the ground would qualify as “touching the ground”.

By: rarson

rarson — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:39:42 +0000

It’s not even the right call. Johnson had control of the ball the whole time. He didn’t bobble the ball or lose control, so he wasn’t required to maintain control of the ball after being down. The second his ass hit the ground, the catch was made. Actually, the two steps he took meant the catch was made.
It’s NOT a correct call by the rule, not even close. That’s why the call doesn’t make any sense. The rule isn’t really a bad one, it’s the ref’s interpretation of it that is screwed up.

By: Prufrock

Prufrock — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:52:51 +0000

This has to be the most nonsensical comment I’ve seen. Refs make mistakes. Sometimes one ref will signal a catch and another ref with a better vantage point will overrule it. Sometimes they make the incorrect call and they overturn it on replay. They reviewed it, and with the benefit of being able to closely view the play in its entirety, they made the correct call.
Quoted:
This is for you and anyone else who is either blaming Calvin or saying the refs made the correct call:
Why is it the the ref with the clearest view of the play signal TD in the first place? Of ALL of the people on the field and in the stadium, shouldn’t refs have the most knowledge as it concerns the rules of football? How is it that a ref with a clear and unobstructed view of the play rule TD and was overruled by another ref out of the field of play? And why does it burn when I pee? That’s my biggest problem with all of this….even the refs don’t know the rules. If this was a clear as day rule like sooooo many of you “experts” are so inclined to tell the rest of us, you would think that the man who signaled TD, that actually has a job as NFL official, would have gotten it right.

By: Mel Kiper IV

Mel Kiper IV — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:15:20 +0000

Pathetic. Was that Tim Donaghy making the take away? It was a take away because the ref that was right there ruled it a touchdown. But, it’s understandable – how was the ref who called it a touchdown to know the crew chief had a ton of money on the game.

By: The Laces Were In

The Laces Were In — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:09:39 +0000

# Prufrock says: September 13, 2010 7:45 AM
If you want to argue against the rule, then fine. I am fine with that. But the refs are tasked with enforcing the rules as written, and the receiver did not control the ball going all the way to the ground. Similarly, the players are tasked with playing by the rules defined by the league, and Johnson should not have been looking for his chance to celebrate before he demonstrated full control of the ball ALL THE WAY to the ground.
______________________________________
This is for you and anyone else who is either blaming Calvin or saying the refs made the correct call:
Why is it the the ref with the clearest view of the play signal TD in the first place? Of ALL of the people on the field and in the stadium, shouldn’t refs have the most knowledge as it concerns the rules of football? How is it that a ref with a clear and unobstructed view of the play rule TD and was overruled by another ref out of the field of play? That’s my biggest problem with all of this….even the refs don’t know the rules. If this was a clear as day rule like sooooo many of you “experts” are so inclined to tell the rest of us, you would think that the man who signaled TD, that actually has a job as NFL official, would have gotten it right.

By: GoLions81

GoLions81 — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:36:13 +0000

He dropped the ball because he was getting up. sorry calvin didnt know he had to the carry the ball to the bench with him. In no way shape or form was celebration a reason y he dropped the ball.

By: Tetsuo

Tetsuo — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:44:20 +0000

#1 Score the touchdown
#2 Celebrate
do it in that order, you’ll have no problems.
On a related note, I’m sick of players tossing the ball the second they cross the goal line. HOLD ON TO THE BALL. It’s basic.

By: Allied Biscuit

Allied Biscuit — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:21:35 +0000

has this turned into a vikings, packers argument yet?
/i just made it one

By: Jon Snow

Jon Snow — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:07:05 +0000

I don’t know if this has been said yet, but that was a touchdown and the Lions got hosed!

By: flynfuzz

flynfuzz — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:57:18 +0000

Most (though not all) NFL refs use the instant replay – not so much to get the call right – but rather to find justification to uphold their call on the field. They can’t admit when they blow a call. So they good under the hood for as long as it takes to find something – anything to support their mistake.
In this case, they took a very subjective rule that has been interpreted many different ways in different games, and gave it an interpretation that supported the on field call !
Everyone who saw it knew it was a touchdown – even those who won’t admit it. But once th call was blown, the “let’s go to instant replay to try to save face” mentality kicked in.
The call was wrong ! And no amount of trying to spin it into a correct rule interpretation will change that.
First there was the Armando Gallaraga perfect game that was stolen away by a bad call. Now this.
How many more times are Detroit fans going to be screwed by poor officiating ?

By: Dwebert4

Dwebert4 — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:50:16 +0000

Random thoughts/responses from a Bears fan.
Dumb rule, right call.
It differs from a running back reaching out to break the plane in that a running back has possesion when he takes the hand-off. A receiver by rule does not have possession until he completes the “act” of making the reception. To do this he needs to remain possesion until the dust settles and the play is 100% completely over. He didn’t do that. Stupid yes, but correctly called by the letter of the rule…and no he wasn’t done falling to the ground until that ball touched the ground and came out of his hand. If he could’ve stood up withoug using the ball as a brace (and fumbling it in the process) then he would have been fine. He couldn’t, he wasn’t. Too bad.
As far as the “The Bears didn’t deserve to win this game” argument, I’ll just say this: Total offense Bears 463 yds Lions 168 yds. During the Lions first 8 possesions of the second half prior to the controversial drive, the Lions had 5 yards of total offense…think about that 5 total yard on 8 possessions. Does anyone truly think that the Lions “deserved” to win this game any more than the Bears did?
Finally, is wrong that I delight in the pain of Detroit fans as much as I do? Crappy way to win a game, but anytime, any way that Detroit loses in any sport, I’m a happy man.

By: DocBG

DocBG — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:47:29 +0000

100% vikings fan here.
After hoping both teams would find a way to lose the game, its a crying shame to see the lions robbed like this.
2 feet + ass on the ground + another step + Control of ball = No TD
Something wrong with that math……

By: MotorCitySteel

MotorCitySteel — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:47:27 +0000

From a Steelers Fan………….The lions got screwed over royally. No way that wasn’t a catch. Mike Pereira is a kool-aid drinking homeboy, who never disagrees with his “boys”. I hope I never have to see an official dictate the outcome again. THE RULE MUST CHANGE………. No Fun League strikes again!

By: ACS2

ACS2 — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:26:52 +0000

Prufrock says:
September 13, 2010 7:45 AM
If you want to argue against the rule, then fine. I am fine with that. But the refs are tasked with enforcing the rules as written, and the receiver did not control the ball going all the way to the ground. Similarly, the players are tasked with playing by the rules defined by the league, and Johnson should not have been looking for his chance to celebrate before he demonstrated full control of the ball ALL THE WAY to the ground.
—————-
I disagree.. I think it’s on the official to use common sense and apply the rules as needed. This rule is to prevent touchdowns when airborne players fumble the ball upon making contact with the ground. That’s NOT what happened here. It’s clear to everyone with two eyes that Johnson let the ball go as he was getting up. There’s a difference, and the referee should’ve identified it. Lions got screwed. Luckily, it’ll probably have zero impact on their season (and the Bears’ season).

By: researchALLwars

researchALLwars — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:06:30 +0000

“If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.”
Watch the replay. The dude is getting back up while placing the ball on the ground. Not to mention there was no point in time where he didn’t have complete control of that ball.
BY RULE. THAT is a touchdown.
keep ya head up 81. It’ll swing back your way before seasons end.