Giants coach Tom Coughlin feels ill about a challenge he lost in Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the Packers, because he still believes that tight end Jake Ballard possessed the ball and got his knee down inbounds in the end zone, which would have made it a touchdown.
In fact, Coughlin said he was shown indisputable evidence of Ballard having the ball, a still image from the TV broadcast that clearly shows the ball in Ballard’s hands with his knee down in the end zone.
“I just saw a picture which made me sick to my stomach, which FOX produced and showed, that he’s in,” Coughlin said. “Don’t ask me about that because I really don’t know why, but I did see the picture.”
Mike Pereira, the former NFL V.P. of officiating who now analyzes the rules for FOX, said during the replay review that Coughlin should win the challenge, because Ballard was inbounds. But referee Jeff Triplette let the play stand as called, an incomplete pass.
The Giants ended up with a field goal on the possession. Obviously, considering that they ended up losing by three points, four more points there would have been huge.
Coughlin lost two challenges against the Packers, and he acknowledged he made a mistake in throwing his challenge flag on a catch by Green Bay’s Donald Driver.
“I really shouldn’t have challenged,” Coughlin said. “I really didn’t get a great call from upstairs.”
But on the other challenge, Coughlin stands by his decision to throw the flag. And he still believes it was a blown call by Triplette.