It sucks to lose a game because of a questionable call, but that’s just part of the game. Coaches need to understand this and stop blaming the officials for their team’s defeat.

When a rule gets applied inconsistently, like the tuck rule was, and only in a championship game, it detracts from the game.

I have no dog in this hunt, being from Denver, but Harbaugh has a point. If the refs can point to 10 such calls made a year, he needs to shut up. But if a rule gets invoked only once a year, in a championship game, then he has a legitimate beef. Don’t tell me this was the only time all year the ball came out after forward progress was stopped. Or that in 2001, that tackle by the Raiders was the only time all year the ball got tucked. The Raiders got hosed on that call (and I’m a Raider hater) simply because of the inconsistency and randomness of invoking the rule.

But, as someone pointed out above, the 49ers lost the game because of other plays, not this one. As Marty Schottenheimer famously said when asked about his Superbowl record: it is what it is. Suck it up and use it for motivation to play smart special teams and be up by three touchdowns next year. Then bad calls won’t affect you.

The reason forward progress plays are allowed to finish before a whistle is blown is because to assume the player is going all the way down when the player may have plans to recover and try to make a play would remove the purpose of letting plays run to a conclusion througout the game, which is to allow the players a chance to make plays. It has nothing to do with fumbles.

Times when whistles are blown early: When a player physically, as in physics, cannot go to the ground to end the play due to solid masses, as in other players, keeping the ball-carrier standing upright.

The early whistle in question goes against the practices and purposes of the early whistle usage.

And in 1998 wild card game the Green Bay Packers were robbed on a Jerry Rice fumble that lead to TOs touchdown pass 2 plays later. That call was 10 times worse. The bottom line is the whistle blew before the Giants RB fumbled.
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Even worse than that was the 03 49er Giant playoff game when Sueburt was an eligible receiver who was tackled on the goal line before the ball got there.

No pass interference call was made and the game ended with no explanation ending the Giant season.

the next day the league actually apologized for the non call

go ahead and compare, and while you are comparing see whether the runner is face down or face up. When face up or falling backwards the refs blow the whistle. Also, just because the whistle doesn’t sound as soon as it should have does not mean the ref didn’t see it right. It was 3 full yards from the forward progress till the ball came loose. The most important part of any play or call is that they get it right, and in this case it is 100% no question they got it right.

Bradshaw falls on top of Tramaine Brock and is still in a position to get up and run as you’ve seen many times in other games. If he held onto the ball, he could’ve gotten up and run. Therefore, since he fumbled, the play should’ve continued and the 49ers should’ve gotten the ball. There was no reason for the Ref to blow the whistle that early. Compare all other plays similar to that and you will not see the Refs blow the whistle like that.

I can clearly support the complaints about the Tuck Rule – like Calvin Johnson’s non-TD last season, the eyes can tell you what the verdict really should have been.

But this? A play where forward progress is clearly stopped and the whistle has already blown? A play that happens 4 or 5 times every game? You gotta stop taking crybaby lessons from Harbaugh.

A few more examples: This year’s Heisman,the Stealers/Sea Hawks S.B. The Immaculate Reception,every college football poll for the last 20 years .

Had this been the NFL a few years ago then this would have been a fumble IMO, and that wouldn’t have been challengeable.

That being said, This didn’t decide the game. This would have given the 49ers the ball in Giants territory, and given the way they didn’t convert a 3rd down all game and still couldn’t (I don’t really count their only one since that was against a Prevent defense) it would have resulted in a quick field goal and the Giants would have needed one to tie. This was before the 2 minute warning and the Giants had 2 timeouts.

Harbaugh is just an emotional coach and can’t get over the fact that if you don’t win the big one your team isn’t the best that year. Still Coach of the Year imo, Kubiak had a lot of help from Phillips, how come no COY love for my man Starvin Marvin LEwis? Bengals had a great season

That’s not really true. Steelers WR Ernie Mills realized that Coryatt had undercut his slant route and reached a hand in to knock the ball out and prevent the INT. It was a great play by a WR turning defender to prevent a turnover, and Mills should get credit for the play.

If I may…I’ll give it to the “Wilcard” NY Giants. They found a way to win. Let me emphasize “A – way – to – win”. Yes your team clearly won if it wasn’t for our costly fumble by Kyle Williams & that blown (non fumble Bradshaw) call by the ref. Our Defense dominated your Offense. Yeah, I’m whining ~ whatever.

Let’s just say I wouldn’t be mad if we lost to a good team who deserved to win.

Good luck in your “East Coast Bias” S.B. because your gonna need it.

There’s your “class” -

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Just one thing, and we’ll stick with facts, which is on the record books rather than your ASSumptious opinion. If the 9ers defense dominated the game, first, the Giants had a higher score, and therefore won, and second, that thing with the 9ers converting 1-13 on third down. Don’t get me wrong here, the 9ers defense played great, but I would assert the Giants defense did a better job.

And you can say whatever you want and “not being mad if you’d lost to a good team that deserved to win it.” FACT IS—in the end of it all, bottomline, the Giants (a wildcard team) beat the 49ers (a division champ) in Candlestick Park (their home turf) to win the NFC Championship.

Sorry, now take another sip of that drink that affects peoples judgements called WHINE!!!!!

The last time these teams met in the playoffs, in the same stadium, the game ended on a blown call that cost the Giants a second chance at a game-winning FG.

The call (based on a misunderstanding about which Giants linemen were eligible receivers on the play) was so blatantly wrong that the NFL admitted that it was a blown call the next day.

you said Bradshaw was still fighting for yards?

LOL

I think you should watch the play again because it’s tough to fight for more yards when you’re being drug backwards in the fetal position with your feet off the ground.

Or maybe you were at an arena football game

the whole game the refs did not blow the whistle that fast and there were other times where they let the play continue

Barry Sanders? Did you really think the rules then are the same now?

Oh my do you need to catch up.

you are correct, when a runner is falling forward the play is not stopped. But when he is going backwards face up with his feet off the ground in a fetal position the play is stopped.

Good call.

in the NFL you cannot advance a muffed punt.

1:43 left on the clock. The Raiders fall on the ball and the game is over.

PERIOD!!!

if the runner is in a vulnerable position as he was. Facing upwards with his feet off the ground and in a fetal position. The whistle is blown. Also, even if the whistle was blown a little late doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t have been blown a bit earlier. The ref made the call based on what he was looking at and that is all that matters. Had Bradshaw been on his feet with a chance of escaping and making a play the whistle would have come later. It’s a pretty simple rule.

It wasn’t the “tuck rule” that cost the Raiders that game, it was the complete failure of the Raiders defense to stop New England’s offense.

TWICE.

Look it up, and shut up already.

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If the call is made correctly, Raiders win, they just have to kneel it out. Of course it cost them the game. Yes, they also could have stopped NE after the BS Tuck Rule interpretation and won the game. They didn’t. That doesn’t change the fact that Oakland would have won the game, 100% chance, had the play been ruled correctly as a fumble.

Stop trying to defend the worst call ever.

you said….the refs blew this call! I replayed this play 5-10 times on DVR and the ball had been ripped out 1-2 seconds prior to the whistle being blown.

1-2 seconds. What is it? You have it recorded.

One Thousand one

or

One thousand one one thousand two

I also have it recorded and mine shows it being whistled before the ball is stripped. Maybe the NFL sent out a DirectTV virus so there would be controversy.

if someone would have speared Bradshaw it would indeed have been a penalty. Late hit and or unnecessary roughness. That’s a no brainer.

I have it recorded and I just watched it 11 times and the whistle does sound before the ball comes out.

Regardless, as soon as he was in a fetal position with his face up the progress is stopped.