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Detroit Lions, Calvin Johnson Robbed of Game-Winning Touchdown

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Detroit Lions, Calvin Johnson Robbed of Game-Winning Touchdown

 

... And so the bad calls begin.

 

The topic of the day is certainly the non-touchdown call of Calvin Johnson's touchdown reception with 24-seconds left.

 

Down 14-19 with quarterback Matt Stafford knocked out of the game, it was backup Shaun Hill who stepped in and drove the Lions down the field to put them in position to give his team a chance.

 

Hill threw a pass into the end zone where Calvin Johnson made an amazing play on the ball, positioning his body and leaping up over the defender to make an incredible catch for the would-be go-ahead touchdown.

 

But wait–with under two minutes left on the clock, the play went under review by the officials.

 

After possessing the ball in his hands, landing both feet on the ground, holding it to the ground where both his knee and backside hit the ground in bounds; Johnson then palmed the ball to the turf where he proceeded to "lose possession."

 

The call was overturned and the touchdown was taken away.

 

NFL rules state the following:

 

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

 

The rules here are far too vague about this situation.

 

How long, exactly, must a player possess the ball after he hits the ground? If Johnson catches the ball, possesses it to the ground, and then tosses it in the air from his back as part of a celebration–is that not a catch?

 

Not only that, but the play should have been over numerous times. Johnson caught the ball, touched two feet down–play over. As he fell, his knee touches the ground in bounds–play over. As he fell further, his backside hit the ground, again in bounds–play over!

 

Johnson had possession and should have been ruled down well before the ball hit the ground.

 

The NFL is setting a dangerous precedent with this ruling. If a receiver is not down when he catches the ball and hits two feet down in the end zone, then the door is opened for defenders to lay late hits on receivers in an attempt to knock the receiver down and get them to drop the ball.

 

It's too late to overturn this terrible call and give the Lions the win they deserve, but this rule needs to be immediately re-evaluated and changed.

 

Lions fans, I feel your pain. Bears fans, enjoy your "win."

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I'm not sure the rule is vague. It seems pretty clear to me. You must maintain control of the ball after he hits the ground.

 

The call was sh!tty period and I don't think it had anything to do with a loose interpretation of the rule. Johnson had and maintained control of the ball the entire time and only put the ball down when he when to stand up after the play should have been well over.

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as a lion fan, i don't care about the win or the lose. they're not going anywhere this year. it's more important to build on some things, so in that regard stafford getting injured is a far bigger blow than the call at the end.

 

but it's funny how crap teams tend to get crap calls. if the refs don't respect you, they tend to be sloppy with you--and they tend to look extra hard and WANT to call against you because, well, you suck and there must be something suspiciously wrong if a play turns out right for you.

 

know what i mean?

 

if the game today was in detroit i'm sure the call would have gone differently. that was a typical home-team discount. happens all the time. all the time.

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I'm not sure the rule is vague. It seems pretty clear to me. You must maintain control of the ball after he hits the ground.

 

The call was sh!tty period and I don't think it had anything to do with a loose interpretation of the rule. Johnson had and maintained control of the ball the entire time and only put the ball down when he when to stand up after the play should have been well over.

 

Wanna get together and stage a protest? :lol:

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Wanna get together and stage a protest? :lol:

 

 

Nah. I'd rather protest Clay Matthews hair. That's a cause I could get behind but that's just me.

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how can you have one universal rule in all football that says when you hit the ground, the play is over.

but then have another rule that says no it's not

 

 

I don't want to hear how they had to follow the rule, because what they did today was follow it incorrectly. The rule is all about

coming down with the ball. Well he did. When he put the ball on the ground, his body was rising up. There is nothing in the rule

that takes the play that far out. If it said a wideout had to catch the ball, and then keep possession even when they get up, hell

then you have an incomplete pass. the rule sucks, but their misapplying it sucks 100x harder

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how can you have one universal rule in all football that says when you hit the ground, the play is over.

but then have another rule that says no it's not

 

 

I don't want to hear how they had to follow the rule, because what they did today was follow it incorrectly. The rule is all about

coming down with the ball. Well he did. When he put the ball on the ground, his body was rising up. There is nothing in the rule

that takes the play that far out. If it said a wideout had to catch the ball, and then keep possession even when they get up, hell

then you have an incomplete pass. the rule sucks, but their misapplying it sucks 100x harder

 

They're not mis-applying it.

 

It was a clear cut correct interpretation of the rule.

 

Megatron should have held the ball throughout the entire catch. Then I wouldn't have to listen to a bunch of fans act like they've read the rule book.

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Nah. I'd rather protest Clay Matthews hair. That's a cause I could get behind but that's just me.

 

You're against his hair? I heard he was growing it for some cancer charity. Why are you hating on kids with cancer? :angry:

 

 

alsoihavenoideawhyhehaslonghair :dunno:

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They're not mis-applying it.

 

It was a clear cut correct interpretation of the rule.

 

Megatron should have held the ball throughout the entire catch. Then I wouldn't have to listen to a bunch of fans act like they've read the rule book.

 

 

At what point did he lose control of the ball? Oh... when he was sitting on his ass in the end zone and went to stand up.

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:cry:

 

 

:lol:

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They're not mis-applying it.

 

It was a clear cut correct interpretation of the rule.

 

Megatron should have held the ball throughout the entire catch. Then I wouldn't have to listen to a bunch of fans act like they've read the rule book.

 

Then explain the Lance Moore super bowl 2 point coonversion last year when he was rollin on the goal line and the ball came loose. That was a catch and this was not? No difference.

 

Can't call it bothways..

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They're not mis-applying it.

 

It was a clear cut correct interpretation of the rule.

 

Megatron should have held the ball throughout the entire catch. Then I wouldn't have to listen to a bunch of fans act like they've read the rule book.

 

You flap your gums an awful lot for someone who has no effing idea what he's talking about. The rule states that he has to maintain control of the ball after he hits the ground. He did: the first time. He did: the second time. Only when he was getting up after his arse landed did he squeeze the ball out of his hand.

 

The fact is that the second ground impact - after Calvin had obviously completed a second move with the ball, extending it ONE HANDED to his right - should have been ruled a SEPARATE MOVE. There is allowance for a "separate move" in the rules, but these refs are too effing stupid to have judiciously reviewed this play to apply it.

 

Megatron got absolutely robbed, and I along with him. This was obviously a TD to anyone with an understanding of football.

 

You, meanwhile, need to bone up on the rules that much more.

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You're against his hair? I heard he was growing it for some cancer charity. Why are you hating on kids with cancer? :angry:

alsoihavenoideawhyhehaslonghair :dunno:

 

Cancer charities are over-rated.

 

I would love to spend a minute inside your head to try to figure out what goes on in there.

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The call was overturned and the touchdown was taken away.

 

No it wasn't. The call on the field was incomplete pass. When challenged, the play stood.

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:lol:

I haven't posted much here, but in the last two days, I have seen two posts by you that indicate to me that you're an enormous pr!ck.

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At what point did he lose control of the ball? Oh... when he was sitting on his ass in the end zone and went to stand up.

It was a terrible call - and I'm a Bears fan. He caught it cleanly, two feet down, his butt hit the ground first. As soon as his butt hit the ground that's a TD, even according to the stupid new rule.

 

Anyway, the Bears win. The worst we can do now is 1-15.

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Cancer charities are over-rated.

 

I would love to spend a minute inside your head to try to figure out what goes on in there.

 

I'm going to agree with you and possibly respond to your PM.

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You flap your gums an awful lot for someone who has no effing idea what he's talking about. The rule states that he has to maintain control of the ball after he hits the ground. He did: the first time. He did: the second time. Only when he was getting up after his arse landed did he squeeze the ball out of his hand.

 

The fact is that the second ground impact - after Calvin had obviously completed a second move with the ball, extending it ONE HANDED to his right - should have been ruled a SEPARATE MOVE. There is allowance for a "separate move" in the rules, but these refs are too effing stupid to have judiciously reviewed this play to apply it.

 

Megatron got absolutely robbed, and I along with him. This was obviously a TD to anyone with an understanding of football.

You, meanwhile, need to bone up on the rules that much more.

 

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said the officials got it right."The rule is if you're going to the ground in the process of making the catch you need to finish with the football," he said. "He didn't finish with the football. He was [aware] he was trying to come down with it, he had one hand to keep it away from the other guy, he is trying to get his feet down and go to a knee it wasn't like he was trying to flip it to the official or anything. That's what it is."

 

Bad sign for the Lions. :overhead:

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If the point of that rule is to overturn an obvious TD catch like that one.... there's a whole lot of stupid going on in the NFL.

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I haven't posted much here, but in the last two days, I have seen two posts by you that indicate to me that you're an enormous pr!ck.

 

ed's just misunderstood. Go spend a few minutes on the Geek Board. He is locked into a post count battle with Travis Henry.

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You flap your gums an awful lot for someone who has no effing idea what he's talking about. The rule states that he has to maintain control of the ball after he hits the ground. He did: the first time. He did: the second time. Only when he was getting up after his arse landed did he squeeze the ball out of his hand.

 

The fact is that the second ground impact - after Calvin had obviously completed a second move with the ball, extending it ONE HANDED to his right - should have been ruled a SEPARATE MOVE. There is allowance for a "separate move" in the rules, but these refs are too effing stupid to have judiciously reviewed this play to apply it.

 

Megatron got absolutely robbed, and I along with him. This was obviously a TD to anyone with an understanding of football.

 

You, meanwhile, need to bone up on the rules that much more.

 

He did catch the ball. His momentum continued and as he came to the back of the end-zone the ball popped out.

 

No one in their right mind is arguing that this was an incorrect application of the rule.

 

You can say "bad rule" but you don't really expect a ref to intentionally mis-apply a rule do you?

 

Joke.

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I've been watching football for 30+ years. That was a touchdown. If the rules they implemented in the off season say that it wasn't then the rules are wrong.

 

Glad I'm not a Lions fan because they got hosed BIG TIME!

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He did catch the ball. His momentum continued and as he came to the back of the end-zone the ball popped out.

 

No one in their right mind is arguing that this was an incorrect application of the rule.

 

No one in their right mind? Here's what the "right-minded" are saying:

 

1) This rule is stupidly written.

 

2) Even as stupidly written as this rule (which is new) is, the fact is that the catch was a completed TD even by its standards, as contacting the ground with both feet and demonstrating control of the ball by stretching out the hand that is gripping the ball represents completion of the play. The subsequent pressing of the ball into the ground is considered a TOTALLY SEPARATE MOVE, which this rule is written to allow.

 

You can say "bad rule" but you don't really expect a ref to intentionally mis-apply a rule do you?

 

I can absolutely say "bad rule", and I can also say "bad call", and I explained why.

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When, exactly, is he considered "down?"

 

If he catches it to the ground, rolls on his back and tosses it in the air (and it hits the ground), is that not a touchdown?

 

That's the question. What happened is EXTREMELY similar to that.

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I've been watching football for 30+ years. That was a touchdown. If the rules they implemented in the off season say that it wasn't then the rules are wrong.

 

Glad I'm not a Lions fan because they got hosed BIG TIME!

 

believe, that play wasn't really much in the whole scheme of the last ten years. sad but true.

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It was a clear cut correct interpretation of the rule.

 

 

Again, if it was 'clear cut' they wouldn't have to interpret anything. Only apply it.

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Next time Calvin reels in a TD in the end zone, he should be sure to carry the ball with him to the sidelines. Maybe let go of the ball after the officials signal for a TD AND don't huddle up about it afterward.

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I would love to spend a minute inside your head to try to figure out what goes on in there.

 

 

It wouldn't even take a minute. There ain't a whole h3ll of a lot in there. :music_guitarred:

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I haven't posted much here, but in the last two days, I have seen two posts by you that indicate to me that you have an enormous pr!ck.

 

it's decent size.

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NFL rules state the following:

 

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

 

His feet touched the ground followed by his arse and then his left hand all the while having complete control of the ball with his right. It was only when he used the ball to push himself up did he let it go.

 

What part of his arse touching the ground is not "considered touching the ground. For that matter what part of his feet when gravity pulls him back to earth are not considered touching ground. Can someone please explain that to me. Not a CJ owner.

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It's no worse than the call on Troy Polamalu in the 2005/06 AFC championship game. He intercepted Peyton Manning, went to the ground untouched, rolled completely over, rose to a knee to get up and start running with the ball when it slipped out of his hand and he jumped on top of it and was touched down by a Colt. Incredibly, it was ruled an incomplete pass because, even though Polamalu was completely down on the ground in full possession, he was not touched down and dropped the ball before he had made a "football move" as he was getting back up. This was a critical play late in a close playoff game that should have sealed a Super Bowl trip for the Steelers.

 

The problem is not bad calls. The problem is an idiotic rule dreamed up by the morons on the competition committee. I'm not sure who ever had a problem with the old two-feet-or-one-knee-down-with-possession-equals-a-catch, but someone obviously did. It's only marginally worse than the Tom Brady "tuck rule" that was completely invented in a panic to justify one of the worst calls in major pro sports history.

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The thing is, I think having a knee down in the play of field, versus the end zone, is a completely different thing.

 

The difference is that, in the field of play, a player may touch his knee to the ground/land on his back/land on his butt on the field and go untouched, THEN get up and run for additional yardage... In the end zone, you cannot advance the ball any further, so the play should be ruled complete right then and there when he is DOWN with possession in the end zone.

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It's too late to overturn this terrible call and give the Lions the win they deserve

Yes, they clearly deserved to win after racking up an astounding 168 total yards (a third of which was gained on one drive against a prevent D) and stifling a struggling Bears offense to the tune of allowing 463 yards. What a travesty they lost after playing so well.

 

/sarcasm

 

They got their ass kicked all day long and had the game gift wrapped many times due to Bears turnovers, penalties and dropped passes. It wasn't a bad call by the officials, everyone that is an expert on rules (the people who are paid by networks to talk about theses things and educate the broadcasters, talking heads and fans)agrees the correct call was made. Bad rule? As a Bears fan, yes it is. But the Lions weren't robbed of a win.

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I'm not sure the rule is vague. It seems pretty clear to me. You must maintain control of the ball after he hits the ground.

 

 

 

 

Except in a super bowl game, apparently...:D

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NFL rules state the following:

 

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

 

His feet touched the ground followed by his arse and then his left hand all the while having complete control of the ball with his right. It was only when he used the ball to push himself up did he let it go.

 

What part of his arse touching the ground is not "considered touching the ground. For that matter what part of his feet when gravity pulls him back to earth are not considered touching ground. Can someone please explain that to me. Not a CJ owner.

 

^^^this

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Yes, they clearly deserved to win after racking up an astounding 168 total yards (a third of which was gained on one drive against a prevent D) and stifling a struggling Bears offense to the tune of allowing 463 yards. What a travesty they lost after playing so well.

 

/sarcasm

 

They got their ass kicked all day long and had the game gift wrapped many times due to Bears turnovers, penalties and dropped passes. It wasn't a bad call by the officials, everyone that is an expert on rules (the people who are paid by networks to talk about theses things and educate the broadcasters, talking heads and fans)agrees the correct call was made. Bad rule? As a Bears fan, yes it is. But the Lions weren't robbed of a win.

 

:thumbsdown:

 

This is how pathetically far a Bears' fan must go to rationalize that they shouldn't have lost the game? That's sad. The Lions won that game. Your yardage complaints mean nothing. What matters is what the scores were, and the CJ end-zone catch was a score.

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Rule sucks - but refs got it right. You guys here want to "freeze frame" and say "look - he's down!!". It's all one continuous motion - if he had stopped his momentum and then released the ball - well then it's a touchdown. This whole "his hand's on the ground, his arse is on the ground" doesn't mean anything. A player can jump 5 feet in the air, catch the ball and have it tightly secured with both arms and then hit the ground and if the ball pops loose, then it's an incomplete pass. This is what happened yesterday - Johnson did not maintain control of the ball through the "entire process of catching the pass". Can't say he has total control for half the process and then say "completed pass"; must maintain control through the "entire process"

 

I know - not a popular opinion, but don't let the situation of it being a late touchdown or you have Johnson on your fantasy team cloud your judgement.

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