Cowboys Lions blown call explained

In the Dallas Detroit Lions playoff game there was a pass interference call that was made then was not made in the game. The controversy is nobody has ever seen a game where a call is announced and enforced then reversed. Or I should say a penalty reversed after it is announced. When I initially saw it I thought it wasn't pass interference it was face guarding as the defender had his hands up and was not looking back for the ball. Everybody on sports radio last night was screaming conspiracy that they didn't want the Lions to win.

here it is explained.

Referee Pete Morelli met with pool reporter Todd Archer of ESPN.com and explained why and how the call got reversed. He also made clear that face-guarding is not a foul in the NFL, although many people are under the assumption is it.

Archer: Can you talk about the decision to overturn the call and why you overturned the call.

Morelli: The back judge threw his flag for defensive pass interference. We got other information from a different angle that thought the contact was minimal and didn’t warrant pass interference. He thought it was face-guarding.

Archer: Face-guarding is not a foul?

Morelli: Face-guarding is not a foul. It is a penalty in college but not in professional football

Archer: Do you remember this type of (play) happening before?

Morelli: No, not particularly

a reply to: American-philosopher

I have never seen a flag get picked up that late either.
To call it on the field and then discuss and pick it up is very weird.

Really though it the ball wasn't thrown at the players back the Lions TE probably catches it.

The NFL defines faceguarding as impeding the vision .... but NOT making contact with the player he is defending.
There was contact immediately before the ball got there.

Sports Illustrated
Oh, and not just because I am a Dallas-hater.

looks like defender puts his left hand on the receivers right shoulder and pushed him after the ball was in the air,but I don`t think the ball was catchable even if the receiver wasn`t pushed.

Then there is this, from CBS Sports:

Executives from several NFL clubs expressed extreme disappointment and anger at a TMZ video that appears to show the league's head of officiating, Dean Blandino, out for a night of partying in Los Angeles with Cowboys EVP and son of owner Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones. Blandino appears to be among a group of males and females captured stepping off the Jones' Cowboys-themed party bus and toward a club where paparazzi awaited outside. The Cowboys hold training camp in temperate Oxnard, Calif., and it is not unusual for team officials to take the bus to LA for dinner, etc. The reactions to the video by officials of several teams -- none of whom I spoke to are a natural rival of the Cowboys or had any personal issues with Jones or Blandino -- as well as former high-ranking team officials, were quite visceral. Several expressed concern at the appearance of potential competitive balance issues, given the sensitive nature of Blandino's role and his authority on matters of officiating and interpretation.

NFL Ref Czar on Cowboys Party Bus

originally posted by: Tardacus
looks like defender puts his left hand on the receivers right shoulder and pushed him after the ball was in the air,but I don`t think the ball was catchable even if the receiver wasn`t pushed.

It does appear that Pettigrew was pushed and he went down.
The ball hit Hitchens in the back. I believe that the ball was catchable.

a reply to: butcherguy

Pettigrew also pulled the defenders mask down so really it should have been offsetting fouls if we want to nit pick it with replay.

Now if it was a niners game I would be pretty salty about the no call

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: butcherguy

Pettigrew also pulled the defenders mask down so really it should have been offsetting fouls if we want to nit pick it with replay.

Now if it was a niners game I would be pretty salty about the no call

I agree that there were other blown calls, but this one was actually called and then rescinded... pretty much without explanation. If they were smart with Jerry Jones' money, they would have had a big confab and watched the replays and said that there were offsetting fouls on that play.

I hate to break it to you football fans because it ruined my previous love of football but the NFL is rigged.

My father was an addicted gambler at a very high level dropping ten grand on five or more games per weekend. He had many mobster bookie friends.

One guy, Pete Jenaris, took me aside just before he died pleading that I didn't get mixed up in the rackets like he and my dad were. He explained the mob controls all professional sports.

I protested saying some broke player would have ratted. He asked me what I thought the headsets on the coaches were really for. All a defensive coach really needs is knowing what plays are called by the offense and visa versa to make it look like a real game.

Using players or refs was only for emergencies. He pointed to the Panthers and asked me how some crappy expansion team could make it to the playoffs.

That's all it took for me. He was telling me to protect me from the addiction that ruined my father's life because he cared about me.

The owners and mobsters get together and decide before the season who the winners and losers will be based on a variety of variables. They're guaranteed way more income than would be possible from ticket sales and TV revenue. They're business men first. Fans are saps that need distraction from the government screwing them even harder.

The headsets on the coaches are so he can communicate with he quarterback.

The rest is all speculation and opinion on your part.

Just another conspiracy theory.

a reply to: butcherguy

I agree that there were other blown calls, but this one was actually called and then rescinded... pretty much without explanation.

Ya the fact that they called it, and then talked and picked it up is very strange.
I mean you see a flag thrown and then the get together and pick it up but rarely do they announce the foul, and then discuss and pick it up.
I do have to add when I watched it I thought a flag was coming and was rather surprised once they picked it up.
You could here all boos and then all of sudden a bunch of cheers.

The dez bryant coming out too is what really should have been called, just can't do that.

originally posted by: mwood
The headsets on the coaches are so he can communicate with he quarterback.

The rest is all speculation and opinion on your part.

Just another conspiracy theory.

Just wait until dallas country comes to the frozen tundra....they are about to take a serious buttwhoopin.

GO PACK GO!!!!!!

a reply to: infinityorder

That's what the NFL wants you to think. Until Demarco Murray runs for a bazillion yards against a GB rush defense that ranked bottom 10. Any team can win on any day. Look closer, the NFL is setting up a matchup between 2 of Americas most hated teams.

Did anyone else see the illegal procedure call? I am pretty sure I saw a ref make the hand gesture, and at first I thought that the play would have been essentially dead. Obviously not every call on the field is going to be accurate. We had referees who had not worked together. Had they gotten together and discussed the call like they should have, they still would have picked up the flag. This is because the judge with the best look said it looked more like a face-guard, which is legal in the NFL. So it seems you had one referee who was uncertain as to whether it was pass interference, and another, who probably had a better look, who didn't think it was pass interference. So basically the flag was getting picked up regardless, at least in my opinion.

But again, bad calls happen all the time in the NFL. Even the Lions got away with some things during that game. I personally witnessed at least two holds that didn't get flagged. I even remember the announcers mentioning one non-call. The referees are also going to let them "play" a bit more, seeing as how this is a playoff game. But I think the non-calls were simply because they weren't seen. But something nobody is talking about is that the receiver fouled the defender as well. In that case I'm pretty sure the fouls would have off-set, and if that is the case then it was still an incompletion. Everyone wants to talk about the defensive penalty but wishes to ignore the offensive penalty on the same play, committed by the same receiver who was interfered with. Had he not fouled the defender, the defender probably wouldn't have been so discombobulated to begin with. Does no one else think that is important? If that is the case then the refs made the right call, even though in a roundabout way. So the Cowboys did not "get away with one" by any stretch of the imagination.

And there is absolutely no way that the NFL is rigged. Those saying that this call was made to blow the game is simply wrong. And if we want to be "fair" then we cannot just accept that the receiver wasn't flagged. How is it okay for one team to get away with a penalty and then harp on the bad call? Again, it was not a bad call considering they should have offset. And believe it or not, this call was not what lost Detroit the game. While we're at it why don't we say the game is rigged because Bailey missed that field goal? In my opinion Dallas is a better team. They've been much more consistent than Detroit all season. Dallas played an absolutely horrible game, and had they played more like they normally do, the game would not have been close at all. The Lions were getting 7.5 points around these parts. I do think that Romo had one of his worst games this time around though. Some want to claim that Detroit's box was just so good, thus why they penetrated for a loss of 60ish yards over the course of the game...but it was Romo's fault most of the time.

The play calls were what was good, on defense I mean. Romo had no clue who was blitzing, and got it wrong on a few of those sacks, because nobody was there to pick up the defenders. I also noticed that he was not getting rid of the ball fast enough of many plays. He would look down field, where the Lions' secondary had things locked up, and he wouldn't do what a QB should do. When you've got all your receivers covered that well there is bound to be an underneath route somewhere, considering that a stronger secondary kind of loosens the underneath routes. He just held the ball too long. He did not make any really horrible throws or anything though. He just needs to get better at making adjustments to beat the blitz. That is probably his number one flaw, but I still think he can match up well against any QB in the league. We will see what Dallas does against Green Bay, but we all know what Dallas' road record is, so I predict a good game. Dallas did not play like they normally do against he Lions, and I do not think it was because of how good the Lions are. They are not really that good in my opinion. Too unpredictable on offense. Sort of like Dallas has been in previous seasons. They have the potential for big plays and gaining lots of yards in a short time, but things can blow up in an instant. Dallas has gotten so much better at being poised and recovering from deficits, and just fighting back like a good team must do. If they "show up" against the Packers, there is no way they can be beaten imo.

originally posted by: JiggyPotamus
And there is absolutely no way that the NFL is rigged.

Really man? Get with the times. Google "NFL run by Mafia" and read a few links. Dont fall for their complex entertainment schemes, it is all fake.

a reply to: mcChoodles

how the panthers can make it to the playoffs ?? They have a multi threat QB. they have a young rockstar on defense Luke Kuechly. this was a team that had a first round bye last season.

a reply to: JiggyPotamus

I agree that the cowboys did not have one of their best games. it was a little weird that they didn't run Demarco more.
And that's what Romo has done all season though is hold the ball to long he ha sbeen able to get away with it because he has this great offensive line that' has been known to give him 8 second sin the pocket. Detroit's front 4 is to good to let that happen though.

And yeah in that moment if your Detroit and your feeling slighted or feeling that the refs don't want you to win., Go for it on 4th and 1 its the playoffs you gotta have that mentality that were better then you, and we can line up and go right at you and get a yard,

a reply to: southtower

Dont fall for their complex entertainment schemes, it is all fake.

I suppose all of those career-ending injuries are fake as well?

*Nah, I gotta go with a cursory Google search to find the truth as told by conspiracy theorists and jaded fans*

*sarcasm off

On topic: The flag was picked up because there was no defensive pass interference. Now, there was defensive holding; but holding was not the penalty called; as is frequently the case. There was, however, offensive pass interference when Pettigrew grabbed Hitchens face mask AND the back of his helmet; preventing Hitchens from turning to make a play on the ball. All in all, there should have been offsetting penalties and replay of the down. But referees are human and humans err on occasion. Officiating a game will never be perfect, even with instant replay.

a reply to: LeatherNLace

Your sarcasm sucks. Career ending injuries happen, thats why these guys are paid millions to put their bodies on the line for entertainment. But if you really think these games are 100% spontaneous and everything is left to chance, wake up and smell the corruption. The NFL is run by fraternities and rich secret societies. I still dont understand why people go on a conspiracy website to deny conspiracys. Dallas was given the game and everyone knows it. How do you explain them not flagging Dez Bryant for running on the field without his helemet to argue? Thats 15 yards and 1st down for Detroit.

a reply to: southtower

The helemt rule only applies to players already on the field, not those coming in off the sideline.

Here is what Dean Blandino, NFL Vice President of Officiating, had to say on the matter:

"It's not an automatic penalty. I think the rule that relates to a player taking off his helmet, that's only a player on the field," Blandino told Gregg Rosenthal in a phone interview. "The helmet doesn't matter. It's the official's discretion whether they felt that he was out on the field confronting them in an unsportsmanlike way. In that situation, the officials had some discretion and they felt that it didn't warrant a penalty. They just moved him back onto the sideline."

But, I'll play along....Where was the flag for Shu doing the same thing?

But if you really think these games are 100% spontaneous and everything is left to chance, wake up and smell the corruption.

I suppose the owners of all of the teams that have never won a Super Bowl just go along with the charade, right?