In the early 1950s, Ohio State’s Woody Hayes was among several big shot coaches who frowned on the forward pass, and used to say something along the lines of this: “There are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad.”
As we’re learning again this season, Hayes and the others left out pass interference, which can either be the great equalizer or can add another negative result to incompletion and interception.
Either way, penalties can be huge in deciding games.
Interference calls stood out in the NFL over the weekend, not to mention another celebration penalty against the Cowboys and a vicious hit by Patriots linebacker Brandon Meriweather that drew a personal foul and a $50,000 fine.
Here’s a Pick Six of game-changing penalties:
—-
– Renaldo Hill, s, Broncos (pass interference): Facing fourth-and-6 from the Broncos 48, and trailing by three points with 1:26 left, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez heaved a pass toward Santonio Holmes near the goal line. Holmes and Hill jostled as the pass fell incomplete – and the crowd cheered what looked to be a Broncos’ win. However, field judge Gary Cavaletto called interference on Hill, who grabbed Holmes’ face mask with his right hand as the players fell to the ground. On the next play, LaDanian Tomlinson scored from 2 yards out with 73 seconds left and the Jets win 24-20.
“It could be debatable,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “But we don’t care, we’ll take it.”
– Miles Austin, wr, Cowboys (pass interference) Tony Romo connected with Austin on a 68-yard TD pass in the second quarter of a 7-all game, but the play was nullified by an offensive interference call on Austin for his one-handed shove of Vikings cornerback Asher Allen near the Cowboys’ 32.
– Robert Francois, lb, Packers (illegal formation): With the score tied at 13 and the Dolphins set to punt, the Packers were called for an illegal formation based on a new rule that says a player cannot line up head-up on the long snapper. The 5-yard penalty against Francois gave Miami a first down – the Dolphins went on to score for a 20-13 lead with 5:20 left and eventually win in overtime 23-20.
“I was lined up right,” insisted Francois, a first-year player making his NFL debut.
– Brandon Meriweather, s, Patriots (personal foul): Delivered a frightening head-on hit to Ravens tight end Todd Heap in the second quarter, and was penalized 15 yards. On the play, Heap jumped to make a catch and was being brought down by Jerod Mayo when Meriweather hit the receiver head first. Heap fell to the turf and was tended to by medical staff before walking off, but returned to play. While not a game-changer in the Patriots 23-20 overtime win, it sure turned into a league-changer, a penalty that has ramped up punishment for dangerous hits.
“I’m sorry for the hit,” Meriweather said Wednesday. “I understand the league is trying to protect the health of all our players.”
– Andre Johnson, wr, Texans (pass interference/no call): While Johnson seemed to shove cornerback Brandon Flowers before hauling in a pass from Matt Schaub for 31 yards to the Chiefs’ 24 that kept the Titans winning drive alive, it was Flowers who was called for interference. The penalty was declined, and five plays later Schaub hooked up with Johnson for the winning TD pass with 28 seconds left. Flowers was so sure the call would go in his favor, he repeatedly clapped his hands when he saw the official signal interference.
– Sam Hurd, wr, Cowboys (unsportsmanlike conduct): After Romo threw an 11-yard TD pass to Roy Williams in the first quarter, Austin leapfrogged his teammate and the Cowboys were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct – not because of the leap but because Hurd was “celebrating” by making a Hook ‘Em Horns gesture. The 15-yard penalty was enforced on the kickoff, but the Vikings weren’t able to take advantage. However, Minnesota won 24-21.
Add A Comment