Comments on: Don’t You Have To Break The Plane?

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:39:23 +0000

From the Football Instruction site -- From the NFL Digest of Rules: Touchdown: When any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player inbounds, breaks the plane of the opponent's goal line, provided it is not a touchback. With that in mind, Holmes didn't break the plane.

By: robk

robk — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:50:53 +0000

I’m still waiting to see the rule that says the ball has to break the plane. Only rule close says the player has to make the catch behind the goal line…is he not making the catch…is he not behind the goal line?

By: Bounty Uncollected

Bounty Uncollected — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:51:08 +0000

[...] target is still at large. Very much so. Regardless of being hosed by instant replay officials, Hines Ward took the thrown gauntlet and ate you alive to the tune [...]

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:07:45 +0000

You nailed it Jim. Sensors in the ball and a beam — or some sort of energy field — extended up from the goal line that sends an alert to the referee crew. The pings for touch back kick offs, and the myriad of other plays where the ball crosses the line could be easily ignored.

Although, there is something indisputable about the play in question, Jim: There isn’t enough evidence in it to overturn the initial call.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:56:47 +0000

Costas’ point in the postgame show was right on the money – he said, in a nutshell, that he would not have overturned the ruling upon reviewing it, and that had the call on the field been the opposite (a touchdown), he would not have overturned THAT call either.

Absolutely nothing about that replay is indisputable.

If hockey can have microchips in pucks and goalposts, why not have them in footballs and yardlines, too? I suppose the ball itself would have no way of knowing whether possession was maintained throughout play, but it would make ballspotting a hell of a lot more accurate. And we’d see far fewer “forward progress” gifts from refs, too.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:40:04 +0000

Oh, I’m not crapping on UK too much, but they still need a point guard or someone who knows who to make a damn entry pass to Patrick Patterson.

Anyway, how do you think the NFL can address a situation like this? Put sensors on the goal line that send alarms to the officials when the plane is broken?

By: rob

rob — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:36:15 +0000

any that got beat by us

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:19:56 +0000

Which Hoosiers are you talking about? The ones that got outscored 36-6 or the ones that played Kentucky even from that point on?

As for the reversal, the rule clearly says “indisputable evidence.” That was not.

By: rob

rob — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:33:03 +0000

i have line judged for middle school football long enough to know that the ball must break the plane,its embarrassing to amateurs like myself when this stuff happens on the big stage so often,by rule since there wasnt conclusive evidence to overturn no reversal should have been made,the head of officials will clarify this today,cant wait,btw,how gay r the hoosiers