Upon Further Review: A Closer Look at a Few Key Plays from Saints vs. Titans

They’re brain dead.

Look, the problem is NOT that it was “clearly” a fumble. It wasn’t. But it also was not clearly NOT a fumble. There simply was not indisputable evidence to overturn this call. It might have actually been right to say that it should have been reversed. I’d give it about a 25% chance at best, but it might actually be right. But to say that the evidence was “indisputable” is utterly and 100% ludicrous.

Look, if Jimmy Graham did not have indisputable evidence to give him the touchdown, then there was no way in hell that there was indisputable evidence to overturn this call. They’re both firmly in the “gray area”, hell they’re so firmly in that gray area that they define the gray area.

This call should have at the VERY least “stood”. The ball CLEARLY starts to “wiggle” a tiny bit as soon as Tracy hits him. Furthermore, the ball is clearly coming out of his hands sideways. I don’t know how many times you’ve tried to throw a football, but I can guarantee you that any time it starts flying sideways you did not have complete control of the ball when you released it. And even one percent lack of control is enough to classify this as a fumble. In order for this to be indisputable evidence — key words — for this NOT to be a fumble Locker must RECLUTCH the ball. He must re-establish his control of the ball BEFORE he starts the pass. He doesn’t do this. Then the ball MUST come out of his hands with the nose pointed forwards. And it is completely clear AGAIN that he does NOT do this.

Whether this was a fumble or not, this was an atrocious reversal of the call. It obviously is in the gray area. It might actually have been “sorta” a pass. But there was by no means WHATSOEVER the indisputable visual evidence that the rules require for a call to be reversed.

Sure looks like an illegal pick on Greer.

There’s just as much indisputable evidence for Locker having a forward pass as there was for Graham getting that TD. If you really mean “indisputable” in the sense that they were trying to use it on the Graham’s TD then both plays should have stood as called on the field. If we are going by our best guess as to what actually happened, then overturn both plays. As we have it now, there’s a different standard for different teams.

That showed the ball move in his hand slightly before it started moving forward

Anyone know of a place that keeps stats on penalties? I’m trying to remember how many (if any) times Brees has been the beneficiary of a Roughing the Passer or Unnecessary Roughness penalty this season.

I’m pretty sure the ball was out of bounds before crossing the pylon. But I would need a better angle (end zone, sideline) to see it.

If the Titans didn’t inexplicably call a running play with what, less than a minute to go? That was a huge gaff that cost them quite a bit of time. Maybe enough time that on the very last play of the game Locker could have thrown the ball away and had time to run something else.

Look closely at Locker’s body. Compare in the shots the angle of his left leg, left arm, and the way his head is turned, even the bend in the right knee. Clearly, these are two sequential shots, not simultaneous. Not enough to convince me. To get a clear shot and say without a doubt, we’d need an overhead shot. That said, the call on the field was touchdown and there is not enough evidence to overturn. Again, bad angles.

That commercial comes to mind when I was looking at that game. Someone in Tenn said “You know it would be special if this game went to overtime”. Then the floodgates opened! That game really shouldn’t have been that close. The refs dropped the ball big time and its not fair to the players or the fans. Jimmy Graham’s TD/no TD & Locker’s fumble were training class material for ref training in the offseason. I’VE SEEN FUMBLES CALLED WHEN THE QB’S ARM WAS FURTHER ALONG IN THE THROWING MOTION THAN THAT. A PRO & COLLEGE GAME HAD A SITUATION LIKE THAT 2 WEEKS AGO AND IT WAS A FUMBLE SO WHY SHOULD IT MATTER WHEN THE BALL WAS CLEARLY OUT OF CONTROL WHEN IT LEFT LOCKER’S HAND? ON THE 3RD FRAME OF PICS, HE WASN’T EVEN GRIPPING THE BALL ANYMORE.

“one on the outside (covered by Patrick Robinson”

I wouldn’t call falling on the ground before the ball is in the air to be “covered”.