Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) catches a pass against Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, in Green Bay, Wis. The play was reversed after the review. The Packers won 26-21. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer) Opinions are like hair, almost everyone has at least one and mine is the Dallas Cowboys got hosed. They were cheated. Robbed on national TV. If that wasnt a catch Dez Bryant made against Green Bay, then New York isnt a big city. Maybe that particular play shouldnt have been called on fourth and 2 from the Packers 32. But it was, and Bryant, a guy I dont like because he is a showboat, initially bobbled the ball under great coverage. Then, he got two hands on it, took three steps driving forward, a football move, and at the last moment stretched for the end zone another football move. The ball bounced free when it hit the ground, but everyone knows the ground cant cause a fumble. And the official on the spot, with the best view of anyone in the world, signaled it was a catch and marked the ball at the 1. The Packers called for a review with the clock showing 4:06 to play, knowing their 26-21 lead was about to evaporate. Television showed the catch from several angles, and it was a catch from all of them. Only some guy watching TV decided it wasnt a catch because the ground can cause an incompletion, and thats what happened. It was a rule that did not apply because it was a catch. It was his opinion vs. the opinion of the official on top of the play. Any time a receiver has the ball secured and runs three steps, it is a catch. Thats not opinion; thats fact. But not in the NFL. The same league that was chastised last week for not pursuing information it had of a domestic violence case. A league, in which, suddenly, officials are playing a bigger role than the players and coaches. Yes, absolutely Dallas benefited a week earlier after a flag was thrown and then waived off. Thats why when the Cowboys Nation, one of whom almost raised the roof on my house with her shout of WHAT??!! in protest, Detroit Lions fans were muttering, Karma. Like the Cowboys play call, it doesnt matter. Every owner, coach and player should be concerned with officials being bigger than the game. My unofficial poll started with Alan Pogue and continued to numerous colleagues. It was unanimous. It was a catch. It was without a doubt a great effort by Bryant, who received tons of support and praise on Twitter from other NFL players, only to be overruled by someone watching TV. Someone who was making a lot of money to get it right and erred in his judgment, and it was a judgment call. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was not critical of the officiating but admitted his first thought was they were trying to decide where to mark the ball. Jones could be fined heavily for criticism of the officials. Coach Jason Garrett also didnt publicly blame the officials for the same reason. So, I am blaming one guy watching TV. Officials are human: Like the players, they make mistakes. But this was more of an official with an opinion deciding who would advance to the NFC Championship Game. The Cowboys are 1-1 in those situations, but should be 0-0 because officials are there to enforce rules not take one that doesnt apply and use that as an excuse. The Packers defender thought it was a catch. Heck, Stevie Wonder probably thought it was a catch. Admittedly, I like the Cowboys. But I like the Packers, too, so this isnt sour apples. It is about right and wrong, and when a receiver has a ball in both hands and is driving forward with three steps and then lunges for the goal line, thats football moves and a catch. Everywhere. Except to one guy watching a TV with a cheesehead that might have been too tight.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 09:43:03 +0000
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