Titans got ROYALY SCREWED !!!!!!

Are you SURE you watched the game? Clearly, Boulware touched Matthews before the play went off.

 

RichRocket=Jeff Fisher or Bud Adams

Either way, it's a no-win situation.

 

<b>ric</b>: You're arguing with the wrong guy. I think that the officials made the right call <b>unless</b> Matthews had snapped the ball before the touch. My argument is for a better way to conduct the end of close games.

Boulware is a linebacker who was probably dropped into pass coverage who was the last to get back onsides-- EVEN SLOWER THAN SIRAGUSA FOR GOD'S SAKE! Explain that. His lolly-gagging would not have been detrimental if it had kept the ball from being put into play one more time. Only as it actually played out was it detrimental to Baltimore; the touch on Matthews was inadvertant. Does Boulware have pre-cognition? Did you see him on his knees begging to the official after the touchdown was called? I'd like to know what was in his heart. Give me PGA golf for integrity...

<b>kidrock</b>: Anybody have the video? I've only seen what they showed on MNF. The entire offensive line was slow getting off the ball except Matthews. As I recall he was a full body length ahead of his teammates. It looked like a busted play because it was so out-of-sync except that McNair did receive the snap and did follow Matthews into the endzone. That's why I'm raising the question (not making the assertion) about when the touch on Matthews leg occurred in relation to his actually snapping the ball.
For arguments sake it deserves closer examination. I wish I had the video to study. I could be wrong but these were my clear impressions.

Any way you shake it, more plays at the end of close games would make for more exciting football. I'm for it.

 

i'm forced to ask again -- what game were you watching? abc had a shot, from the other end zone, that clearly showed a) boulware touching him; b) the ball still on the ground, not yet snapped. nobody, and i mean, nobody, but you has brought this issue up, because, apparently, everybody but you saw that paticular replay.

in fact, you're one of the few still desperately clinging to some notion of injustice, beating a long-since dead horse. the right call was made.

oh, me.... 1) if boulware had dropped into pass coverage, why was he running in from behind the line of scrimmage? if he'd been in pass coverage, he would have been at or near the goal line, and wouldn't have had a problem getting set. again, are you sure you saw the game? 2) yes, his lollygagging would've been detrimental. if he doesn't touch matthews, but is still offsides, he's out of position to help his team defned the final play (if you'll recall, he was one of the guys who stuffed mcnair on his second effort on the final play) and the titans can then decline the peanalty and take the touchdown because offsides is not a dead ball foul. how does baltimore benefit from that? how?!

in hindsight, boulware's accidental touch is what saved baltimore, but that's only in hindsight. the last thing a team wants to do in that instance is stop the clock and give their opponents a chance to regroup and draw up a final play, not to mention, because the game can't end on a defensive penalty, an untimed shot at the end zone.

let it go, man. tennessee got the benefit of two much more questionable calls on that drive and got a free shot at the end zone and still failed to punch it in!

 

<b>ric</b>: "oh, me.... 1) if boulware had dropped into pass coverage, why was he running in from behind the line of scrimmage? if he'd been in pass coverage, he would have been at or near the goal line, and wouldn't have had a problem getting set. again, are you sure you saw the game?

<b>RR</b>: Oh my, that's my rhetorical question and that's the point: he wasn't ready. Boulware was out of position for some reason. Why? Was he celebrating early? He should have been in or near the end zone but he wasn't. He should have been in position to line up like his teammates were, but he wasn't. That's what raises the questions. If he had been where he seemingly should have been, he wouldn't have been flying through the air in an attempt to get onsides while barely and accidently grazing Matthews leg. If he <b>doesn't</b> do that..... Titans win on McNair's first quarterback sneak. Titans simply decline the offsides penalty and kick the extra-point. IN the frenzy, he may not he helped stuff McNair like he did on the second attempt.



<b>ric</b>: "2) yes, his lollygagging would've been detrimental. if he doesn't touch matthews, but is still offsides, he's out of position to help his team defned the final play (if you'll recall, he was one of the guys who stuffed mcnair on his second effort on the final play) and the titans can then decline the peanalty and take the touchdown because offsides is not a dead ball foul. how does baltimore benefit from that? how?!"

<b>RR</b>: They don't... unless the last snap is prevented because the referee has not spotted the ball. That is what I think Boulware was doing. NFL players do it all the time. That's why I think the unusual hustle of the referee is interesting. As I recall he almost stumbled trying to get the ball spotted quickly. That surprised Boulware; that's why he was on his knees begging with crocodile tears that he had not been given the opportunity to get onsides.

Billicks first gripe was that Matthews not the referee had spotted the ball.

I never saw a shot of Boulware in contact with Matthews and the ball still unsnapped. I'm not saying it wasn't shown, I just didn't see it. I wish I had video to confirm. Anybody?

Again, I think the proper call was made. I would like to see some new rules in force to make the ends of close games more exciting. More meaningful plays means better football. I know that that's not exactly what happened in this game, but Boulware's antics just brought some ideas for rules changes to mind that would make for better games.

 

Rich-You're right in that Matthews shot out of the LOS while the rest of the OL was seemingly frozen. But when I saw a replay of it a couple nights ago, Boulware clearly touched Matthews' leg before Matthews snapped the ball.

At first, I thought the refs would call false start on Matthews or McNair.