Calvin Johnson catches what was probably the game winning touchdown in the final seconds, has the ball secured one handed as he's knocked to the ground, gets both feet and his tush inbounds on the ground, and as the ball still firmly in his hand hits the ground he obviously flicks his thumb and finger to release the ball and celebrate his TD catch. The refs converge to call it incomplete. Booth review, even using super slo-mo, can't apparently see the hand motion to release the ball, and instead, using the rule that a WR must retain possession all through the process of catching the ball, upholds the ruling on the field. Two throws later, the Lions run out of downs and chances and time and so lose the game 14-19.
What's worse. Matt Stafford injured his knee and both shoulders while taking a sack and stood around the entire 2nd half in a double shoulder brace on the sidelines. He looked like I feel. Sick.
The game statistically was all Bears. The Bears had scored a field goal early in the game. Yet the Lions led the game for almost all of it after scoring two touchdowns. There was a couple of brain farts there at the end of the first half that allowed the Bears to score 10 points in under a minute. (That's also when Backus missed the one block that allowed the defender by at full speed to injure Stafford). The Lions carried the 1 point lead all the way until the final minutes of the 4th quarter, when various Lions players came down once again with a bad case of the brain farts. The Bears score a TD and miss the 2 point conversion. Unfortunately, the brain fart illness was contageous, and the refs caught it. Sick.
The player who let me down the most? Nate Burleson (2 drops).
The player who will be blamed for a lot but played fairly well for most of the game? Jeff Backus.
The player who surprised me with great play? The entire defense for most of the game. (there were many many defensive stops that NO ONE thought the Lions would manage to do)
The coach who surprised me the most? Marinelli (he called some great d)
The forums can complain about the conservative play calling for the Lions or about the OLine, or about the refs, but the only thing they will be right about is the refs. The Lions had the game won. Even with the all the brain fart illnesses being passed from one player to another and back again, the Lions won the game. Until the refs made us all... SICK.
2 comments:
Just heartwrenching--clearly a TD--just LOOK at all the examples that WOULD stand but this one doesn't (RB crossing the plane then ball knocked out seems most compelling...)
You, sir, are correct--despite all the dumb/lame second half shenanigans, the Lions should have win number one. It hurts...
There are some who are defending the refs, saying the rules say this or that. It's true, the rules say that. But the rules also say something about a 2nd move. I contend the 2nd move was the intentional release of the ball. CJ could still be holding the ball right now if he had wanted to. To me the ground did not cause the ball to go out of control. The ball was never NOT in control. So I disagree yet that it was the right call.
It was a TD.
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