Beka, Author at Football for Normal Girls

Wait…What Just Happened? : No Challenge

In the Packers at Vikings game yesterday we witnessed one of the unfortunate flaws in the Coach’s Challenge system. Let’s chat about that.

In a weird play, Vikings QB Christian Ponder threw a pass that was tipped, bounced around by a few players, and finally recovered by a Viking. All of that was legal. But what wasn’t legal was the “catch” at the end of the play. It was initially called as a catch by the Vikings, but after a second look it was easy to see that the ball had actually grazed the ground and was not a legal catch.

But it wasn’t reviewed or recalled. Here’s why:

In order to challenge a ruling on the field, using the red Coach’s Challenge flag, a team has to have a challenge to use (they get two per game – if they are right on both, they get an extra one) but they also have to have a time out. Why? Because if what the coach challenges is reviewed and is not ruled in the coach’s favor, the team is charged one time out. So that means they can’t challenge if they don’t have a time out.

And the Packers had a challenge remaining, but they didn’t have a time out. So the Vikings were quick to get the next play underway before any type of official review could be called, and the end result was a touchdown for the Vikings.

Now, in my opinion, not having the challenge ruled in your favor is punishment enough. Having a time out extracted just feels like salt in the wound. But I’m guessing that’s what they want to do to keep coaches from challenging more than absolutely necessary. That’s all well and good, but when it results in a bad call standing and points being put on the board later, that’s not well or good. And the Vikings ended up winning the game by a field goal…and as a Packers fan, that’s like the ultimate of unwell and ungood. There needs to be some sort of contingency plan.

Also, remember the last time we talked about Coach’s Challenge? On Thanksgiving when Jim Schwartz threw the flag on an unreviewable play and a call that would have been overturned stood because of it? A similar situation occurred in this game. Mike McCarthy threw the flag on a scoring play, which seemed like what happened with Schwartz on Thanksgiving. However on this play, the official had already blown the whistle and called for the review, which meant that the play was not deemed “unreviewable” because of McCarthy’s flag-throwing, but the Packers were given a 15 yard penalty anyway.

If you are confused…you’re not alone. The rules regarding the Coach’s Challenge seem legitimate to basically no one and really need to be revisited ASAP. Since the whole system is relatively new it makes sense that the kinks are still being worked out. But really, there are some sizable kinks, and hopefully they are resolved in the off-season.

As Mike Pereira said, “The object of replay is to get the call right.” At the end of the day, that’s what the replay system needs to make happen.

What to Know : Week 17

We’re here. The final week of the regular season. It’s time to weep and wail…and then rejoice momentarily because PLAYOFFS! SUPER BOWL!…and then prepare for a time of mourning: the off-season.

Let’s not even go there yet.

For this week, here’s what you need to know:

GAME OF THE WEEK: All of them. Treasure every single one. It’s the last week of the regular season, people! I just can’t handle this. But were I forced to choose…Dallas at Washington is the reason we love the end-of-season football. Everything is on the line in the NFC East with the Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants all still very much in the mix.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Adrian Peterson has a legitimate chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. He needs to rush for 208 yards in the Vikings game against the Packers, and the last time the teams met he ran for 210. Ditto: J.J. Watt. He needs 2 sacks to break Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record, and when the Texans played the Colts last (they’ll play again on Sunday), he had 3 sacks. Both players had career days in both of the previous examples, but it’s completely possible that they could do it again to break the records.

STORYLINE TO KNOW: Playoff scenarios galore! You’re going to want to refer to this list often when trying to figure out playoff scenarios because there are endless combinations of what could happen and what the result would mean. A few interesting ones to note: The Vikings are in (and AP is likely league MVP) with a win against the Packers. The Redskins win the NFC East with a win or a tie against Dallas; the Cowboys win the NFC East with a win against Washington. The Giants get in with this complicated equation: NYG win + DAL loss or tie + CHI loss + MIN loss. Wow.

RECIPES TO MAKE:

(Let’s call this the “2012 Goes Out With A Bang” edition.)

cake batter blondies

candy bar caramel corn

chocolate chip and oreo fudge brownie bar

gooey butter cake

truffle pie

Game Play Thursday : Personnel Groups, Pt 2

Last week we started breaking down the concept of personnel groups, a concept that will completely revolutionize how you view who’s on the field and what’s going on, and today we’re going to break it down even more.

If you’re going to tackle a piece of football knowledge pre-playoffs, this is it! It’ll be your most enjoyable post-season yet!

Ok, so just a quick review: personnel groups are identified by the number of running backs and tight ends on the field on a given play – in that order: running backs and then tight ends – and wide receivers aren’t counted. So on a play that contains 2 running backs, 1 tight end, and 2 wide receivers we know that a 21 personnel group is on the field: 2 is the number of runnings backs, 1 is the number of tight ends, and wide receivers aren’t included in the personnel group.

But even though they aren’t verbally named, since we know that only 5 running backs/tight ends/wide receivers are on the field at one time (because only 11 players are allowed on the field from each unit and 6 postions are occupied by the offensive line and quarterback, so that leaves 5 spots of skill players) we know how many wide receivers are on the field based on the personnel group. If it’s 11 personnel – 1 running back and 1 tight end – that means there are 3 wide receivers on the field (2 spot are taken in the personnel group, which leaves room for 3 wide receivers).

Got it? I’m sure you do!

Now, it’s one thing to know what the whole personnel group system means, it’s another to be able to identify the players on the field. That’s what we’re going to do today.

There are three ways to know who is on the field at any given time:

1. Know your team! The easiest way to know who’s on the field is to know the players on the team you love. If you know the depth chart – who plays each position – you’ll know what personnel group is on the field by the players who are in the huddle.

2. Know the jersey numbers. If you are watching a game against teams you aren’t as familiar with, it’s helpful to know which jersey numbers are assigned to each position so you can use jerseys, not the players you know, to determine which players are on the field and what the personnel group is. Keep this handy until you know it well:

Quarterbacks and kickers wear from 1 to 19.
Running backs and defensive backs wear from 20 to 49.
Linebackers wear from 50 to 59 or 90 to 99.
Offensive linemen wear from 50 to 79.
Defensive linemen wear from 60 to 79 or 90 to 99.
Receivers wear from 10 to 19 or 80 to 89.

This isn’t concrete – sometimes players are allowed to wear numbers outside of their position (like Bear’s WR Devin Hester, who wears 23) – but by and large you can decipher a player’s position by their uniform number.

3. Know where plays (usually) line up. This one can be tremendously helpful but also tremendously tricky, because players line up all over the place and sometimes line up out of position. But in general, you can usually tell which players are on the field by where they line up. Here’s a standard formation:

IN GENERAL:

The tight end lines up close to the offensive line (and occasionally midfield)
The wide receivers line up on the outside of the formation
The running backs line up in the backfield (and occasionally midfield)

So in this formation, we have 1 running back, 1 tight end, and 3 wide receivers. So what personnel group is out on the field?

You got it! It’s the 11 personnel group.

Ok, now let’s put all of your hard-earned smarts to the test. Here are five examples of offensive formations. Take a look, decide which personnel group is in, and leave your answers in the comments! I can’t wait to see how you do, but most of all, I can’t wait for you to embrace this information and run with it!

Ready? Set? GO!

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3:

Example 4:

Example 5:

And if you have any questions, leave those in the comments, too! Anything goes!

What to Know : After Week 16

Just a few notes on the week that was Week 16:

Calvin Johnson broke Jerry Rice’s single season receiving yards record on Saturday night against the Falcons. The Lions lost, but it was a personal victory for Johnson, who couldn’t deserve it more.
AP only got 80 yards closer to Dickerson’s record. He still needs 200+ to break it, and the Vikes play the Packers next week in the season finale.
Speaking of, the Packers held the Titans to a mere 7 points in a 55-7 stomping at Lambeau on Sunday. The Pack’s run defense is ranked 14th in the league, but last time the Vikings played the Packers Adrian Peterson ran all over them for 210 yards. He need 208 to break the record, so it’s a definite possibility.
J.J. Watt inched closer to Strahan’s record with one sack on Ponder, but Aldon Smith didn’t get anything on Wilson. Watt needs 2 sacks to break the record, so we’ll see how he fares against the Colts next Sunday. (Last time: 3 sacks and a career performance. So again, entirely possible.)
The Steelers have been ousted from the playoffs by the Bengals, which is fitting since it was Andy Dalton’s first win against the Steelers. The Bengals are officially in as a Wildcard team and are looking hot.
Not looking hot: the Giants. They are a team trying to claw their way into the playoffs, but they sure didn’t play like it yesterday. The Ravens won easily.
Kudos to the Saints for not laying down and calling it a season. They put up quite the fight against the Cowboys yesterday and won the game in overtime after a near-fatal fumble that ended up putting them in field goal range.
With the Giants and Cowboys both losing and the Redskins winning, the ‘Skins are officially in. Seriously, who isn’t happy for this team? Coming back from 3-6 to potentially get the #4 seed in the playoffs? Not even a Wildcard spot? Amazing.
Also amazing: Russell Wilson. He led the Seahawks to a thorough stomping of the Niners last night. The Niners loss moves the Packers up to the #2 Seed in the NFC playoff race (thank you, Seahawks).
Weird surprises: the Patriots scratched out an ugly win against Jacksonville, and Christian Ponder had a career day in the Vikings win against the Texans.
Unsurprises: Chargers beat Jets. Dolphins beat Bills. Broncos beat Browns. Packers beat Titans.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope that your day is spent celebrating what matters most with those you love most. Have a wonderful, wonderful day!

“Fellow Israelites, listen carefully to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man thoroughly accredited by God to you—the miracles and wonders and signs that God did through him are common knowledge—this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you. And you pinned him to a cross and killed him. But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him. David said it all: I saw God before me for all time. Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.

I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.

(From Acts 2, the Message)

(The BEST gift of Christmas: the hope we have in Christ!)

Wait…What Just Happened? : Second Act

In yesterday’s Giants at Ravens game, Baltimore QB Joe Flacco threw a pass to receiver Jacoby Jones, which he caught while crossing the pylon. The play was initially ruled a touchdown, but was overturned after the review by the officials.

Take a minute to watch the video here.

The rule book states that to be ruled a catch the receiver, “must first control the ball, then get both feet clearly down and finally maintain control of the ball long enough to perform an act common to the game. Acts common to the game are described as being able to pitch the ball, pass it, advance with it or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.” (Thanks to Mike Pereira for the analysis and explanation.)

The play was overturned because the officials felt that Jones hadn’t completed a second act common to the game.

The waters of the call are murkied by the fact that Jones was falling to the ground while catching the pass, which is legal, but denotes a slightly different application of the above-stated rule. It’s still a catch if the receiver has control of the ball and the ability to perform a “second act common to the game” while he’s breaking the plane (the pylon/the end zone line) to score a touchdown, even if his feet are not firmly planted vertically.

It would appear that Jones completed all of the required criteria. He had control of the ball and was able to stretch it out past the pylon, which would be considered a second act.

I’m honestly not sure why the call was overturned. The officials need to have “indisputable evidence” in order to overturn a call, and they (namely head ref Carl Cheffers) felt they had indisputable evidence that he did not complete a second act common to the game. I’m not sure how they came upon that decision, but luckily, it had no ill effect on the overall score since the Ravens won the game (handily) anyway.

What do you guys think? Touchdown or no touchdown?