Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:47 pm EST

Play clock was at zero for crucial Ravens first down

By Chris Chase

Another game, another officiating error in the NFL. On a key third-and-2 with 2:52 remaining in today's divisional playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans, the play clock clearly expired well before Joe Flacco received the snap, but no delay of game call came from the officials.

The Ravens converted the first down on a long pass to Todd Heap, and ended up kicking the winning field goal later in the drive. 

It's not uncommon for officials to miss the play clock hitting zero, but when they do the ball is snapped nearly immediately afterward. On this play, the ball was snapped 1.35 seconds after the play clock expired (yes, I timed it). That might sound trivial, but it's really, really not. It's a long time. Watch the replay, it's preposterous how long the back judge had to make the call.

This doesn't excuse the Titans for giving up the first down on the third-and-2. Nor is it intended to suggest that the Ravens couldn't have converted on third-and-7 after the penalty. The point is, they should have had to.

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8530 Comments

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  1. vandyfan34
    1. Posted by vandyfan34 Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:31 pm EDT

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    Complete B.S!!!!!!!!!
  2. Bob K
    2. Posted by Bob K Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    Yep- play clock was at zero. And yep, the Titans benefitted in Baltimore from horrendous officiating. And yep, the Steelers benefitted from a questionable call. So, all in all, the Ravens finally got one to go their way. But, if the correct calls were made earlier this year, the Ravens would have had a week off to rest (their bye came in week 2, remember) and would have been playing at home for at least their first round. The Titans lost because they played undisciplined football, and the Ravens hung in there in a really tough place to play. Give them their due.
  3. Ravenmaniac
    3. Posted by Ravenmaniac Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:46 pm EDT

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    3. Hit the nail on the head!
  4. Arman J
    4. Posted by Arman J Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:48 pm EDT

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    Baltimore's DEFENSE what!!!???
  5. Richie B
    5. Posted by Richie B Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:32 pm EDT

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    everyone needs to go back and look at the 3rd down play the ravens had in their own end zone and flacco clearly stepped out of the end zone. should then have been a 10 - 9 game and the titans getting the ball back.
  6. Kevin W
    6. Posted by Kevin W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:51 pm EDT

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    lets talk about blown calls, what about the week 5 crap ruffing the passer call on Suggs late in the game that prevented the Titans from turning the ball over... Its even!
  7. aubrey
    7. Posted by aubrey Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:59 pm EDT

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    Who paid the refs off????????? That delay of game should have been caught, but why was it not? Sounds like some refs beig paid off, or are they all just blind???? A TOTAL LOAD OF BUL:L
  8. Kevin W
    8. Posted by Kevin W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:51 pm EDT

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    check the replay he didnt step out the endzone
  9. MaTt
    9. Posted by MaTt Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:11 pm EDT

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    haha o well. honest mistake.
  10. heath_us
    10. Posted by heath_us Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:17 pm EDT

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    That is not true! You are assuming that the Ravens would've stopped the Steelers on 4th and inches from scoring a TD or a FG. That is a pretty big assumption. Ravens deserved to win today; the call was a small part of the game, but in the Steeler game the call was a small part as well.
  11. Jose M
    11. Posted by Jose M Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:39 pm EDT

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    Ravens still won yea !!!!!!!!!!!!!
  12. StanZ
    12. Posted by StanZ Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:23 pm EDT

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    If you make that many mistakes and have that many penaties, there is no way they could win. Turning the ball over at the 5 yard line is just giving away points.
  13. TedBell
    13. Posted by TedBell Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Well, at least Titan fans now have an outlet. They can blame the refs instead of admitting they got beat by a better team. Maybe next year Tennessee. Scoreboard!
  14. hailtothechimp
    14. Posted by hailtothechimp Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:54 pm EDT

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    Yeah another missed call, this one will be talked about on all the sports channels tomorrow.
  15. Steve Nash
    15. Posted by Steve Nash Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:18 pm EDT

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    who cares baltimore still wouldd have won
  16. Ethan
    16. Posted by Ethan Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:54 pm EDT

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    why even bother to post something like this? unless you're obscenely stupid, you have to know all it's going to generate is ranting and raving by an angry fan base, a more restrained response by the less angry fan base, and absolutely no dialogue about how to actually improve the nfl referee system.
    so what is the point?
  17. gray w
    17. Posted by gray w Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:34 pm EDT

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    It was a missed call..i hope the ravens loose their next game..allso i wonder if the titians will keep jeff & i hope they get rid of young..he's to much of a baby to play in the nfl...
  18. SJS
    18. Posted by SJS Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    The Red Zone turnovers killed the Titans. The Titans had a huge edge in yards and first downs. The Titans choked!
  19. O-Fan
    19. Posted by O-Fan Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    As a biased Ravens fan ... there were probably 20 to 30 calls in the game that could or should have gone another way ... its part of the game. This one was just abit more obvious than some....
  20. N
    20. Posted by N Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Nightmarish call and it makes me sick. The Titans kicked their butts all over the field. Poorly officiated in general with the Ravens allowed to contort CJ and our recievers after every catch and run and at the same time calling Big Country David Stewart for personal fouls for no reason. It didn't cost the Titans the game, but it certainly helped.
  21. Ca-Steel
    21. Posted by Ca-Steel Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:19 pm EDT

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    way to go titans, i'm sure your team and city was too pre-occupied with creating gimmicky blue terrible towel rip-offs to focus on the Ravens. As a steeler fan I wish we would've had the chance to knock that soft team out of the playoffs but nice job by Baltimore in exposing the Titans as nothing without Chris Johnson. Steelers-Ravens Part 3 will be epic!
  22. pacatrue
    22. Posted by pacatrue Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

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    Right on the money actually. That non-call benefited the Ravens enormously. Seems unlikely they win without it. This doesn't mean the Titans didn't screw up in lots of ways as well, but that was a huge ref screw-up and at a mimimum helped decide which team went to the AFC Championship.
  23. noidforme2
    23. Posted by noidforme2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:40 pm EDT

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    It seemed that Gage got away with a shove on Fabian Washington that set up the Chris Johnson TD, so I felt that it wasn't like Tennessee was robbed blind by any means. Ravens took better care of the ball and won as a result as far as I see it.
  24. Kev B
    24. Posted by Kev B Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:48 pm EDT

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    Want some cheese with that whine Titanics fan?
  25. A Mile High
    25. Posted by A Mile High Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:34 pm EDT

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    Call Ed Hochuli, maybe he can help the Titans overcome the fact that they fubled the ball 5 times!

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