Did refs make the right call on controversial snap infraction penalty that cost Cowboys?
Were the Dallas Cowboys robbed of a chance to go to overtime Sunday? During the team’s 20-17 loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 7, Dallas was called for a controversial penalty that may have cost the team the game.
With three seconds left, the Cowboys lined up for a game-tying 47-yard field goal. Before the ball was snapped, Washington lineman Da’Ron Payne appeared to jump offsides. At first, it was assumed Dallas would move even closer.
That wasn’t the case. Cowboys long snapper L.P. Ladouceur was called for a snap infraction. The Cowboys had to move back five yards.
Brett Maher couldn’t hit from 52 yards out, hitting the upright with his kick. Had the team been five yards closer, it’s possible Maher’s kick would have narrowly split the uprights, tying things up.
Following the contest, the NFL’s officiating Twitter account clarified why Ladouceur was called for the penalty.
“The illegal ball movement by the center in #DALvsWAS causes the defense to come across the neutral zone and contact a lineman.” -AL pic.twitter.com/Cv8Ugwb99p
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) October 21, 2018
In the video, Ladouceur lowered the ball to get a better angle on the snap. That was enough for the refs to blow the whistle.
Problem is, Ladouceur did the exact same thing on the next snap … and nothing was called. Following the contest, Ladouceur couldn’t understand why he was penalized for something he does every time he’s out there, according to the Washington Post.
“I never had that before,” Ladouceur said. “I do the exact same thing every time. That’s what I was telling the refs: I do the exact same thing.”
Ladouceur might be a biased source considering his role in the play. Washington long snapper Nick Sundberg admitted it’s not a penalty that usually gets called, though he thought Ladouceur’s movements were “exaggerated.”
Situation plays a huge roll in whether or not they make the call. Refs talk to me every pregame and tell me not to make any “abrupt” movements with the ball. In this situation, this one was exaggerated and it caused a jump, so they called it.
— Nick Sundberg (@NickSundberg) October 22, 2018
NBC analyst Tony Dungy wasn’t having that. He compared video of both plays back-to-back, and he couldn’t tell what was different about Ladouceur’s snap the second time.
The false start-illegal snap penalty called on the Cowboys long snapper that moved the kick back to 52 yds was horrible. The snapper followed the same routine & did nothing to draw the Redakins offside. We looked at it over & over and I don’t see how they could have called that.
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) October 22, 2018
The only person who didn’t complain about the penalty was the guy who missed the kick. Following the game, Maher said the penalty “had zero impact on the result of that kick.”
The loss came at a terrible time for Dallas. With a win, the team would have taken over first place in the NFC East. Instead, the team is 3-4, and sits below Washington in the standings.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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