Matthew Bracco &
John Ryan
Staff Writers
During this year’s NFC
championship game, the New Orleans Saints were robbed of a win due to a poor
call. On a game-deciding third down in the fourth quarter, Rams cornerback,
Nickell Robey-Coleman blasted Saints receiver, Tommylee Lewis while he was
running his route. No call was made, which in the end, gave the Los Angeles
Rams a one-way ticket to the super bowl.
NFL refs are not
allowed to replay footage of pass interference plays, which means there is no
way of getting around this devastatingly poor call. Normally if a defender
makes a play on a receiver mid-route, let alone crushing him without looking at
the ball, the flags fly instantly, which is why not even playmaker
Robey-Coleman could believe there was no call made. If this play was able to be
replayed, the Saints may have had a chance at winning. However, the pass was
considered incomplete, giving the Saints one more play before the Rams took
possession. Many players were very unhappy with the call made on the field
including start wide receiver Mike Thomas who tweeted after the game saying
“Rule 17 Section 2 Article 3” which is referring to the “Penalties for unfair
acts” rule which technically gives Commissioner, Roger Goodell the power to
overturn or reschedule the game if valid evidence is found. But a full
investigation would need to be in place and the likelihood of this happening is
virtually impossible.
The NFL has not issued
a public response to what might be the biggest officiating controversy in
league history. A source told Mark Maske of the Washington Post that “NFL
leaders and the league’s rule-making competition committee plan to consider
making pass interference calls subject to challenges and replay review.
Interference is common, and the ability to challenge and or replay a play can and
will change the course of the way interference is taken in the National
Football League.
