Perhaps the wildest play of Sunday's wild Colts-Chargers game was the interception by Colts linebacker Clint Session of a Phillip Rivers pass that touched four players and rolled off the leg of linebacker Gary Brackett in the end zone.
Session made an incredible diving catch and then ran the ball almost the length of the field before he was finally tackled at the Chargers' 7-yard line. But that return was called back because, it turned out, one of the officials had blown the play dead. It was a huge mistake by the official, and one that may very well have cost the Colts the game.
Today on NFL Network's
Total Access, the league's head of officials, Mike Pereira, called blowing the play dead, "the worst mistake you can make." Pereira explained that the official who blew the play dead is in his first year in the NFL after a career officiating college football, and he forgot that the college football rule is different from the NFL rule in that players who dive to the ground to catch a pass are not down as soon as they catch it in the NFL but are down as soon as they catch it in college.
Pereira said he has told the official in the future that he should officiate without the whistle in his mouth so that he doesn't blow plays dead too quickly. Pereira said of the official who made the mistake, "Nobody feels worse." He then corrected himself and said, "Maybe the Colts feel worse."
Head NFL Ref Calls Early Whistle Against Colts 'The Worst Mistake You Can Make' - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog
11-15-2007, 12:22 AM
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