How bad did we get hosed?

[mecadonzilla]

Apparently I was wrong when I said earlier that in the NFL you haven't shown posession until you hand the ball to the ref, well apparently even that doesn't show posession anymore.  Miami came out of the pile with the ball and handed it to the refs and still the refs said they couldn't tell who had posession.  Amazing.

That's the part I'm still scratching my head about.  What's more clear than that?

[StL FinFan]

BTW, that 5th down complaint has never made sense to me.

If the Refs had counted the first spike, the Buffs would not have spiked the ball the second time, because they would have known it was fourth down.  So they just would have run a play.  They didn't get an extra chance to score because of the second spike.  What was the ref supposed to do, say, "Oh by the way, that was actually fourth down" after the spike?  That would not have been fair to Colorado.   

You are going to fucking argue about this 20 years later?  Were you even alive then?

[dolphins4life]

You are going to fucking argue about this 20 years later?  Were you even alive then?

I was, I'm just curious to know how that was a screw job for Missouri.   

[StL FinFan]

Colorado had 5 downs and they still did not get the ball into the end zone.   That's how.

[Philly Fin Fan]

Just amazing. Two Fins players jump on the ball before any Steeler even gets there. One of those Fins players happens to come out of the pile with the ball, and its still ruled that they couldn't determine who had possession.
Such a BS call.
Shame on the Fins for not taking better advantage of opportunities they did have (only turning the two turnovers into FG's instead of TD's and not being able to move the ball on the last possession), but it sucks when the ref's idiocy factors into the outcome of a game.

[Thundergod]

REAL BAD...  Merry fuckin' christmas Pittsburgh!

[StL FinFan]

The same guy who came out of the pile with the ball and the refs couldn't tell who recovered it.

[Thundergod]

C'mon StL, that's not clear at all!     I still can't tell...

[TonyB0D]

uhh player #59 clearly doesn't have his hands on the ball, the ball is in FRONT of him.

The arm on the ball belongs to the arm of the dolphins player whose head is hidden behind the #7-something's thigh

[StL FinFan]

Taking into consideration he came out of the pile with the ball, I think it's pretty clear he got it and hung onto it.

[MikeO]

My question is since the refs didn't know WHO recovered the ball, IF the ball was staying with Pittsbugh it should have been a touchback and they should have had the ball on the 20, needing 80 yards to go! Why put it on the 1? Clearly the fumbled ball was in the endzone. So eitehr Miami's ball on their own 20. OR...Pitt's ball on their own 20!

What the refs did made no friggin sense

[Tenshot13]

My question is since the refs didn't know WHO recovered the ball, IF the ball was staying with Pittsbugh it should have been a touchback and they should have had the ball on the 20, needing 80 yards to go! Why put it on the 1? Clearly the fumbled ball was in the endzone. So eitehr Miami's ball on their own 20. OR...Pitt's ball on their own 20!

What the refs did made no friggin sense

I don't think there is a rule that would prove your point.  It should have either been a TD for PITT or MIA has the ball on their 20.  I think those are the only two options for this play.  The refs were clearly making an excuse for their own incompetence and pretty much made up a rule that, yes Ben did fumble, but we don't know who came up with it, so we'll call it a wash and give it to PITT at the half yard line where he fumbled.  The ball never went out of bounds....the player wasn't down...it should have been a touchback for MIA or a TD for PITT...and the right answer was a touchback for MIA...the refs REALLY shit the bed on that one.

[dolfan13]

florio just talked about it after the sunday night game... he makes the best point, when do you ever need to go to replay for visual evidence on a fumble recovery when there is a pile up? the refs just sort out on the field who comes up with the football.

never felt so stolen of a game than this one. let the play play out, refs on the field determine who comes up with the football then go back to replay to sort out whether or not it was a fumble in the first place.

[MaineDolFan]

Taking into consideration he came out of the pile with the ball, I think it's pretty clear he got it and hung onto it.

No, it's not.

First - my opinion is that Miami got screwed.

That said, watch the replay.  The refs are signalling touch down and every Steeler in the endzone jumped up.  There were two Steeler players in the pile that started to get to their feet.

The refs basically blew the play dead by calling a touch down so players stopped fighting for the ball and refs stopped caring who had it.

What I don't understand is this:  If a player fumbles a ball OUT of the end zone, and it's not definitive as to WHICH ONE was the last to touch the ball on the way out, the defending team is awarded the ball at the 20 yard line.  The ruling isn't "we can't see it, nor are we competent to do our job, so let's do it over again."

The "do-over" is inexcusible.  It's either a Pittsburgh touchdown or a Dolpins touchback. 

[Phishfan]

I may be a bit biased since this happened to Miami, but this will probably be the worst call I have seen all year.

I also wanted to add that in my 38 years I have never watched a football game where a referee said we don't know who recovered the fumble. Every fumble in every football game I have seen, except this one, has always had someone recovering the ball.