Quote:
Originally Posted by Cooleyvol
You must've watched a different game than I did.
|
Care to dispute any of the following paragraph?
Tennessee had their chances offensively, and dominated the game...but they turned the ball over after long drives, negating a chance at points. That was their fault, no question. But they were the masters of their own destiny, despite those turnovers, because of their defense, which completely controlled Baltimore's offense until the last 3 minutes of the game. Thanks to their defense, they were still in a position to kick the tying field goal midway through the final quarter. Should they have been well ahead by that point? Certainly. However, that's only half of the game story. Despite their offensive miscues, they tied the game and had fought to make it 3rd and 2 with under 4 minutes left. It was a big play a) for the Baltimore offense, as they tried to take it down for a go ahead score, and b) for Tennessee, to hold them and get the ball back to try and score themselves. All of those things the Titans had control over. They committed mistakes, but the made up for it defensively and still could win the game. The were penalized by something they could not control. A play that should not have stood was allowed. This isn't a judgment call. It's not subjective. A team has a certain amount of time to get a play off and if they do not they get penalized. The referees, by not doing their job, allowed Baltimore to cheat by giving them an extra second and a half to get the play off.
All the above is fact and not subjective. I give you that if the offense hadn't turn the ball over so many times, they don't have to worry about that kind of non-call late in the game. But you take the hand that you're dealt, or that you have dealt yourself, and you play through it. Had the flag rightly been thrown, it would have been 3rd and 7, a big difference from 3rd and 2. Tennessee most of the game on passing downs had only rushed 3 or 4 and put everyone else back in coverage and it worked very well. Not to mention, basic NFL stats show that a defense is much more likely to stop a team on 3rd and 7 than 3rd and 2. Two very different defensive philosophies for those situations. That's what the non-call meant. I believe that the non-call cost the Titans a good chance at getting the ball back and scoring either a TD or field goal (or turning it over a 4th time...).
It's also worth noting that their were a number of delay of game penalties called in the Arizona/Carolina game, and all of them were called right away when the clock hit zero.