< Addison
< ihnp4!ihlpa!ibyf
I HONESTLY hate to sound like a know-it-all. I realize that, usually,
these questions are a matter of opinion and NOone is right or wrong.
Here it comes..
But in THIS case, you're wrong. Seriously, the OFFICIALS themselves
even admitted they made a mistake. Patriots (or Bears) being offside
would not have been a legitimate call. The referee gives both teams
a "reasonable" interval to get ready. HowEVER you define "reasonable",
the ref decided it wasn't yet time. He was watching both teams and
PREPARING to signal to the Bears that it was OK to snap the ball.
He never came close. McMahon called for a snap and threw it out of
bounds with 3 seconds to go. The rule STATES that a 10 second (and, I
THINK 5 yd) penalty is assessed.
If such a rule doesn't exist, ANYone would use that trick close to the
goal line to kill the clock (who cares about 5 yds when you're at the 5
yd line?).
Again, the point is - the ref had not yet signalled it was OK to snap
the ball - something he HAS to do before it's legal.
It would have made a difference in the game (yea', it would have been 43-10)
I have a tape of the game and Jim McMahon was down with 18 seconds left but
a patriot held him down and the officials did not do anything. A quick pass
play would have stopped that clock but the patriots stalled. Forget it.
A remark of the so called obvious clip - forget it. My tape shows that he was
hit in the front/side and fell with a twisting motion to look like a clip
in reqular speed.
Many people said the game was boring - I say it was the greatest game/Superbowl
I ever saw. These people must also think a perfect game in baseball is
also boring. I wish it was 46-0 bears!
--
John T. Blumenstein
ihlpg!eagle
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