Rich Gannon Calls Out Referee Behavior That Helped Falcons Spike Ball With 1 Second Remaining
October 9th, 2024
If your blood pressure already is up because of Hurricane Milton, Joe suggests you don’t read this — or watch the accompanying video.
So former NFL MVP quarterback Rich Gannon is an analyst on SiriusXM NFL Radio, where he expressed his disbelief about what he saw at the end of regulation in Thursday’s Bucs-Falcons game.
With 12 seconds remaining, the Falcons threw over the middle to Drake London and he was tackled by Jamel Dean with 8 seconds remining. Atlanta needed to spike the ball to set up a game-tying field goal while trailing 30-27.
Falcons players were scrambling to set up as the completion was for 14 yards. Normally, 12 seconds is not enough time for a completion of that distance followed by a spike; a game official must spot the ball in between. But this time, the Falcons found a zebra to do everything he could to help them.
Gannon thinks it crossed or danced on a line of fairness.
“Go back and watch the umpire, how quickly he spotted that ball,” Gannon said.
“So what happened was is that they passed the ball to the center, and the center rather than hand it to the umpire, he placed it. And the umpire came in and tagged [the ball].
“When I went back and watched it, I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, that’s a split second. … When the official came running, he pretty much just tagged off on [the ball] and just kept running. He never stopped to make sure that there was an alignment [or] checked with the side judge or the line judge.
“I’m sure that Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers are going to submit that play for review to the NFL office and the officials — because that was amazing.”
Gannon went on to note the urgency of the game official.
Frying Joe’s brain is the umpire/referee not even looking up as Gannon mentioned. Watch the official’s head below. He doesn’t care if the ball is spotted correctly, which is done on every other play; officials look up and check the spot a the side judge.
It takes a second or two. You know, time the Falcons didn’t have.
Today, on Gannon’s show (his initial comments came Friday) was the regular weekly appearance of Dean Blandino, the former NFL vice president of officiating. He’s now a rules analyst for FOX.
Blandino explained that the referee/umpire did his job because officials are advised to bend the rules in order to get a play off in that scenario.
“They’re going to sacrifice that part of it initially for efficiency,” Blandino said of spotting the football. “But, if then, if they see that the ball needs to be moved a yard or two, they’ll do that after the fact on a replay. They’ll just move it two yards. But they’re saying, ‘We’re going to give the offense that opportunity, tap it, get out of the way and then we’ll move the ball after if we need to.'”
Joe is in disbelief. So saving two seconds at the end of a game or half is considered critical for officials, but at other times it doesn’t matter and other protocols must be followed? Why do officials get make an in-game evaluation strategy?
Meanwhile, Jamel Dean jumping off London like he just blasted gas after a trip to Taco Bell still looms as a game-changing mistake.
THE FALCONS SPIKE THE BALL WITH 0:01 REMAINING ON THE CLOCK pic.twitter.com/zM7csts2TX
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) October 4, 2024
October 9th, 2024 at 6:07 pm
The fact that NO ONE laid on the guy is unbelievable BUT Dean just bouncing up like that is totally unacceptable. He has NO FOOTBALL IQ
October 9th, 2024 at 6:10 pm
I’m glad somebody said it! That was ridiculous.
Also Dean did what Dean does… play SCARED!
October 9th, 2024 at 6:12 pm
First of all, what Blandino said is a bunch of bs. This is what is the wrong with the nfl. The officiating crew can bend rules as they please.
Secondly, I blame every single Bucs defender with their thumbs up their arses that are standing there and not in on the tackle. Every single one of those players should have tackled and been either on top of the saints players or damn close to him.
Thirdly, I am still extremely salty from this game. This one stung real bad with me.
Fourthly, all of you Floridians stay safe out there!
October 9th, 2024 at 6:25 pm
Move on. We didnt lose because of that 1 second play.
October 9th, 2024 at 6:29 pm
And this is why I have been relentlessly harping on how badly the officials SCREWED the Bucs in favor of the Falcons. Between this and the blatant face mask that they ignored, to instead call a hold against Barton…
ITS INEXCUSABLE!!!!
Now this I disagree with, only because I’ve Bowles seems allergic to ever complaining to or even talking to officials about things that may help in his favor. Other coaches will harp on officials to watch player X for holding, or player Y for doing something else, etc. Bowles never does that.
It’s simply an element of gamemanship that he does not possess. Sort of like using his timeouts…
October 9th, 2024 at 6:31 pm
In my opinion, the Buccaneers lost to the Falcons due to multiple missed calls by the refs. The key game-ending play had an incorrect ball spot, which really ultimately cost the Bucs the game. After the last few years, us fans are calling for better review processes to address these officiating mistakes and ensure fair play. Chanhes need to be made. Oh and If it’s not in the rulebook, I find it hard to believe—just like what Blandino is suggesting. You can’t review the spot of the ball after a play, (after snapping the ball) so what hes trying to claim makes no sense. It’s clear that the refs messed up, and anyone not on the NFL’s payroll has echoed the same sentiment.
October 9th, 2024 at 6:35 pm
@unbelievable – Bucs and other teams submit plays for league review all year long about calls they don’t agree with if for nothing more than clarification. Often times they’ll be told they are correct and it’s never made public because what is done is done.
October 9th, 2024 at 6:41 pm
These tv refs ALWAYS cover for the guys on the field. They are useless on tv. Better to have former players.
October 9th, 2024 at 7:19 pm
I am starting to think Dean is dumb as a rock. He plays stupid.
October 9th, 2024 at 7:25 pm
Bad teams lean on pathetic excuses like this. Loser mentality. Maybe don’t let Cousins throw for 500 yards.
October 9th, 2024 at 7:33 pm
Dean rolled off the tackle. David and Hayes standing there, you can blame all those guys for no situational awareness. Should have been a dog pile ! That loss better not come back to cost the Bucs this season and I fear it will.
October 9th, 2024 at 7:34 pm
if the bucs rb hadn’t fumbled the ball away previously…. just saying
October 9th, 2024 at 7:39 pm
Maybe you’re right Jeff, but even with 500 yards from Cousins, a mysterious holding call with no facemask penalty, and a fumble from Bucky, they still should have won. Like Saskbucs says and the article points out that 1 second shouldnt have existed…..
October 9th, 2024 at 7:47 pm
I’ve been saying for the past two years that Dean is clueless. He plays timid, passive, soft, scared, confused, stiff, drop so many potential ints, n just doesn’t have football IQ on the nfl level. I’ve watched him swat a pass away that should’ve been intercepted.He is fragile n in no way is he remotely close to being labeled a shut down corner or the Bucs best corner. Zyon is the Bucs best corner. Let’s see what Tyrek Funderburk can do. I’m at wits end with Dean.
October 9th, 2024 at 7:56 pm
besides also laying on london, he could have grabbed at the ball because london went down was face up, and wrestled for a couple seconds, as often happens when a defensive player is trying to pull the ball away from an offensive player, or jar it loose…
so he probably should have been laying on top of him and also trying to take the ball away for absolutely no reason – thus wasting 3-5 seconds at least
October 9th, 2024 at 8:00 pm
it’s over now…but looking into the crystal ball, we are going into new orleans, a legit tough place for us to play over the years…
and we seem to be blessed by the football gods to have carr out…
so on paper it looks like a win or easy win…
let’s see how it goes…
sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you
October 9th, 2024 at 8:18 pm
The rookie is going to get the start? uh oh.
October 9th, 2024 at 8:29 pm
It’s Todd’s behavior at the root of the loss. How about that challenge flag, eh?!
Yeah!!!!!
October 9th, 2024 at 8:50 pm
We can add a poor punt or poor coverage that gave them the ball on the 20….
October 9th, 2024 at 9:46 pm
How about you gave them the ball on the 20. How the hell does the defense let them even get in field goal range? Ok start with the injury excuses and move on.
October 9th, 2024 at 9:53 pm
I knew it was that guy I didn’t even have to watch the replay…
October 9th, 2024 at 10:17 pm
If a bullfrog had wings he wouldn’t bump his ass either
October 9th, 2024 at 11:32 pm
I’d have to watch other instances to see how unusual this was. I know I’ve seen the refs lollygag placing the ball for the BUCS several times over the years in ste same circumstances.
October 10th, 2024 at 12:04 am
Atlanta was not set. Illegal procedure should have been called That’s what several players thought as well.
October 10th, 2024 at 12:45 am
There goes what little respect I had for Blandino! Geez God forbid anyone make the officials or Goodell look bad! What a freaking joke!
Go Bucs!
October 10th, 2024 at 1:14 am
Actually thought tykee Smith did a bit to hold the guy up on the way back, but he couldn’t make it too obvious.. yeah would have been nice to have some people in a pile to wind clock down. The fact a football game can come down to such subjective stuff is pretty crazy
October 10th, 2024 at 1:29 am
I believe the rule is that all players have to be set for one full second.
Nailed it Buddha!
Go Bucs!
October 10th, 2024 at 4:41 am
I forgot about that rule Garro. I think Vegas influences the refs.
October 10th, 2024 at 12:53 pm
Let’s not forget the false start penalty’s all over the line… still we shoulda got a first down and iced the game, or our defense shoulda made a play…. Oh well, that’s a division game in the NFL… aslong as we beat the aints, we’ll be back on track
October 10th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
The NFL is not real. It’s no different than WWE. Just enjoy the soap opera when the script calls for your preferred actors to be victorious.
October 11th, 2024 at 1:14 am
Seriously why weren’t three guys laying on him make the ref come work to get the ball. F-cking cost the damn game. I didn’t understand in real time how the ref never was given the ball to spot it. I have never seen that in all my years of football.
October 11th, 2024 at 12:22 pm
We lost the game because the back end of our secondary was injured and got shredded in the second half. Everything else is just football stuff that always happens, including questionable timing by refs etc.