This Time The Bucs Got A Break With No Boundary Angle
December 2nd, 2024
Earlier this year when the Bucs hosted the Dixie Chicks, Antoine Winfield sure looked as if he stripped Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts of the football before he reached the goal line.
But the touchdown ruling on the field stood. Why? FOX had no pylon cameras on the goal line. As a result, the zebras couldn’t get a decent view of the play proving Pitts lost control of the ball before he crossed the goal line.
Without irrefutable evidence, the play stood. Touchdown Dixie Chicks.
Atlanta would go on to win 31-26. Now, the Bucs are in a dogfight with the Dixie Chicks, tied in the NFC South race with 6-6 records. In part because of that call, Atlanta has a tiebreaker over the Bucs.
Well, the Bucs got paid back yesterday.
Late in the first half, Adam Thielen appeared to have caught a touchdown from Bryce Young in the back of the end zone. The zebras ruled an incomplete pass as they said Thielen bobbled the ball.
Every replay FOX had showed Thielen caught the ball, bobbled it, appeared to regain control and then the rest of the play was obscured either by Thielen’s body or the field goal post structure.
The replay officials saw the same thing.
With no clear angle that Thielen regained control, there wasn’t evidence to overturn the call.
Carolina had to settle for a field goal. That’s three points the play may have cost Carolina. Given the fact the game went into overtime, that turned out to be a huge call in favor of the Bucs.
Pool reporter Joe Person interviewed NFL vice president of replay Mark Butterworth after the game to get the upside of the lowdown.
“The ruling on the field was incomplete and the officials were giving the bobble signal,” Butterworth explained. “We purposely stopped the game. For us to overturn, we need clear and obvious video evidence to change the ruling on the field.
“As we looked at available views, there was an initial bobble while the receiver was in the air. He then did get control which is the first part of the catch process. He did get a knee inbounds and as he is going to the ground, the third act would be surviving the ground.
“As he goes to the ground and turns over, there was no shot showing that he maintained possession throughout completing the process of the catch. On one of the angles – and there were not a lot of available angles and we didn’t have a shot to overturn it – as he is rolling over, you can see at least one hand come off the ball. So with an on-field ruling of incomplete, we would have to show that he had control to award him a touchdown.”
And maybe, just maybe, the Bucs, once possibly doomed because of no pyloncam, might be saved because of no pyloncam.
So it may, just may, all even out for the Bucs in their quest for a playoff berth.
Why the NFL does not mandate all boundaries be covered by pyloncams or some other camera seems incredibly irresponsible for a league worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
December 2nd, 2024 at 4:20 am
I thought it was 6, was stunned it wasn’t.
December 2nd, 2024 at 4:20 am
Or since there was a ref right on top of the play who made the call Theilan really did not actually have total control of the ball and it was not a touchdown. Possible.
December 2nd, 2024 at 4:54 am
It was 100% a touchdown, we got extremely lucky there but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
December 2nd, 2024 at 5:12 am
Bucs finally got a break, I am not complaining, the refs left a lot of calls on the field yesterday which could have benefited Tampa as well.
December 2nd, 2024 at 5:23 am
Bucs definitely got some gifts between this and multiple missed FG’s.
December 2nd, 2024 at 7:45 am
I thought his elbow landed out before his second knee/foot hit
December 2nd, 2024 at 7:58 am
I disagree that it was a catch. It’s like he said above, you have to establish control with your body inbounds. I dont think that counted as establishing control.
December 2nd, 2024 at 8:06 am
The ball was moving in his hands when he came down out of bounds m. Definitely a good call. If you look carefully you can see the threads of the ball spinning
December 2nd, 2024 at 8:24 am
The Kitties got screwed bigly on that play. It was clearly a tuddie, and an incredible athletic effort.
December 2nd, 2024 at 8:25 am
@beeej: the elbow counts as a foot, and was clearly inbounds.
The refs blew the call on the field.
December 2nd, 2024 at 8:37 am
Half of you say it was a TD and the other half say incomplete. Further proof for the need of nylon cams. lol
December 2nd, 2024 at 8:51 am
it was a TD, but luck was on our side this week
December 2nd, 2024 at 9:43 am
If it is a score, it changes the Buc’s approach when down inside the 5 instead of running White on 3rd and 1, you are playing for two downs to get in the end zone and not settling for a FG. The Bucs could have still pulled off the win.
December 2nd, 2024 at 9:51 am
For a billion dollars on the line every game, the NFL is way too cheap and greedy. Should absolutely be cameras everywhere and maybe a spare ref.
Right at the start of the game when that ref went down (didn’t look like much of a shot, perhaps seniors shouldn’t be on the field with 300 lb monsters), the ref is back there having to watch 10 guys battle in the trench by himself. Can’t tell me that wasn’t a hold on Kancey not 2 mins after the announcers were talking about the ref injury.
December 2nd, 2024 at 9:52 am
It was incomplete, if you watch close you can see the ball move as he hits the ground, one hand comes off, the ball moves which proves he did not maintain control through hitting the ground. INCOMPLETE….the Official was looking right at it, 2 feet away.
December 2nd, 2024 at 10:45 am
Beeej Says:
December 2nd, 2024 at 7:45 am
I thought his elbow landed out before his second knee/foot hit
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One knee equals two feet.
December 2nd, 2024 at 12:34 pm
With all the crap the refs pulled on the Bucs (and other squads not considered NFL darlings) throughout the decades, Bucs deserve some breaks. However, what I’m reading on here sounds like an incomplete pass. That ball can not leave the receiver’s hand and hit the ground. He can’t juggle it either. And the missed Panthers’ FGs? That’s on them, not Bowles or the Bucs.