Ahmad Black Is Outraged!
November 25th, 2012
Ahmad Black’s positioning on Julio Jones prevented a touchdown in the third quarter, but Black wasn’t so fortunate later in the game.
Let’s just say Ahmad Black and the zebras don’t see eye-to-eye.
With 8:06 left in the game and the Bucs leading 23-17, the Dixie Chicks were marching, as they often did today in what turned out to be one of the poorer performaces by the Bucs defense this season.
But suddenly it appeared the Bucs rose up and stopped the Dixie Chicks. On third down from the Bucs-5, Ryan appeared to want to go to Harry Douglas short who was covered by Black near the goal line. With other receivers covered (!), Ryan threw the ball well out of bounds way over Douglas’ head.
But just as soon as the ball hit the ground, so too did a yellow rag from one of the refs. Black, who did make contact with Douglas on the play, was whistled for holding.
That gave the Dixie Chicks first-and-goal from the Bucs-3 where the Dixie Chicks promptly scored. Ballgame.
Black was unapologetic after the game and downright angry about the call.
“I think the ball was thrown out of bounds,” Black said. “There was no possible way — even if I didn’t touch him at all — that he was going to catch that ball! What am I supposed to do, stand there and just look at him the whole time?”
What left Black more rankled about the flag wasn’t so much that the Dixie Chicks got new life from it, but that Black hinted that call let his teammates down on what would have been a fantastic goal line stand.
“Great, great effort by the guys on first down and second down and then on third down when we needed a play, we force the quarterback to check down and then throw the ball away and unfortunately, we get a holding call,” Black said.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
i have seen a lot of questionable calls against us this year. but it happens, just like the offensive p.i. in 2010 that cost us the playoffs.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
absolutely a terrible call. o and i was at the game and it sure as hell looked like 85% of the stadium was full.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
must sell 85% by 72 hrs before kickoff for blackout to be lifted.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
@ lurker
that bs. why cant they extend the deadline to saturday. o well, i thought it was a great crowd minus the stupid falcons fans rubbing it in.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
The game is on a severe donward spiral IMO. The defense is barely allowed to even play DEFENSE, and every good hit draws a penalty wether it was a clean hit or not. It’s truly turning into Madden Fantasy Football. I’ve come to despise the NFL and their greed. If they cared a rats rear end about the players health they wouldnt be playin on Thursday nights. It’s truly becoming hard to watch, and much easier NOT to watch.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
The NFL rules are soooo biased for the offense and it makes it so hard to play defense. The NFL wants scores, so they make the rules to have scores. The Bucs need to do a better job at getting TD’s and not FG’s.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
When Arthur Blank needs $300 million from Atlanta taxpayers for a new stadium, you better believe they’re gonna get the calls they need from the refs. Watch the Falcons the last 3 seasons. They get away with murder on the O-Line and get a lot of questionable calls. Black’s “hold” was a perfect example. Bucs would’ve never got that call on a 3rd down in the redzone.
November 25th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong here but it doesnt matter if the ball is catchable on a holding call only on a PI
November 25th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
I didn’t think it was a call to be made, period.
It’s not the reason we lost, but it didn’t help.
November 25th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Sensible:
Infraction was committed before Matty Ice threw the ball.
November 25th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
BS call all there is to it. Welcome to the NRL the national referree league where the game is decided by the ones that call it. That was a huge call at that point and I can almost guarantee that if it were the bucs in that situation the whistles would have been dead silent.
November 25th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
worst infraction by secondary – bucs down by 1 ATL’s ball in the fourth and the CB gives up inside move on 3rd and 5 for an easy slant play = conversion. made me wanna puke.
November 25th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
The call was holding/illegal contact, which happened before the throw. It doesn’t matter if the following throw was catchable.
November 25th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Line in vegas bucs +1.5 ref DO influence the game. First games of the year vegas was taking a beating with the scab refs… Makes you wonder how they set line hmmmm…. Also every time I watch GB play and they mention their SB win I get pissed off.
November 26th, 2012 at 7:47 am
This type of bad call is prevalent in most Buc losses. Along with FG’s instead of TD’s inside the 5 yd line.