Originally Posted by
JasonEvans
Ok, so I ran into another really confusing NFL rule today.
In the 3rd quarter of the Falcons-Cards game, Falcon's RB Jason Snelling caught a pass and then had the ball stripped out of his hands as he was running. It was clearly a catch and fumble, no doubt about it. That part is not at all controversial. The ball was headed out of bounds when a Cardinal jumped and grabbed it and threw it back in bounds. One of his teammates fell on it and it was ruled Cardinal ball. A great play by the D.
It appeared that the guy jumping to save the ball might have just barely stepped out of bounds before throwing the ball back into play, which would have left the ball in Atlanta's possession. It was close enough so that Atlanta Coach Mike Smith immediately threw his challenge flag.
And there is where the problem cropped up.
All turnovers (like all scores) are automatically reviewed. So, technically, Smith was not allowed to throw the challenge flag. It is sorta an automatic challenge. But, by throwing the challenge flag at a time when he was not allowed to do so, he drew an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which carries a 15 yard penalty. The previous play has ended so that penalty is treated like a new play has occurred. And, as a result, it makes it impossible for the booth to review the challenged play.
So, by challenging a play that was already under review, Smith nullifies the review and gives his team a 15 yard penalty. WHOA!!!
I wonder if this raises an interesting possibility. If your team gets a turnover as the result of a bad call that is about to undergo a review, you throw your challenge flag. Bhy throwing your flag, the review does not happen. Sure, your team incurs a 15 yard penalty, but you get possession of the ball. Would this work, I wonder?
-Jason "seems like a strange penalty for a coach who is essentially just making sure that something that is supposed to be reviewed gets reviewed" Evans