The big question Al Michaels asked at the end of last night's bruising matchup between the Ravens and Titans was whether Tennessee had been in a legal formation. With time running out and Baltimore's defense racing to get onside, Tennessee QB Steve McNair ran a quarterback sneak into the end zone. The officials never answered Al's question, instead calling a play-stopping encroachment penalty on the defense, nullifying the score and awarding an "untimed" play to the Titans. Baltimore flattened the ensuing quarterback sneak by McNair and won the game 16-10.
The officials made exactly the right call, and they made it on the field, without the benefit of instant replay. The illegal formation argument is moot, because the defense made contact in the neutral zone before the ball was snapped, killing the play. Since the ball was never snapped, the offense cannot be called for illegal formation.
It's worth noting that had the defense been on their own side of the ball, illegal formation would almost certainly have been called; the Titans had only six men on the line of scrimmage, and the NFL requirement is seven.
To make matters even more confused, the play in question took place as time ran out. With the clock reading all zeroes, what do you do? You do exactly what the officials did. The NFL rulebook states: "On a foul by defense on last play of half or game, the down is replayed if penalty is accepted." (Source: http://www.nfl.com/fans/rules/positionofplayers.html)
The real question should have come -- and did, from Dan Fouts -- earlier in the drive when Baltimore DE Mike McCrary was called for a 15-yard roughing the passer foul, putting the Titans only 20 yards from a game-tying score. The rule in this case penalizes the defense for hitting the quarterback low and from behind. Low, yes. From behind, not really. McCrary tackled McNair from the side while being blocked to the ground, as McNair threw a pass. Hardly enough to justify a call, much less a potentially game-deciding fifteen yard penalty.
In the end, both teams played some of the best football we've seen all year, particularly on Monday Night Football, and the better team won. The Titans had the game within reach -- literally -- but chose to run McNair in another quarterback sneak instead of, say, hand the ball to RB Eddie George.
For Tennessee, the game served as a crushing reminder of last season's playoff loss to the Ravens, as well as the practical end to their 2001 season; for Baltimore, it was a much needed and hard-earned win. The rest of us witnessed football at its glorious best.
The officials made exactly the right call, and they made it on the field, without the benefit of instant replay. The illegal formation argument is moot, because the defense made contact in the neutral zone before the ball was snapped, killing the play. Since the ball was never snapped, the offense cannot be called for illegal formation.
It's worth noting that had the defense been on their own side of the ball, illegal formation would almost certainly have been called; the Titans had only six men on the line of scrimmage, and the NFL requirement is seven.
To make matters even more confused, the play in question took place as time ran out. With the clock reading all zeroes, what do you do? You do exactly what the officials did. The NFL rulebook states: "On a foul by defense on last play of half or game, the down is replayed if penalty is accepted." (Source: http://www.nfl.com/fans/rules/positionofplayers.html)
The real question should have come -- and did, from Dan Fouts -- earlier in the drive when Baltimore DE Mike McCrary was called for a 15-yard roughing the passer foul, putting the Titans only 20 yards from a game-tying score. The rule in this case penalizes the defense for hitting the quarterback low and from behind. Low, yes. From behind, not really. McCrary tackled McNair from the side while being blocked to the ground, as McNair threw a pass. Hardly enough to justify a call, much less a potentially game-deciding fifteen yard penalty.
In the end, both teams played some of the best football we've seen all year, particularly on Monday Night Football, and the better team won. The Titans had the game within reach -- literally -- but chose to run McNair in another quarterback sneak instead of, say, hand the ball to RB Eddie George.
For Tennessee, the game served as a crushing reminder of last season's playoff loss to the Ravens, as well as the practical end to their 2001 season; for Baltimore, it was a much needed and hard-earned win. The rest of us witnessed football at its glorious best.
