The Chicago Bears ran an attempted field goal back for 108 yeards for a touchdown against the 49ers. Good work. Congrats. But it was total BS!!
Here comes the runner.
Here is the first ever so obvious clip on a tackler
Here is the second obvious clip
Making sure the guy stays down
Hey. I like witnessing (even on TV) the most spectacular play in NFL history. But there is a reason that nobody ever before ran back a field goal attempt 108 yards. That’s because it cannot be done. Oh, wait. It can be done if clip after clip is ignored by the officials. Actually this is, technically, blocking above the waist from behind. A clear violation. Two were clearly obvious to anyone watching the game. There may have been three or four.
What galls me is that neither the national sportcasters or the local (49er supporters) ever mentioned this or showed the violations on instant replay. It was a disgrace.
I can assure you the fans saw it and wondered what is wrong with the media? A few sportscasters blamed the 49ers for bad “angles.” Pathetic. The play should have been flagged more than once.
Well… It can be done (a field goal unit isn’t all that fast)… But yes the odds are stacked.
Another thing to note is just because yellow flags should have been thrown doesn’t mean the player needed the assistance to begin with (I’m not saying he did or didn’t in this case).
I was most galled about the fact that nobody (sportscasters) never said jack about all the fouls. They normally do slow-mo on everything and moan and groan about blown calls. What changed?
It is the Chicago way! The mayor Richie Daley will payoff everyone possible. Just look at the White Sox, how did they get the world series? Payoffs are how Chicago works.
It is a conspiracy against Bay Area Teams.
Watch a Raider game and see how many games are decided by officials.
They are armatures at best. old men trying to keep up with 20 year olds. The officiating team needs a reply guy to watch every play. With 20 cameras at games they can do it.
The Bears have been playing dirty for years, and the League does nothing.
John, if you don’t know by now, Football is entertainment first and a sport second.
If it makes you feel better, the 69ers still suck.
As a San Francisco implant from Chicago, I vouche for the conspiracy comment, we had it planned. Now if the Cubs can get their part right…
Please though, we’ve been playing dirty for years, come on guys. Give us something — I love my Bears, but we haven’t shined since the Super Bowl Shuffle… which I try to forget…
Eh… You’re just mad that my Bears beat your 49ers….
-A
Some thoughts.
1) John D. must be from the Bay area OR a 49er fan. Or both.
2) Somebody’s team lost a close one.
3) Someone, maybe the same as in 1) and 2), doesn’t like Chicago.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but that’s life. The play wasn’t challenged by the officials or San Francisco so it will stand. I think almost every pro game has at least one questionable call. Try watching Hockey and not getting emotional over missed / bad calls.
Even though I am about 60 miles from Chicago and 180 from Indianapolis, I don’t know any Bear fans. We are all Colt enthusiasts, and for good reason. Well, there is this one woman that likes Green Bay, but we don’t hold that against her otherwise fine attributes.
There are always unseen fouls. But these were obvious to everyone.
Geez…it seems people are crying about something thats done and over with. If the officials didn’t catch it then oh well!!!.
As far as the Bears playing dirty….this person must not be watching the same games lately….they have been losing so badly the last couple of years that if they where playing dirty don’t ya think they would be winning. Just a thought.
One bit of mitigating evidence in favor of the refs:
The referees are not optimally positioned to make penalty calls on a return of a field goal.
The linesman and line judge are watching the scrimmage line, the back judge, field judge and side judge are in the defensive backfield with two of them under the goal posts, the umpire is behind the defensive line. The only referee between the offensive line and their own goal line is the referee.
Thus, if a missed field goal attempt is returned 108 yards, you have all these old guys trying to keep up with 20-somethings with superior athletic ability and speed. It’s no wonder that they missed a penalty or two. 😉
BTW, the same does not apply to kickoffs and punts because the referees are already spread out for those. The only situation which comes close might be an interception return, but even in that situation two of the three referees watching the defensive secondary are not under the goal posts.
Okay you do realize that the officials are also running down the field at full speed trying to keep up as well, don’t you. And that missed calls are a part of every sport. And that the 49ers aren’t very good. Of course you do.