Michael Bennett's penalty on Matt Ryan

[amill87]

How can you say Bennett did not contact Ryan's knee? I have the picture right there.

Not the most fair rule in the rule book, but from the picture, he did make contact with the knee. He ended up wrapping the ankles to take him down, but he still had initial contact with the knee nonetheless.

Yeah. Take issue with the rule. But in "game speed", you can't really blame the refs for making the call.

Pete didn't seem to care about. He give Bennett a "yeah I know" look.

But we can no longer use the line of the NFL wants to protect the star QBs since the calls didn't get made on Manning. Maybe they just suck at their job and don't have secret hidden agendas behind all their calls?

 

[Sgt. Largent]

The way the league's going, it's only a matter of time before the only permissible sack will be to hug the QB. Can't go high, can't go low......and as John Lynch pointed out these are MOVING targets for defensive players.

 

[mikeak]

Here is the clarification on the rule when it was implemented. Has it been changed?

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... rady_rule/

Players will still be allowed to tackle a quarterback at the knees or below. What referees will be looking for is if it’s a “normal tackle’’; a swipe at a quarterback’s legs will be OK, a lunge is not.

“We’re looking for forcible contact, basically forearm, shoulder, or helmet right into his knee or below,’’

 

[mikeak]

OK from the rules and not from what people are thinking the rules are

No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction.

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/protectionofpasser

That ALIGNS with the original comments from my post above. Normal tackle - OK.

That should not have been a penalty. I am not saying there was any bias or that I really fault the officials. I do think there is a lack of understanding of this rule

 

[Hawkpower]

Guys I love a good ol' fashioned ref bashing but we gotta let this one go. They got it right. We already have a reputation as fans who whine about refs, we should reserve that for when they blow the call.

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you keep posting this picture, but it doesnt matter.

As defined by the rule, the defender CAN make contact with the knees, as long as it isnt a unobstructed path and flagrant.

Bennett's hit was neither of these. No flag was necessary.

 

[twisted_steel2]

It had all the 'elements' of the Brady Rule. :roll:

 

[Psychobabbler]

The call was correct per the rule.

It is the rule that is broken.

Let them play ball!

 

[Zebulon Dak]

Bullshit call.

 

[mikeak]

The call was correct per the rule.

It is the rule that is broken.

Let them play ball!

Did you read the rule I linked above or are you just making that based on the assumption?

I thought it was properly called on the field. I looked up the rule and think it was the incorrect ruling. I am not blaming the refs nor would I if we had lost on it.

I think this is a hard one to get right, I think the horse-collar vs jersey only is extremely hard.

 

[amill87]

The call was correct per the rule.

It is the rule that is broken.

Let them play ball!

Did you read the rule I linked above or are you just making that based on the assumption?

I thought it was properly called on the field. I looked up the rule and think it was the incorrect ruling. I am not blaming the refs nor would I if we had lost on it.

I think this is a hard one to get right, I think the horse-collar vs jersey only is extremely hard.

It is extremely hard to get right especially the way it happened. There is evidence to support both ways. I suggest if you can watch it in slow motion but it appears that Bennett lunges at Ryan as he's falling. The lineman touches Bennett two yards away from Ryan, everything after that is purely done by Bennett.

Let me emphasize this. I REALLY hate the refs. I think they are the worst thing in the NFL right now. They cost teams games almost weekly. I just feel this is one that is not worth getting upset about. It is really close either way.

 

[twisted_steel2]

I just feel this is one that is not worth getting upset about. It is really close either way.

Yea that's true, but what gets me is the bunches of borderline calls that happened at the end of the game.

One here and there, sure, wouldn't bother me. But all together in a bunch that is the only reason that Atlanta was able to drive down the field, yea that upsets me.

But whatever, we won easily.

 

[dontbelikethat]

The call was correct per the rule.

It is the rule that is broken.

Let them play ball!

Did you read the rule I linked above or are you just making that based on the assumption?

I thought it was properly called on the field. I looked up the rule and think it was the incorrect ruling. I am not blaming the refs nor would I if we had lost on it.

I think this is a hard one to get right, I think the horse-collar vs jersey only is extremely hard.

It is extremely hard to get right especially the way it happened. There is evidence to support both ways.

 

[Hawkpower]

The call was correct per the rule.

It is the rule that is broken.

Let them play ball!

Did you read the rule I linked above or are you just making that based on the assumption?

I thought it was properly called on the field. I looked up the rule and think it was the incorrect ruling. I am not blaming the refs nor would I if we had lost on it.

I think this is a hard one to get right, I think the horse-collar vs jersey only is extremely hard.

It is extremely hard to get right especially the way it happened. There is evidence to support both ways. I suggest if you can watch it in slow motion but it appears that Bennett lunges at Ryan as he's falling. The lineman touches Bennett two yards away from Ryan, everything after that is purely done by Bennett.

Let me emphasize this. I REALLY hate the refs. I think they are the worst thing in the NFL right now. They cost teams games almost weekly. I just feel this is one that is not worth getting upset about. It is really close either way.

So you feel crab crawling towards a QB after being knocked down and wrapping a QB in the knee/ankle-ish area as you lay on the ground is unobstructed and flagrant???

Pretty sure this rule was put in place to prevent the guy flying in and diving low at full speed.

 

[amill87]

So you feel crab crawling towards a QB after being knocked down and wrapping a QB in the knee/ankle-ish area as you lay on the ground is unobstructed and flagrant???

Pretty sure this rule was put in place to prevent the guy flying in and diving low at full speed.

I feel that in game speed it is extremely close and that refs will generally err on the side of caution with QBs.

I feel that is by far the least worst penalty called in this game and not worthy of outrage.

Lastly I feel that the reputation of our fan base has become one of a whiner whenever the ref throws a flag. I'm guilty of it, most of us are. But having multiple threads with multiple pages discussing a call that really had no significance and could really go either way doesn't help our cause.

 

[seahawks08]

The referee was watching it from behind. So he sees the helmet towards the knee, but does not see it was it arms to the ankle that bring Mat Ryan down. It was a bad call period, but from the referees angle, he see a helmet directed towards the knee before touching it and Ryan going to the ground, so he assumed the helmet hit the knee that brought Ryan down. I wish in cases like this, the do a conference and overturn it.

"During each play from scrimmage, the referee positions himself behind the offensive team, favoring the right side (if the quarterback is a right-handed passer). He also counts offensive players.

On passing plays, he primarily focuses on the quarterback and defenders approaching him. The referee rules on possible roughing the passer and, if the quarterback loses the ball, determines whether it is a fumble or an incomplete pass."

 

[scutterhawk]

Guys I love a good ol' fashioned ref bashing but we gotta let this one go. They got it right. We already have a reputation as fans who whine about refs, we should reserve that for when they blow the call.

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From those shots it looks like the offensive lineman throws him down. What else is Bennett suppose to do? Stop? Lay on the ground not moving? Will never happen. He has no choice but to reach out for Ryan.

He grabbed him around the ankles. At that point in the game the refs were calling every ticky tack thing they could.

This gets called and when there's no danger of Ryan getting hurt, and NO INTENT to cause ANY kind of injury to the QB, YET, the rule makers would have everyone believe there's no intention to injure a Quarterback who is standing still at the time of impact, but MIGHT decide to take off running, so it's okay to hit the SOB?
EVERY quarterback that MOVES AROUND in the pocket has it in their minds to TRY and get away from a would be Defender coming at you to either strip the ball, upend your ass, or just put a hit on you, NOT CARING if it causes injury.
It's all the bullshit NFL rules that are subject to change by the interpretations of the DIFFERENT Referees around the League that's causing all the controversy, and sending mixed signals to the players.

 

[SeaWolv]

As shown in my picture, Bennett clearly makes contact on Ryan's knee.

Yeah with his arm while trying to tackle him. That is not a hit it's a tackle. If he had hit him with his pads or helmet I would agree with the call.

 

[253hawk]

Bennett fined $15K for that 'hit' on Matt Ryan.

There aren't even any words...

 

[ivotuk]

Guys I love a good ol' fashioned ref bashing but we gotta let this one go. They got it right. We already have a reputation as fans who whine about refs, we should reserve that for when they blow the call.

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Nice work amill87, thank you. My memory was telling me it was lower, around the ankles, and I thought he was already on the ground, but now I see why they called it.

 

[CANHawk]

I'm not all that happy with this particular application of the rule because it went against us (and Bennett who I'm bro-crushing on big time right now) but given the fact we have a bonafied franchise quarterback of our own now, I'm kinda glad the rule exists. Have to protect the franchise. It's a non-reviewable judgement call made in real time at field level. It's an extremely tough call to make. I think the refs calling our game got it a little more right than the refs calling the Denver game. Peyton being injured is not good for the sport.

I think it's BS Bennett's getting fined for it though. Dude was just trying to make a play. There was no malicious intent on that play IMO.