I'm sure this was covered on the board yesterday... but I wasn't around to read it, and I just happen to be burning a DVD of the game as I type...
Interesting that the gamebook entry doesn't actually SAY he went OOB (as it does with most typical entries); that's just where the penalty was enforced from:
Nantz/Simms claim the ball was marked at the 38, but he was even further away from the sideline at that point. CBS showed the best angle during the Bills' ensuing offensive series; as Clements is being flagged for his block, Whitner's foot is squarely in the middle of the hashmark. He gets a little closer the next time his right foot lands (on the 44), but still never comes within six inches of the sideline.
Also telling is the fact that when he announces the penalty, Terry McAuley never mentions why play was stopped. A better referee would have, unless he already knew the call was blown. Pereira's going to have to bite the bullet on this one and blame the old "inadvertent whistle"... IF Eisen bothers to ask him about it, that is.
(I sense an e-mail or two to Richie's inbox brewing. )