Could The Bills have kicked snow back over the FG spot The Colts cleared?

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I wish the Bills did during the timeout. Would have made for great TV. 

[PaattMaann]

OK, that was quick research...according to the Game Operations Manual set forth by the NFL: 

- ONLY players can clear an area on the field with their hands and feet to set up for a field goal attempt (no other team personnel is allowed to do so) 

- Field officials should use judgement to assess and penalize for any violations 

 

So, nothing is set in stone other than the two things mentioned above...so until refs tell the Bills players to get out of there (like they did with Tre) I dont see why Bills players couldnt kick the snow back into the cleared area, but you would be risking a penalty that the refs COULD legally throw...

 

Lots of judgement calls here by usually incompetent officials 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

A couple times I saw one of the Bills down lineman sweep his hand through the snow and kind of throw snow on the ball in the centers hand to slick it up some I assume. I wondered if that could have been a penalty?

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

And as we all know judgment calls never go our way.

[JMF2006]

8 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

So you mean during the Time Out, the trainers, waterboys, etc... Were clearing a spot?

 

Yup and the Ref shoooed them off the field.

[4_kidd_4]

27 minutes ago, JMF2006 said:

 

Yup and the Ref shoooed them off the field.

 

After McD went ape about it and ran onto the field.

 

The officials were like, “oh yeah, right” and broke it up.

[IslandBillsFan]

I was complaining about the staff helping move snow on the field too.  Glad they stopped it.  Also, the play clock taking forever to get set right was frustrating.  

 

I haven't lived in snow for many years but on all the special team kicks why doesn't someone literally get on the ground and wave the snow away with a snow angel motion?  I would think you would be able to move more snow quicker.  Especially with several guys doing it.  Thoughts?

[Livinginthepast]

1 hour ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

A couple times I saw one of the Bills down lineman sweep his hand through the snow and kind of throw snow on the ball in the centers hand to slick it up some I assume. I wondered if that could have been a penalty?

Yes I saw this too!! I wondering if he was trying to throw off the snap count!! Like somebody loudly coughing or sneezing when someone is about to putt in golf!. I think they could have called the Bills for unsportsmanlike conduct for that! In fact I was just waiting for it!

[TBDlurkerSINCE07]

It's a grey area but I would think that professionals would be above petty acts like that. Respect the game of football type of deal. If situations were reversed and the Colts did that to our kicker, we'd be crying bloody hell.

 

Maybe file it under the 'unwritten rules of baseball'.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

What would people estimate how much snow was on the field... I was @ first estimating 2-4"...Then I saw one sideline shot of Shady's TD and it looked like way more... Almost a beach of snow out there... +6" from what I gathered WHERE the yardlines were dug out.  I never saw anything like that.  Had to be like running on a deep compacted sandy beach... Then the furrows where lines were dug out!

 

My God, snow tires needed...4x4 w/some hefty ground clearance.  Like a plowed field w/those furrows where the lines are.

 

Maybe I am getting the term wrong.  I think it is called: "anna-by-Godlin" when you have to cross deep furrows.  Not sure where I picked that term up, maybe here in farm country.  Did you ever try and go across a farm field, traversing the furrows? It had to be hell on the wheels for Shady.  That's what it looked like... Shady running "anna-by-Godlin" across the furrows!

 

I can't find anything on internet for a term meaning to "cross the furrows."  There has to be a slang word for it.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

2 of them did - Tre White and EJ Gaines (I think).  I remember asking "Why is Tre' White in their huddle??"

[ExiledInIllinois]

30 minutes ago, JÂy RÛßeÒ said:

2 of them did - Tre White and EJ Gaines (I think).  I remember asking "Why is Tre' White in their huddle??"

He played at LSU... How does he know about snow? 

 

I like him! 

 

"Tre'Davious' Sense of Snow"

 

We need to get Peter Høeg on the book!

 

 

 

[RoyBatty is alive]

4 hours ago, PaattMaann said:

Tre White 100% kicked snow back into the spot they were trying to clear, right after the refs kicked the water boys/trainers off the field for trying to clear the spot...LOVE Tre White, and this is just more of a reason to do so

 

As far as the legality of both teams trying to remove snow while the other kicks it back? I would think there isnt even an NFL rule regarding the topic...but now I am going to try to do some research on it

Did he, that is really great, what a great guy and great player.  He single handed won that Falcon game, heads up smart player. I always like him as a person since he actually decided to stay another year at LSU and be the first kid in his family to get a degree.

[wnysteel]

what if the Bills' players made snowballs and then threw them at Vinateri as he was kicking? Aimed for helmet so he couldn't see. Really, would that be against the rules?

[ndirish1978]

14 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

He did it twice... Loved it.

 

 

This game and everything in it pushed it over the top for me, he's now my favorite Bill.

[ExiledInIllinois]

5 hours ago, TBDlurkerSINCE07 said:

It's a grey area but I would think that professionals would be above petty acts like that. Respect the game of football type of deal. If situations were reversed and the Colts did that to our kicker, we'd be crying bloody hell.

 

Maybe file it under the 'unwritten rules of baseball'.

 

I'd be crying bloody hell all right because a domed team figured that out!  Just like when the idiot opened the Zamboni doors after NoGoal!

 

Send the whole home crew/team to Situational Awareness 101!!!

 

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, ndirish1978 said:

 

This game and everything in it pushed it over the top for me, he's now my favorite Bill.

agree

[ExiledInIllinois]

3 minutes ago, wnysteel said:

what if the Bills' players made snowballs and then threw them at Vinateri as he was kicking? Aimed for helmet so he couldn't see. Really, would that be against the rules?

Yes, against the rules.

 

I don't think you should be even allowed ti clear a spot!  Play it as is!

[Fadingpain]

On a somewhat related note: every time a kicker was ready to place kick the ball, players were feverishly kicking snow out of the way with their feet.  I thought it looked ridiculous and was totally unprofessional.

 

What's the rule on that?  Could team assistants have gone out with a pusher shovel and really cleared the kicking area properly and efficiently?  Is there some rule saying "no tools allowed" ??? 

 

I think not allowing for snow clearing as part of some official component of the game is kind of amateurish, even if fun.

 

I.E., the rules should be amended to say in a snow game, the kicking team has 30 seconds (or whatever) to clear the kicking area, may use unlimited team personnel in so doing, and may use implements in so doing.

 

I.E., let's all give the kicking team some reasonable time (30 seconds) to get snow shovelers out there and really clear off the kicking area of the field.  I don't think something as important as a kick should be limited to how fast a football player can kick snow away with his cleats.  The whole thing was just sort of stupid, though funny and kind of entertaining.

 

The snow component of the game should not be allowed to impact the kick, when in 30 seconds you can clean up a big patch to kick from if you do it correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

What would people estimate how much snow was on the field... I was @ first estimating 2-4"...Then I saw one sideline shot of Shady's TD and it looked like way more... Almost a beach of snow out there... +6" from what I gathered WHERE the yardlines were dug out.  I never saw anything like that.  Had to be like running on a deep compacted sandy beach... Then the furrows where lines were dug out!

 

My God, snow tires needed...4x4 w/some hefty ground clearance.  Like a plowed field w/those furrows where the lines are.

 

Maybe I am getting the term wrong.  I think it is called: "anna-by-Godlin" when you have to cross deep furrows.  Not sure where I picked that term up, maybe here in farm country.  Did you ever try and go across a farm field, traversing the furrows? It had to be hell on the wheels for Shady.  That's what it looked like... Shady running "anna-by-Godlin" across the furrows!

 

I can't find anything on internet for a term meaning to "cross the furrows."  There has to be a slang word for it.

By the 2nd half, I think there was at least 6" of snow on the field.

 

There were times when a player would slide to avoid a tackle at the end of a run or play, and his body sliding across the snowy field would function as a snowplow, and plow up a pretty high pile of snow!  I couldn't believe that.  I have never seen an NFL snow game with that much snow during gameplay.

 

It is usually a dusting type of thing.  What made yesterday unusual is that you had a football game being played in a lake effect snow band, simultaneously with a lake effect snowstorm.  

 

Not sure that has ever happened before.

 

 

[boco357]

McDermott's time out before the extra point to tie was ridiculous.  Gave them extra time to clear space. Besides you aren't going to phase Vinatieri either.

Edited December 11, 2017 by boco357