Rules question: Illegal block to the back

[Rocky Landing]

You literally can't find a fan forum for any team in the NFL that doesn't have posters complaining that the refs are working against them. Even Patriots* fans have these complaints. My conclusion: Officiating an NFL game is very messy, and difficult.

[Low Positive]

That was local boy Sam Hubbard. The refs would have been killed if they called that. It’s like I’m sure that there were holds and blocks in the back on Hines’ KO return but there was no way that was going to be flagged.

[What a Tuel]

41 minutes ago, Bermuda Triangle said:

Edmunds was also blatantly blocked in the back on the  Dolphins' 4th and 8 conversion, following a Milano missed tackle

 

There were like 10 missed block in the back calls. the 4th and 8 was particularly egregious though because Edmunds is in position to push him out of bounds but gets pushed from behind and the runner is just like ok, ill keep running then. FIRST DOWN!!! no comment from Romo or anyone.

 

Found it around 5:17 in the "highlights":

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by What a Tuel

[Pete]

Poyer got clipped on Miami TD.  He would if stopped it. Miami player blocked him right on back jersey 21, right between the 2 and 1.  They kept replaying TD, with an obvious clip on Poyer!

 

Hubbard’s TD there was an obvious clip as well.  That TD shouldn’t of counted either.

 

That is two bogus  playoff TDs

Edited January 16, 2023 by Pete

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, Back2Buff said:

On the dolphins last play, where Elam broke it up, there was a clear block in the back too.

 

Groot got pushed to the ground, no call.  But Elam broke up the pass, so I was screaming YES YES YES like Meg Ryan instead of questioning the ref's ancestry.

 

I was shocked that the refs didn't call the blatant block in the back on the fumble 6.  It was clear from the games this weekend that the NFL sent out a memo that the refs were supposed to let the ticky-tack stuff go.  But it doesn't explain letting the blatant stuff go as well. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Freddie's Dead

[That's No Moon]

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

this is penalty they should just get rid of.  it provides no safety to any player as it is currently enforced. 

Yeah but if they eliminate the penalty you can start blowing up people from behind which will cause an actual safety hazard.

Edited January 16, 2023 by That's No Moon

[H2o]

Obvious block in the back. Just like the obvious block in the back yesterday on Edmunds that allowed Miami to get a 1st down. 

[Mr. WEO]

10 minutes ago, That's No Moon said:

Yeah but if they eliminate the penalty you can start blowing up people from behind which will cause an actual safety hazard.

 

has it stopped blocks in the back?

 

how many players have missed games because they got blown up in the back?

[EasternOHBillsFan]

2 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

Refs are (either consciously or unconsciously) biased against making calls where 70,000 people will start yelling at them.

 

We oldheads call that the Immaculate Reception effect 😁

 

"Raiders safety George Atkinson offered some eyewitness testimony of the referee conference 40 years later in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "We wandered over to hear what they were talking about. We thought they were deciding if the play was dead; instead, they were concerned about security. I heard it with my own ears."

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2662252-urban-legends-of-the-nfl-did-frightened-refs-stage-the-immaculate-reception

Edited January 16, 2023 by EasternOHBillsFan

[Livinginthepast]

On the Dolphins last TD drive, the play where Waddle takes the handoff. Poyer cannot make the full tackle because he gets body checked from behind near the goal line by a Miami player with no call. The Cinci TD is not quite as bad but still a block in the back. The Officials so far in the playoffs have been their usual mediocre to terrible quality.

[Rubes]

I guess I'm pretty much the only person who didn't have a huge problem with that block. I rewatched it and it looked to me like the guy initiated the block as Andrews was running alongside him. It looks like a block in the back because Andrews is running past him, so as he initiates contact, his hand is on his back right shoulder and it appears like he pushes into his back. But to me, it was contact initiated when they were side-by-side as Andrews was speeding past him. Close enough to me, I guess.

 

[Bermuda Triangle]

11 minutes ago, Livinginthepast said:

On the Dolphins last TD drive, the play where Waddle takes the handoff. Poyer cannot make the full tackle because he gets body checked from behind near the goal line by a Miami player with no call. The Cinci TD is not quite as bad but still a block in the back. The Officials so far in the playoffs have been their usual mediocre to terrible quality.

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

2 hours ago, bigduke6 said:

after watching all the games this weekend i can only suspect the NFL told the refs to keep the flags in their pockets unless it was something so blatantly obvious and egregious that they had to call it.   doesnt explain the block on Andrews,  but it sure explains alot of the other stuff i saw uncalled.

 

imo the Phins could have had at least 7 more delay of game penalties that werent called.  

I believe no offensive holds and maybe 1 very minor PI called in our game. They let them play, and I liked it. 

[Kmart128]

It seems that only call that penalty on special teams. So many offensive players get away with it in every game.

[Goin Breakdown]

I just can't buy into "they missed the call". What Ref was not looking at that game changing play. What sky judge was not watching that?  

[Mark Vader]

2 hours ago, simpleman said:

I just saw the highlights of the Cinci playoff game. On the winning fumble recovery, there was an obvious block to the back to a player that had caught up with the runner before he crossed the goal line. Why would that not be a penalty, it occurred before the touchdown was scored. I am beginning to get more and more confused about legal and illegal actions in the NFL. Thank You in advance for the explanation.

It was an extremely rare, once-in-a-lifetime, historic play in a playoff game.

 

Do you really think the refs were going to call a penalty on that?

[Bob Jones]

1 hour ago, GolfandBills said:

The officiating in the playoffs league wide  has been is spotty at best 

Fixed this for you! 😉

[dma0034]

I know a ton of Dolphins fans are complaining about the refing but they missed a ton of Blocks in the Back (the Edmunds one on 4th and 8 was the most obvious), plenty of holding calls on the Dolphins OLine were missed. Didn't look like the refs wanted to call penalties.

 

Aside note: I've never seen anything like how many times the Bills blew up a play only to have a coach call a timeout right before the play starts or the Dolphins getting a penalty for Delay of Game. Like 4/5 times that happened

[Boatdrinks]

5 minutes ago, Kmart128 said:

It seems that only call that penalty on special teams. So many offensive players get away with it in every game.

Except when it’s called against the Bills in the playoffs vs Texans 

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Rocky Landing said:

You literally can't find a fan forum for any team in the NFL that doesn't have posters complaining that the refs are working against them. Even Patriots* fans have these complaints. My conclusion: Officiating an NFL game is very messy, and difficult.

Agreed.  I’ll tell you one thing though, the calls against us haven’t been as egregious since we entered the NFLs elite