Wake-up Call: NFL referees, Santonio Holmes, Hawk-Eye, Dustin Brown, Lane Kiffin
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First things first: What a day for NFL officials. Questionable rulings all over the place -- on the field and from ‘under the hood’ along with one referee getting a bloody nose. Where to begin? How about Baltimore, where the Ravens hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Steelers down, 9-6, Pittsburgh’s Santonio Holmes (here is what Holmes said after the game) caught a four-yard pass with 43 seconds left. Was it a TD or not? His feet were in the end zone when he had possession but it appeared the ball did not cross the plane of the goal line. Officials on the field said no, no, it wasn’t a TD. Uh, wait. Yes, yes it was. Referee Walt Coleman said it was after reviewing the play. Once again, what we saw on TV showed Walt may have been wrong. Even NBC analyst Cris Collingsworth, a former All-Pro receiver, said it wasn’t a TD. Here’s another view of the catch by Holmes. And here’s what Ravens Coach John Harbaugh had to say:
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Bad Call, Good Call, Part 2: Receiver Torry Holt, whose Rams lost, 23-20, to the Seahawks on the last play of the game, said an official used a video scoreboard to call pass interference on a key play in the third quarter. The call was made by a rookie referee. Rams Coach Jim Haslett said, ‘If that is what he called, then that is what he called.’ During a questionable call in the Cowboys-Giants game, in which Tony Romo’s foot was behind the line of scrimmage (or was it?), even Al Michaels couldn’t hold back, saying, ‘Oh, here we go again.’
Computer call? Tennis has the solution. Because it is simply too difficult for humans to always make the correct call, maybe a Hawk-Eye system for the NFL is in order. Here is what The Times’ Lisa Dillman wrote when Hawk-Eye was introduced to professional tennis. And The Times’ Karen Kaplan made clear not long ago that the human brain is imperfect when it comes to the eye.
Hats off: This is belated, but Dustin Brown’s hat trick Thursday night in the Kings’ 6-2 win over St. Louis was fun watching, especially when ex-Kings Coach Andy Murray started looking so frustrated. Here are the game’s highlights.
And finally -- Lane Kiffin might be more successful now, and not just because he moved to the college coaching ranks. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin made it official -- he will join his son’s staff for the Tennessee Volunteers. The elder Kiffin announced his decision Sunday after the Bucs’ lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 13-10, but that he told players and his assistant coaches last week.
-- Debbie Goffa
Top photo: Santonio Holmes catches a touchdown pass in front of Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, right, with 43 seconds left in the game. The Steelers won, 13-9. Credit: Doug Kapustin / The Baltimore Sun
Pop-up photo: Santonio Holmes feet clearly are in the end zone but does the ball break the plane? Gail Burton / Associated Press