Eagles fans have every reason to be upset about the way their defense played during the last drive of yesterday's game with the Bears. They had Brian Griese and Co. pinned on their own three-yard line with less than two minutes to play but weren't able to come up with a stop and lost the game when Mushin Muhammed caught the winning touchdown with nine seconds to play. If not for an obscure rule, though, the game might not have been that close. With the score 9-9 early in the fourth quarter Griese and center Olin Kruetz botched a snap and Sean Considine of the Eagles returned the ball to the Bear nine-yard line. A gift scoring opportunity for Donovan McNabb and a major change in momentum, right? Wrong. Referee Ed Hochuli used his massive arms to signal a false start on the Bears and they got the ball back, minus the five yards for the penalty.
Wait, a penalty for screwing up a snap? Is that right? Indeed it is. Under NFL rules if a quarterback is taking the snap under center and it goes through his legs it must be ruled a false start.
Hochuli may have been the only person on the field aware of the rule. The Bears players all responded as if it were a fumble, offensive coordinator Ron Turner was hoping for a neutral zone infraction by the Eagles and Lovie Smith said it was a revelation to him.
''No, I haven't seen that. But I'm all in favor of that rule.''I bet you are Lovie but I doubt you're alone in your ignorance of this rule. I've watched hundreds of football games in my life and that's a new one for me as well. If the Bears can use yesterday's win as a springboard to future success and make the playoffs they would be well obliged to send Hochuli a thank you note for knowing every inch of the rule book.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. I wish baseball had that rule in 1986.
Posted at 12:46PM on Oct 22nd 2007 by Stacey Franchise
2. Is this a new rule? I ask because last season the Saints scored a TD against the Steelers on a play where the snap went past Drew Brees, who was under center, to Deuce McAllister who picked up the ball and ran into the endzone. No penalty, and the play stood.
Posted at 3:15PM on Oct 22nd 2007 by rk
3. That rule has to be one of the dumbest I have heard of. I hear it was made to keep a sloppy field from preventing a good snap. So what about a sloppy field making someone slip or fall down? The offense doesn't get a "do over" for that. Oh yeah, I forgot, they got a five yard false start penalty. My mistake. The competition committee has to take a look at this one in the off season.
Posted at 7:48AM on Oct 23rd 2007 by GD in Philly