What if the NFL had some of the same rules as the PGA and the LPGA?
That is, what if fans sitting at home and watching a game on TV could contact the NFL to point out a bad call by the officials?
That’s essentially what happened last weekend to LPGA star Lexi Thompson at the ANA Inspiration women’s golf tournament. A TV viewer emailed the LPGA to let it know that Thompson had misplaced her ball after marking it on the 17th hole during the third round. When officials reviewed the tape, it was discovered that the viewer was correct.
The LPGA made Thompson aware of the rules violation the next day when she was on the 12th hole of the fourth and final round. She was assessed a two-stroke penalty for that, and another two-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard the previous day.
Docking her four strokes cost her the tournament. She went from leading the event to falling two strokes behind. She rallied to finish the round tied for the lead, forcing a playoff that she eventually lost.
It’s unbelievable, but it’s true. You can’t make that stuff up. You can bet the mortgage that it won’t happen during Sunday’s final round of the Masters.
But if that type of thing were allowed in football, then I have key plays in three important Browns games that I would want reviewed.
The first one occurred Sept. 24, 1978 at Three Rivers Stadium. In a battle of 3-0 teams, the Browns, in their first year under head coach Sam Rutigliano, and Pittsburgh Steelers battled to a 9-9 tie at the end of regulation, forcing overtime. The Browns kicked off to start the extra period, and Steelers returner Larry Anderson fumbled the ball, which Cleveland’s Ricky Feacher recovered at the Pittsburgh 22. The Browns celebrated wildly, for they were already well in range for reliable Don Cockroft to kick a chip-shot field goal to win the game and end “The Three Rivers Jinx.”
Although everyone watching back home in Cleveland could see clearly that Anderson had slipped down and, without being touched by a Browns player on the ground, which would have counted for a tackle, got back up and then fumbled. The officials ruled instead that Anderson was already down before fumbling and let the Steelers keep the ball. They drove for a touchdown on a 37-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw pass to tight end Bennie Cunningham on a flea-flicker to win 15-9.
The second one came on the final play of the 23-20 loss in OT to the Denver Broncos in the 1986 AFC Championship Game. It was clear to everyone watching on TV that, if the left upright of the goal post in the west (closed) end of Cleveland Stadium had extended high enough, then the ball on the 33-yard game-winning field goal by Salem, Ohio native Rich Karlis would have struck it and the attempt would have been no good, keeping the game tied.
Finally, there’s the play two years later in the 1988 AFC wild-card playoff game against the Houston Oilers at Cleveland. Just like the game against Pittsburgh a decade earlier, it was clear to everyone watching on TV that the officials had botched a fumble call.
Oilers quarterback Warren Moon retreated to near the goal line at the Dawg Pound end of the field to throw, but when he was swarmed by the Browns, he lateraled the ball backward to get rid of it and avoid a sack. It was scooped off the ground by linebacker Clay Matthews and he took two quick steps into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. But it was ruled an incomplete pass instead, negating the score. Houston kept the ball and went on to squeeze out a 24-23 win.
Email was in its infancy so that would not have been a possibility in any of those situations, but I’m sure Browns fans everywhere would have been more than happy to place a phone call to NFL offices to straighten things out.
