The Strange Twists Of History
March 27th, 2019
Somehow, Bucs TE Kellen Winslow got called for pass interference on this touchdown play, which cost the Bucs a playoff berth and changed NFL history. This play is now reviewable.
It wasn’t just the Saints who were robbed.
Yesterday, largely as a result of significant lobbying by Saints coach Sean Payton and public outcry. Pass interference is now a reviewable play.
The spark for the rule change was blowback from the horrible no-call of defensive pass interference that likely resulted in the Saints losing the NFC title game to the Rams in January.
In Joe’s eyes, this rule change is about 20 years too late. Still, it was a rule that needed to be applied.
Finally.
Of course, many vividly remember the Saints debacle because it is fresh in our memories occurring only two months ago. But Bucs fans with keen memories also remember how the Bucs were jobbed by a non-pass interference call as well.
It was December 2010. The Bucs (8-5) hosted the Lions. The Bucs were the talk of the NFL. Posting only three wins the previous season, second-year coach Raheem Morris proved to be a captivating personality and 2009 first round pick, quarterback Josh Freeman, in his first full season as a starter, looked to be just scratching the surface of what sure seemed to be a long, successful career.
In that home game against the Lions in a crucial fourth-quarter drive, tight end Kellen Winslow appeared to catch a go-ahead touchdown for the Bucs. But no! The zebras threw a flag and whistled Winslow for offensive pass interference. Replays clearly showed it was Winslow who was the victim of pass interference, but it didn’t matter. Interference was not a reviewable play. The touchdown was taken off the board.
The Bucs instead had to settle for a field goal. The game went into overtime where the Lions prevailed.
The Bucs would win two more games that season but lost out on a playoff berth in a three-way, Wild Card tiebreaker with Green Bay and the Giants. The Packers would go on to win the Super Bowl.
How NFL history turned on that botched call. Who knows who would have won the Super Bowl that year? Could the Bucs have made an improbable run?
And who knows if Raheem Morris would still be Bucs coach? It’s hard to believe Team Glazer would have run a young coach they handpicked to succeed Chucky a year after making the playoffs (then again, the same fate befell Chucky).
We all know what happened after that fateful call. The Bucs lost 10 straight games to close the 2011 season and Morris was gone. Freemen mentally melted down soon after and is now out of football after only starting one NFL since he was released by the Bucs in 2013. Winslow was run off just prior to the 2012 season and he is now staring at decades behind bars after a series of alleged disturbing felonies, and one bad Target parking lot decision.
And the Bucs? They still haven’t been back to the playoffs and haven’t yet had a double-digit winning season since.
In Joe’s eyes, this new rule allowing pass interference to be reviewed is way too late for Bucs fans. But, better late than never.
Hat tip: @BennyCL.
March 27th, 2019 at 12:19 pm
Saints weren’t robbed
Rams were on the prior possession when a blatant facemask call against Goff was missed
March 27th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
THis will open up a HUGE can of worms…..that is all….it will only create more controversy …
March 27th, 2019 at 12:21 pm
Winslow makes me sick wonder if he is a suspect for anything that may have take place in the tampa area while he was a player here.
March 27th, 2019 at 12:24 pm
Can’t believe the league is going down this road. Because of cry baby Payton? Added stoppages are a given for this. Games are getting unwatchable as it was. Flag fest from incompetent officials.
March 27th, 2019 at 12:45 pm
i disagree with the rule change…..they shouldve left it how it was…..cant go back and reverse calls in the past….
saints didnt get robbed….they got the ball first in OT…..that was their chance to win it all right their….screw the saints….
they might as well make everything review-able because thats where we’re headed weather the NFL wants to admit it or not……
theirs going to be a bad holding call or non call that’ll cost a team a game maybe keeping them out the playoffs or knocking them out the playoffs and the media will talk about it for weeks and the owners will get together and change things up……
the rule is all cool until it bites you in the a$$!!!!!!
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 27th, 2019 at 12:52 pm
It was SO freeking nice watching that no call and seeing little Seany Peyton cry like the little beatch he is!
March 27th, 2019 at 1:08 pm
I have to remember to add an extra 2 hours to every game i DVR now.
March 27th, 2019 at 1:14 pm
So here’s my question about the rule change..
Does this mean they can reviews a play, and then throw a PI flag AFTER the play is over and reviewed? Cuz that would be ridiculous.
Or does this simply mean that when PI is called, they can go back to review the call to make sure it was indeed interference?
March 27th, 2019 at 1:14 pm
Sup with all the moderation today joe? Last night was the first time I’ve posted in days…
March 27th, 2019 at 1:38 pm
Refs blowing a call is like a receiver dropping a wide open td- it’s part of the game. You want to bring replay more and more into it, – unintended consequences- teams losing momentum, players muscles’ cramping up…injuries, games lasting too long, dwindling attendance…
Teams don’t win or lose because of refs, unless it’s a fix
March 27th, 2019 at 2:25 pm
My concern is whoever the receiver coach is for the Bucs better be on ME, He is definitely does a not so slight push off at times to get open. This could definitely go against the Bucs (and you know he already has that rep with the refs) along with BA cussing them out
March 27th, 2019 at 3:08 pm
keep Dreaming JOE keep Dreaming! We wouldn’t have won the SB, Raheem was and AWFUL coach, Freeman would still be Freeman, and we would have still lost all those games, the only thing would have changed would be that play and that’s it. However, Ref’s need to be held accountable when obvious mistakes are made, so i’m all for the rule change.
March 27th, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Said this for years, but if the Bucs are in the playoffs, that literally means the Packers are out, which in turn means Rodgers doesn’t win the SB, which means he isn’t doing those God awful discount double check commercials that are nearly ruined Sunday’s for the last decade.
March 27th, 2019 at 5:23 pm
The rule probably benefits ME13. He gets a lot of push off calls. This will not increase his PI calls against him.
Lest we forget that push off by one of the Steelers receivers in the end zone a couple years back on one of our DBs,which was a no call. If the game is longer, so be it. Just have another beer.