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Wait…What Just Happened? : No Challenge

In the Packers at Vikings game yesterday we witnessed one of the unfortunate flaws in the Coach’s Challenge system. Let’s chat about that.

In a weird play, Vikings QB Christian Ponder threw a pass that was tipped, bounced around by a few players, and finally recovered by a Viking. All of that was legal. But what wasn’t legal was the “catch” at the end of the play. It was initially called as a catch by the Vikings, but after a second look it was easy to see that the ball had actually grazed the ground and was not a legal catch.

But it wasn’t reviewed or recalled. Here’s why:

In order to challenge a ruling on the field, using the red Coach’s Challenge flag, a team has to have a challenge to use (they get two per game – if they are right on both, they get an extra one) but they also have to have a time out. Why? Because if what the coach challenges is reviewed and is not ruled in the coach’s favor, the team is charged one time out. So that means they can’t challenge if they don’t have a time out.

And the Packers had a challenge remaining, but they didn’t have a time out. So the Vikings were quick to get the next play underway before any type of official review could be called, and the end result was a touchdown for the Vikings.

Now, in my opinion, not having the challenge ruled in your favor is punishment enough. Having a time out extracted just feels like salt in the wound. But I’m guessing that’s what they want to do to keep coaches from challenging more than absolutely necessary. That’s all well and good, but when it results in a bad call standing and points being put on the board later, that’s not well or good. And the Vikings ended up winning the game by a field goal…and as a Packers fan, that’s like the ultimate of unwell and ungood. There needs to be some sort of contingency plan.

Also, remember the last time we talked about Coach’s Challenge? On Thanksgiving when Jim Schwartz threw the flag on an unreviewable play and a call that would have been overturned stood because of it? A similar situation occurred in this game. Mike McCarthy threw the flag on a scoring play, which seemed like what happened with Schwartz on Thanksgiving. However on this play, the official had already blown the whistle and called for the review, which meant that the play was not deemed “unreviewable” because of McCarthy’s flag-throwing, but the Packers were given a 15 yard penalty anyway.

If you are confused…you’re not alone. The rules regarding the Coach’s Challenge seem legitimate to basically no one and really need to be revisited ASAP. Since the whole system is relatively new it makes sense that the kinks are still being worked out. But really, there are some sizable kinks, and hopefully they are resolved in the off-season.

As Mike Pereira said, “The object of replay is to get the call right.” At the end of the day, that’s what the replay system needs to make happen.

Game Play Thursday : Personnel Groups, Pt 2

Last week we started breaking down the concept of personnel groups, a concept that will completely revolutionize how you view who’s on the field and what’s going on, and today we’re going to break it down even more.

If you’re going to tackle a piece of football knowledge pre-playoffs, this is it! It’ll be your most enjoyable post-season yet!

Ok, so just a quick review: personnel groups are identified by the number of running backs and tight ends on the field on a given play – in that order: running backs and then tight ends – and wide receivers aren’t counted. So on a play that contains 2 running backs, 1 tight end, and 2 wide receivers we know that a 21 personnel group is on the field: 2 is the number of runnings backs, 1 is the number of tight ends, and wide receivers aren’t included in the personnel group.

But even though they aren’t verbally named, since we know that only 5 running backs/tight ends/wide receivers are on the field at one time (because only 11 players are allowed on the field from each unit and 6 postions are occupied by the offensive line and quarterback, so that leaves 5 spots of skill players) we know how many wide receivers are on the field based on the personnel group. If it’s 11 personnel – 1 running back and 1 tight end – that means there are 3 wide receivers on the field (2 spot are taken in the personnel group, which leaves room for 3 wide receivers).

Got it? I’m sure you do!

Now, it’s one thing to know what the whole personnel group system means, it’s another to be able to identify the players on the field. That’s what we’re going to do today.

There are three ways to know who is on the field at any given time:

1. Know your team! The easiest way to know who’s on the field is to know the players on the team you love. If you know the depth chart – who plays each position – you’ll know what personnel group is on the field by the players who are in the huddle.

2. Know the jersey numbers. If you are watching a game against teams you aren’t as familiar with, it’s helpful to know which jersey numbers are assigned to each position so you can use jerseys, not the players you know, to determine which players are on the field and what the personnel group is. Keep this handy until you know it well:

Quarterbacks and kickers wear from 1 to 19.
Running backs and defensive backs wear from 20 to 49.
Linebackers wear from 50 to 59 or 90 to 99.
Offensive linemen wear from 50 to 79.
Defensive linemen wear from 60 to 79 or 90 to 99.
Receivers wear from 10 to 19 or 80 to 89.

This isn’t concrete – sometimes players are allowed to wear numbers outside of their position (like Bear’s WR Devin Hester, who wears 23) – but by and large you can decipher a player’s position by their uniform number.

3. Know where plays (usually) line up. This one can be tremendously helpful but also tremendously tricky, because players line up all over the place and sometimes line up out of position. But in general, you can usually tell which players are on the field by where they line up. Here’s a standard formation:

IN GENERAL:

The tight end lines up close to the offensive line (and occasionally midfield)
The wide receivers line up on the outside of the formation
The running backs line up in the backfield (and occasionally midfield)

So in this formation, we have 1 running back, 1 tight end, and 3 wide receivers. So what personnel group is out on the field?

You got it! It’s the 11 personnel group.

Ok, now let’s put all of your hard-earned smarts to the test. Here are five examples of offensive formations. Take a look, decide which personnel group is in, and leave your answers in the comments! I can’t wait to see how you do, but most of all, I can’t wait for you to embrace this information and run with it!

Ready? Set? GO!

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3:

Example 4:

Example 5:

And if you have any questions, leave those in the comments, too! Anything goes!

Wait…What Just Happened? : Second Act

In yesterday’s Giants at Ravens game, Baltimore QB Joe Flacco threw a pass to receiver Jacoby Jones, which he caught while crossing the pylon. The play was initially ruled a touchdown, but was overturned after the review by the officials.

Take a minute to watch the video here.

The rule book states that to be ruled a catch the receiver, “must first control the ball, then get both feet clearly down and finally maintain control of the ball long enough to perform an act common to the game. Acts common to the game are described as being able to pitch the ball, pass it, advance with it or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.” (Thanks to Mike Pereira for the analysis and explanation.)

The play was overturned because the officials felt that Jones hadn’t completed a second act common to the game.

The waters of the call are murkied by the fact that Jones was falling to the ground while catching the pass, which is legal, but denotes a slightly different application of the above-stated rule. It’s still a catch if the receiver has control of the ball and the ability to perform a “second act common to the game” while he’s breaking the plane (the pylon/the end zone line) to score a touchdown, even if his feet are not firmly planted vertically.

It would appear that Jones completed all of the required criteria. He had control of the ball and was able to stretch it out past the pylon, which would be considered a second act.

I’m honestly not sure why the call was overturned. The officials need to have “indisputable evidence” in order to overturn a call, and they (namely head ref Carl Cheffers) felt they had indisputable evidence that he did not complete a second act common to the game. I’m not sure how they came upon that decision, but luckily, it had no ill effect on the overall score since the Ravens won the game (handily) anyway.

What do you guys think? Touchdown or no touchdown?

Game Play Thursday : Personnel Groups

When I learned about personnel groups earlier this year, it blew my mind.

All of a sudden I knew who was on the field and how to refer to them! I knew what people were talking about when they talked about personnel! It felt amazing. And that’s the feeling I want all of you to have, one step at a time!

Ok, ready? Let’s dive in!

Remember everyone on offense? The quarterback throws the ball, the offensive line (5 players) protect him, and the skill/position players – tight ends, running backs, and wide receivers – advance the ball forward. There can only be 11 players on the field from each unit (offense, defense, special teams) at a time, so we know that between the quarterback and the offensive line there are 6 players, which leaves for 5 skill position players.

The skill position players are the players referred to in “personnel groups.” You might have heard teams like “21 personnel” or having the “11 personnel group” on the field.

Personnel Groups are identified by the number of running backs and tight ends on the field on a given play – in that order running backs and then tight ends – and wide receivers aren’t counted. Each position can only have a certain number of players on the field at one time – there can only be at most 3 running backs, 3 tight ends, or 5 wide receivers (but not all at the same time, since there are only room for 5 players plus the QB and O-line).

Ok, now we get to do a little personnel group math. But don’t worry, it’s not like algebra. It’s more like first grade math.

A personnel group consists of two numbers.

The first number refers to the number of running backs on the field.

The second number refers to the number of tight ends on the field.

From those two numbers, we know how many wide receivers are on the field.

So let’s say there are two running backs on the field and two tight ends on the field. That would be a 22 personnel group. And since we know that there are two running backs and two tight ends on the field and there need to be five total skill players on the field, that means there is one wide receiver on the field.

Make sense?

Here’s another example: if there are 3 RB’s and 1 TE, that’s a 31 Personnel Group. And since there are only 4 players in the Personnel Group, that means there is 1 WR on the field.

Ready for some quick fire examples? I know you are!

2 RB’s + 1 TE = 21 Personnel
- This means: there are 2 WR’s on the play (leftover count from the 5 men on O-line, QB, and 21 Personnel)
1 RB + 2 TE’s = 12 Personnel
- This means: there are 2 WR’s on the play (same as above)
2 RB’s + 2 TE’s = 22 Personnel
- This means: there is 1 WR on the play
3 RB’s + 0 TE’s = 30 Personnel
- This means: there are 2 WR’s on the play

The personnel group on the field usually gives clues as to whether the offense will run or pass. If there are lots of running backs on the field, then it’s probably a running play. If there are a lot of wide receivers on the field, then it’s probably a passing play. But beware! It’s in a team’s best interest to mix things up – to pass on a 22 Personnel or to run on a 10 Personnel – just to confuse the defense. Knowing the personnel groups doesn’t automatically lead to knowing the play, but it will help in determining the team’s game plan.

Another trick to note: the personnel groups are based on which personnel is IN THE HUDDLE – not necessarily how they line up/are utilized in the play (let’s say, if a TE lined up as WR, etc).

How are you feeling? Confident? Mixed up? Questions and concerns? Let me know in the comments because next week, we’re going to revisit this post and break it down a little bit more. We’ll talk about how to identify running backs and tight ends and wide receivers on the field and in the huddle so you know how to calculate the personnel group a little more precisely.

Until then, go practice! Have fun! Enjoy being in the know!

Wait…What Just Happened : Punt

In last night’s Niners at Patriots game there was a substantial debacle over a potential muffed punt.

Between multiple fouls and Ed Hochuli’s classic method of explanation and his microphone cutting in and out due to inclement weather…it was one big confusing mess. Honestly, I’m still confused. But let’s try to break it down as best we can:

What Happened:

The Patriots punted the ball on 4th down. Ted Ginn Jr., a member of the 49ers special teams unit on that particular play, appeared to have potentially touched the football as the ball hit the ground and was bobbling around. The Patriots then appeared to have recovered the ball.

What That Means:

Members of the kicking team (the team that is punting the ball) cannot touch the ball before a member of the receiving team (the team receiving the punt) touches the ball. If they do, it’s a violation. However, if a member of the receiving team touches the ball but does not have possession of the ball (doesn’t catch it or have it in his hands) the kicking team can legally recover the ball (by falling on it or picking it up – any way of gaining possession) and therefore gain possession.

Terms To Know Before We Get Down To The Nitty Gritty:

A muffed punt is when a player touches the football prior to possessing the football. This can happen when the football inadvertently hits a member of the kicking team, or, as in our example, the football touches a member of the receiving team but is not possessed by that player.

An illegal touch (which I believe is synonymous with first touch) is when a member of the kicking team touches the football before a member of the receiving team touches the football. This is a violation, not a foul. (I’m still working on it, but I think the difference between a foul and a violation is that fouls are flagged penalties and violations are not flagged but are leveraged against the team committing the violation.)

Downing the ball is when the ball hits the ground and a member of the kicking team touches it to “down the ball” – or have it called dead – right where it is. You usually see this when a punter pins the ball deep into the opposing teams territory and members of the kicking team attempt to keep it from rolling into the end zone. If they down the ball before it reaches the end zone, it will be positioned wherever they downed it (the 5 yard line, the 2 yard line, etc), but if it goes into the end zone it is ruled a touchback and will be brought out to the 20 yard line, which gives the other team much better field position.

Confusing and not relevant to our current conversation but IMPORTANT:

Downing the ball DOES constitute an illegal touch. However, since it’s a violation and not a foul, it doesn’t carry adverse consequences for the kicking team. If the kicking team downs the ball, it is an insurance policy for a receiver on the receiving team who may want to pick the ball up and return it. Since downing the ball is an illegal touch (first touch) violation, the ball will automatically be spotted at that position (or at the most advantageous position for the receiving team if there were multiple first touches) if the receiver does decide to pick up the ball and return it and fumbles it or loses yardage in the process.

The Result:

Let’s go back to the play in question. The Patriots punted, it looked as if the ball may have touched a 49ers player, and the Patriots recovered the ball. (We’re not even going to get into the other penalties called on the play because illegal touching can’t offset any penalties (because it’s a violation, not a foul) so they were going to stand anyway.)

Bill Belichick thought the punt was muffed. We learned above that a muffed punt is when a player from the receiving team, in this case, Ted Ginn Jr. of the 49ers, touches the ball before possessing the ball. Upon further review, it was decided that the punt was not muffed – it did not touch Ted Ginn Jr. before being touched by the Patriots.

MINI QUIZ:

Now we have a situation in which the kicking team touched the ball before the receiving team had a chance to touch the ball. And what does that mean?

You got it! Illegal Touching/First Touching by the Patriots, which results in the 49ers getting to choose the most advantageous first touch to spot the ball.

Here’s the actual rule that was cited in the call:

” ‘First touching’ is when a player of the kicking team touches a scrimmage kick that is beyond the line of scrimmage before it has been touched by a player of the receiving team beyond the line. If the ball is first touched by a player of the kicking team, it remains in play.

“First touching is a violation, and the receivers shall have the option of taking possession of the ball at the spot of first touching, provided no penalty is accepted on the play, or at the spot where the ball is dead. First touching does not offset a foul by the receivers. There may be multiple ‘first touch’ spots, if more than one player of the kicking team touches the ball before it is touched by a player of the receiving team.”

And there you have it: the most confusing way to start a Monday. Holy cow.

Wait…What Just Happened…Take Two

Today we’re going to do a take two and go back to a call we broke down last week, the intentional grounding call against the 49ers that resulted in a safety for the Rams.

Here’s a refresher:

Intentional grounding happens when the quarterback is being pressured and chooses to get rid of the football (“throw it away”) rather than hold the football while being sacked. He would choose to do that because if he holds onto the football when he is sacked the ball will be spotted wherever the sack occurred, which is usually well behind the line of scrimmage and results in a lot of lost yardage for the offense.

However, if the quarterback throws the ball away “without a realistic chance of completion” (a judgement call by the refs), he gets called for intentional grounding, which is a loss of down plus a ten yard penalty.

Now, here’s an important part of that rule I completely left out (sorry, guys!):

Along with being thrown away without a realistic chance of completion, the ball also has to fall short of the line of scrimmage for intentional grounding to be called.

Lots of people, including former head of officiating Mike Pereira, have questioned the call made during the Niners/Rams game, because it looks like the ball falls beyond the line of scrimmage when it lands out of bounds. Here’s Pereira’s take:

“The intentional grounding rule states that when the quarterback is out of the pocket, it is not intentional grounding if he throws a forward pass that lands at or beyond the line of scrimmage, including when the ball lands out of bounds over the sideline.

This ball was snapped from the 17-yard line and Kaepenick’s pass landed out of bounds somewhere near the 20. This should not have been a safety.”

The game day officiating crew, led by Carl Cheffers, defended the call:

“It was an intentional grounding…The quarterback rolled out of the pocket and he needs one of two things: He either needs a receiver in the area or he needs to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage. The official on that side of the field came to me and reported that neither of those things took place. So we have intentional grounding. And because he threw the ball from the end zone, by rule, that penalty is enforced and the result of the enforcement is a safety, by rule.”

So, who’s right? You be the judge! Take a look at the play (which is shown at the 1:25 minute mark):

Likely, Mike Pereira made the right call. It (briefly) looks like the ball crosses the line of scrimmage out of bounds in this replay.

But, and here’s a glitch in the NFL’s rule system, the play could not be reviewed or challenged because penalties are not allowed to be reviewed by the replay official or challenged by a head coach. Remember what happened to Jim Schwartz on Thanksgiving? That would have been Jim Harbaugh’s fate had he thrown the challenge flag here.

So, even though all scoring plays are automatically reviewed, the safety play cannot be reviewed because it’s a score that is the result of a penalty. It’s a bad loophole in the instant reply system, and it’d be worth looking at and changing in the off-season.

How about games from this past weekend? Any questionable plays or calls come to mind?