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RI: Zorn Returns to Fair-Catch Play


Jeffro

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I know that you are supposed to give a receiver a clear path to the ball' date=' but is that limitless? I mean if the punt goes 10 yards, does everyone on the coverage team have to open up a clear path to the ball for the receiver?

ARE had to run a good ten yards to get there. It's not the coverage guy's responsibility to know where the ball is in the air at all times, is it?[/quote']

I'd have to say yes, it is. If punt returner is running up to field a punt, and he collides with a cover guy, I think that draws a flag, regardless of where on the field it is.

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I'm not sure that one thing cost the 'Skins the game. Their offense was a no show (again), the O-line was...exposed (again), we wasted our time outs (again), and special teams was abysmal. Sure that play was like the perverbial nail in the coffin for a team that was tumbling downwards in the second half, but...it didn't cost us the game. We still could've held Carolina to a field goal instead of letting Stewart run in from 8 yards out.

I didn't say that it was the one thing that lost us the game. There were certainly many failure points in Sunday's game.

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All that play did was allow Carolina to score quicker than they would have had it been caught. The Skins offense wasn't doing a thing.

That is why we lost. Not because of this play. But because our offense did squat all game. Besides the 2 gift TDs that our defense helped us out on, our offense did absolutley nothing. Portis only had 57 yards and JC had 145 yards. You're not going to win many games when your leading rusher has just over 50 yards and your QB doesn't even throw for 200 yards.

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What's surprising is that Westbrook is still on the team.

There was a player during Gibbs I who did a similar faux pas on special teams...cost the Skins a game.

He was gone by the next game.

Nice! I think you've hit upon a key fact about Zorn's coaching reign: mistakes are cool, just try harder. There is absolutely zero accountability on this team and eventually all of those mistakes add up to losses (against previously winless teams).

I'm not sure there's any game awareness on Zorn's part, so why would there be any for his team..? The guy burns time outs like a meth addict...

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I wasn't aware the rule was written like that. Makes me wonder why we don't see the kicking team attempting to throw blockers into the punt returner on every fair catch. Why try to get around a block when you can instead attempt to interfere with the catch on many punts?

I think we will NOW see this alot; it will be on the Special Team players to stop or fall down 10 yards short of the return receiver so this doesn't happen.

I think the Colts had a similiar situation occur last Sunday night; didn't see it - but read it on this board

I didn't know that rule existed; I don't blame Zorn for challenging the play - the refs, first call -gave the ball to us - then - changed their minds to the kitties. I am sure this confused Zorn - his eyes in the booth told him to challenge it.....and he did.

Zorn was correct in challenging - if he didn't know the rule - find out the rule and FORCE a visual booth review; the refs HAVE been wrong before. You can blast Zorn for not knowing the rules, but the refs never reviewed the return in a booth UNTIL he challenged.......they were standing in a circle discussing "what they saw".

Stupid RULE and I bet it gets changed.

But Westbrook will probably stop mid field now for our return reciever - I'll bet he has learned his lesson. ;)

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Here's the thing. Even though Westbrook was between Randel-El and the Carolina guy, the Carolina guy still interfered with the fair catch. In fact, his right hand even touched Randel-El's shoulder. Look at the video.

Just because Westbrook was between the Panther and Randel-El doesnt give the guy immunity from an interference call.

I saw that too; I was in question of that......but the REFS gave us the ball - and I thought that was why. THEN they retracted the Redskins and stated the kitties. I was livid.....purely livid....... I think the kitties will have this play returned to them by the future teams they play......that call was wrong by the Refs........totally wrong. Cost us the momentum and the game, IMO.

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There is no halo!

Why are people talking about a thing that does not exist?

No opponent may interfere with the fair catcher' date=' the ball, or his path to the ball. Penalty: 15 yards from spot of foul and fair catch is awarded.

[url']http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/faircatch[/url]

I know that you are allowed to push a blocker into the kicker if that blocker is initating the contact. You can't do that to a player who is just standing there.

Even though Westbrook was pushed, didn't the Carolina guy still interfere with ARE and come too close?

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because it "USED" to exist in college ball.....http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-76519761.html

...when the player is going to return a punt WITHOUT calling a fair catch. If you call a FAIRCATCH... you cannot be interfered with...

yes, a player may be pushed into the returner during a fair catch if the player is initiating contact, not to someone just standing around. But, was ARE still interfered with? Didn't Carolina come to close regardless of whether Westbrook was blocked into him?

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...when the player is going to return a punt WITHOUT calling a fair catch. If you call a FAIRCATCH... you cannot be interfered with...

yes, a player may be pushed into the returner during a fair catch if the player is initiating contact, not to someone just standing around. But, was ARE still interfered with? Didn't Carolina come to close regardless of whether Westbrook was blocked into him?

Right, he cannot be interfered with.

You can be one inch from the punt returner, you just can't touch him. There is no such thing as "too close" as long as you are not contacting the returner.

The halo rule was a two-yard circle. That does not exist.

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...when the player is going to return a punt WITHOUT calling a fair catch. If you call a FAIRCATCH... you cannot be interfered with...

yes, a player may be pushed into the returner during a fair catch if the player is initiating contact, not to someone just standing around. But, was ARE still interfered with? Didn't Carolina come to close regardless of whether Westbrook was blocked into him?

Yes, a Carolina player touched him.....then................Westbrook fell into him- "almost" simultaneously. But the lovely little refs :mad: - never called that..........again, obvious throughout the whole game.........they were supporting the kitties.

Agreed, NO one should have touched El........but they did....and Westbrook getting blocked into El got the "brush" over looked

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Hatred? I don't think so.. but nice try. I disagree with challenging a call that he had 5 minutes to review prior to throwing the flag. Given the 5 minutes it took the refs to make the call (correctly) I would think that the Redskins could have come to the same conclusion. Had the refs made the call immediately and we didn't have adequate time to review, then fine I agree with the challenge. But in this situation where they had so much time to review and in the 4th with a team coming back.. save the TO imo.

And just because I don't agree with you don't make me "stupid" nor a "hater"

Actually, although I wasn't there, I have read now several times that they didn't replay the play until after Zorn had challenged it, so he only had the one memory of it. Not like us at home who had numerous looks at the play & moronic commentating to accompany it.

Personally, I don't blame anyone for this play going the way that it did, other then the rulemakers. This has to be the one of the most ridiculous rules I've seen yet. You can't interfere with the returner but you can force one of his own players into him legally, force a fumble & then, to add to the stupidity, even if the other team recovers it, they can't advance it. :doh: Who came up with this stupid bull**** rule? They should be taken out of their home & shot in the streets for their stupidity.

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