I'm 100% with David on this and, with all respect to B.C. Fan, just can't share his (or her...I can't assume gender!) take at all. The Lions made a football play. They stripped the ball, forced a fumble and got possession back for the offence while there was time on the clock. That was just as valid a football play as Leggett's tackle on Rainey. The call, as the CFL world is aware, was in dispute on the field. There is a system and an opportunity put in place precisely to address and redress these types of close-call-for the-human-eye-in-real-time situations. This was a classic. The video evidence was clear and obvious (other leagues are moving away from the old "indisputable" standard..it's out of date) that the the elements of a fumble were present. The surrounding circumstances are completely irrelevant. The mealy mouth copout given by the league displayed a stunning absence of credibility. It brings scorn and disrepute onto what claims to be a valid professional sports organization. All the means to review the call were in place, There was no obscurity of view. None.David wrote:Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. This is not about whether we deserved to win the game or not. Yes, we turned the ball over more than they did, but we also had many more yards offense than Winnipeg. That is irrelevant. The fact is, regardless of whom you're cheering for, the Lions SHOULD HAVE been awarded the ball, first and goal at the 8 yard line, with :35 seconds remaining. That's unequivocal. Would they have won? Who knows? Winnipeg has the worst red-zone D in the league this year, and apparently 14 out of 17 drives starting on the Bomber 8 yard line since 2008 have resulted in TDs. But, we also blew a game in Calgary earlier this year under similar circumstances. Again, that is irrelevant.B.C.FAN wrote:The Lions and Bombers played an exciting, back and forth, high scoring game with lots of offence and big plays.
Players make mistakes on every play. Those mistakes add up to points scored and points given up, and they determine the outcome of a game. The Lions made lots of mistakes on Saturday, got fooled by two trick plays and turned the ball over three times, including a last minute third-and-one gamble at the Winnipeg five yard line. That's why they lost.
Officials make judgment calls on every play. That's an accepted part of sport. You don't hear baseball players, fans and announcers arguing that a called third strike should have been a ball. With or without video review, there will be questionable calls in all sports. Yet football fans, more than those in any other sport, have a tendency to become consumed with criticizing officials for questionable calls and blaming them when their team loses. They lose focus of what really counts. Don't leave a game in the hands of the officials. Focus on the mistakes that the players made and try to correct those.
This is not an indictment of the on-field officials either. A fumble would have been difficult to assess in real time unless you were in clear view of the play. Only Arakgi seemed convinced. No, this is about a Command Centre that is given high tech electronic equipment, multiple angles, and time to get the call right, and they blew it. End of story.
This can't happen in a professional league.
DH
Look at the Washington v. Oregon game a little later in the day. UW's Browning hit receiver Pettis in the end zone. The ball was caught and then came out. It was called incomplete. Went to video review. The call was overturned and a clear, concise explanation of the elements of the catch were given to the public. No one on the Oregon side has ever uttered a word of complaint. Presumably review isn't there to cop out. It's there to get it right if possible. It was totally possible in Winnipeg on Saturday.
And, for the record, there are parties out there who are very unhappy with the balls and strike calls. Look for a recent installment of Bryant Gumbel's Real Sports. Episode 234.Former MLB player thinks it's absolutely insane that BB still relies on the whim of home plate umps when the technology exists and is already in place to go to 100% accurate computerized calls for balls and strikes in MLB games.