Giants Were Victims of Poor Officiating
Cowboys awarded seven free points
Posted on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 11:55 AMOn third-and-six from their own 29-yard line, and with only 5:55 remaining in the third quarter, Cowboys quarterback Brooks Bollinger fired an incomplete pass over the middle intended for tight end Jason Witten.
With the score 28-7 in favor of the Giants, that play would have resulted in a punt and basically end any hope Dallas had at a miraculous comeback to upset the defending Super Bowl champions. However, on the back-end of that play, at the very moment the ball rolled off of Bollinger's fingertips, defensive end Justin Tuck hit Brad Johnson's replacement head- on andtook him to the ground.
In no way was the hit malicious or with the intent to harm, but referee Jerome Boger didn't quite see it that way. With his skewed interpretation of the rule, he called Tuck for roughing the passer, claiming he "landed on" the quarterback with all of his weight.
At the time, I almost blew my top. Not only did it keep Dallas' drive alive, it was also a horrible call. Boger's explanation did not coincide with the actual rule, which protects the quarterback from being deliberately driven into the ground with full body weight and intent (judgment call) to harm.
The Cowboys went on to score a touchdown, bringing them within 14 points and keeping their hopes alive.
While the Giants eventually walked away with a 35-14 victory, that call could have been the difference in the game.
Now, according to Vinny DiTrani of the "True Blue," head coach Tom Coughlin has subtly hinted that the NFL has acknowledged their mistake and admitted the call on Tuck was incorrect. Well, hallelujah! Thankfully it didn't cost the Giants a win.
Unfortunately, this is not the first instance of an NFL official making an absolutely terrible call this season. And unlike the Giants, some of the other teams victimized by the poor officiating haven't been so lucky.
This is, by far, the worst officiating I have ever seen over the course of a season and something NFL commissioner Roger Goodell better shape up.
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