Jump to content

Robert Woods Fumble - no forward progress?


Bills!Win!

Recommended Posts

One thing I don't think anyone is talking about from this game. Apparently the refs don't call the play dead anymore on forward progress. Woods was fighting for yards for what seemed To be 4-5 seconds. At one point I was yelling at the tv for them to blow the whistle because of forward progress before he even fumbled.. if not for the Robert woods fumble i believe the game would've been very very close.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 83
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

That's one of those things where Woods stayed up just enough to keep the play alive. They could have blown the whistle but they were indeed right not to. Good effort by Woods but a dumb effort as he should have known to go out of bounds or go down. He had the first. It was another play that killed the Bills chances late.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was stood up but forward progress wasn't stopped. Look at it again.

 

He could have simply ran out of bounds there but was stubborn.

 

This. It was sort of a bonehead play by Woods. Just walk out of bounds when there is zero chance of significant further yardage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think he was trying to get down but the Giants players were holding him up and working him over for the ball. Out of bounds would have been preferable, but I can't fault a guy for trying to make a play in the heat of the moment. Refs could have blown the whistle and elected not to. It seems arbitrary as the refs often blow plays dead in that circumstance.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It reminded me of the call vs. Baltimore a few years ago when our WR Lee Evans caught a pass and went into a scrum, the pile just stood there for about 5 seconds, then the ball fell out (probably from fatigue). It was in overtime. The Bills were at midfield, and in a good position to win.

 

But Woods was stripped of the ball yesterday. He should have put his knee on the ground and moved on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tough to tell whether he was moving forward or the guys were holding him up. He should have held on with both hands, put his head down and tried to get down. Would have made it obvious he was quitting on the play at which point the forward-progress rule would come into effect. It looked to me like he was trying to move himself forward while waiting for a whistle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It reminded me of the call vs. Baltimore a few years ago when our WR Lee Evans caught a pass and went into a scrum, the pile just stood there for about 5 seconds, then the ball fell out (probably from fatigue). It was in overtime. The Bills were at midfield, and in a good position to win.

 

But Woods was stripped of the ball yesterday. He should have put his knee on the ground and moved on.

 

That was Shawn Nelson and that was a bad non-call by the refs. I think with Woods was a different scenario, he should have gone out of bounds, bad decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tough to tell whether he was moving forward or the guys were holding him up. He should have held on with both hands, put his head down and tried to get down. Would have made it obvious he was quitting on the play at which point the forward-progress rule would come into effect. It looked to me like he was trying to move himself forward while waiting for a whistle.

 

If you make the decision to not go out of bounds so you can pick up what, a yard or 2 (he never had anywhere to go)?----you can't expect the refs to bail you out when the Defense swarms you. No one here should either. A ref just isn't going to give you a pass out of a dumb choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

If you make the decision to not go out of bounds so you can pick up what, a yard or 2 (he never had anywhere to go)?----you can't expect the refs to bail you out when the Defense swarms you. No one here should either. A ref just isn't going to give you a pass out of a dumb choice.

 

My exact thoughts at the time. Cutting back towards two defenders while down two scores and just one step from the sideline is a bad choice. No matter how much you want to make the big play and be the hero, a well disciplined player realizes that choice is rife with tragic outcomes. After getting stopped by the two defenders and not realizing it is time to get down just makes the first mistake all the more painful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing I don't think anyone is talking about from this game. Apparently the refs don't call the play dead anymore on forward progress. Woods was fighting for yards for what seemed To be 4-5 seconds. At one point I was yelling at the tv for them to blow the whistle because of forward progress before he even fumbled.. if not for the Robert woods fumble i believe the game would've been very very close.

 

Its actually quite simple...Because Woods was still making forward progress and advancing the ball position it was not called. Think about it this way...if he was 2 yards shy of the first but was still fighting and progressing towards it and the refs blew the whistle before he crossed it, you would blow a gasket and lose your mind stating he's still moving forward how can you blow it dead.

 

You can't have it both ways. The rule clearly states that if the player is still advancing the ball then its not stopped for forward progress. The forward progress rule is there so that players can not be carried back wards or purposely held upright to push them back wards. Not protect against fumbles by a player successfully fighting for more yardage.

 

Woods was definitively, and undisputedly still moving forward at the time of the strip. Therefore, by rule, and correctly called there was no stoppage for progress.

 

I have a major issue with the refs yesterday on both TD calls, a couple missed PI calls, and a couple missed late hit calls on Taylor...but this one they got right.

Edited by Alphadawg7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...