Could The Bills have kicked snow back over the FG spot The Colts cleared?

[ExiledInIllinois]

7 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

On a somewhat related note: every time a kicker was ready to place kick the ball, players were feverishly kicking snow out of the way with their feet.  I thought it looked ridiculous and was totally unprofessional.

 

What's the rule on that?  Could team assistants have gone out with a pusher shovel and really cleared the kicking area properly and efficiently?  Is there some rule saying "no tools allowed" ??? 

 

I think not allowing for snow clearing as part of some official component of the game is kind of amateurish, even if fun.

 

I.E., the rules should be amended to say in a snow game, the kicking team has 30 seconds (or whatever) to clear the kicking area, may use unlimited team personnel in so doing, and may use implements in so doing.

 

I.E., let's all give the kicking team some reasonable time (30 seconds) to get snow shovelers out there and really clear off the kicking area of the field.  I don't think something as important as a kick should be limited to how fast a football player can kick snow away with his cleats.  The whole thing was just sort of stupid, though funny and kind of entertaining.

 

The snow component of the game should not be allowed to impact the kick, when in 30 seconds you can clean up a big patch to kick from if you do it correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

By the 2nd half, I think there was at least 6" of snow on the field.

 

There were times when a player would slide to avoid a tackle at the end of a run or play, and his body sliding across the snowy field would function as a snowplow, and plow up a pretty high pile of snow!  I couldn't believe that.  I have never seen an NFL snow game with that much snow during gameplay.

 

It is usually a dusting type of thing.  What made yesterday unusual is that you had a football game being played in a lake effect snow band, simultaneously with a lake effect snowstorm.  

 

Not sure that has ever happened before.

 

 

Like moguls on a ski run!  Or getting the draw 15 skiers down out of the gate on a slalom course.  It sucks having to take the line 15 others took.

 

You adapt and overcome.

[Shaw66]

8 hours ago, PaattMaann said:

OK, that was quick research...according to the Game Operations Manual set forth by the NFL: 

- ONLY players can clear an area on the field with their hands and feet to set up for a field goal attempt (no other team personnel is allowed to do so) 

- Field officials should use judgement to assess and penalize for any violations 

 

So, nothing is set in stone other than the two things mentioned above...so until refs tell the Bills players to get out of there (like they did with Tre) I dont see why Bills players couldnt kick the snow back into the cleared area, but you would be risking a penalty that the refs COULD legally throw...

 

Lots of judgement calls here by usually incompetent officials 

This doesn't say the opposing team CAN'T push snow back onto the field.   Seems to me that if I can clear snow to my advantage, my opponent should be able to move it, too, to HIS advantage.  

 

However, I suspect that there's a rule that says between plays players must stay on their side of line scrimmage, unless they're on their way to or from the bench.  

 

Otherwise, a defender could go stand in the offensive huddle and sprint back on side when the huddle broke.   It would be chaos.   

 

But that's why the officials did a bad job on this play yesterday.  Between resetting the clock and the allowing non-players on the field, they gave a serious advantage to the Colts.   That shouldn't happen. 

[ddaryl]

If the team could cross the line and push snow over the area the Colts were sweeping up then why not send a few of our guys into the oposing teams huddle to hear the play call.

 

I would think these situations are the same.  You can't cross the LOS and deliberatley interfere..

 

As for sideline personell helping the Colts that was BS thing the refs missed

Edited December 11, 2017 by ddaryl

[PaattMaann]

15 hours ago, ddaryl said:

If the team could cross the line and push snow over the area the Colts were sweeping up then why not send a few of our guys into the oposing teams huddle to hear the play call.

 

I would think these situations are the same.  You can't cross the LOS and deliberatley interfere..

 

As for sideline personell helping the Colts that was BS thing the refs missed

 

The ref's didnt miss it, they saw what was happening and kicked them off the field...COULD they have assessed a penalty based on the fact it was happening? According to the rule book I quoted above, they could have, but its a judgement call...which means they handled it absolutely appropriate (whether we all agree with it or not)

[26CornerBlitz]

The Colts tried to cheat.

 

[ddaryl]

1 hour ago, PaattMaann said:

 

The ref's didnt miss it, they saw what was happening and kicked them off the field...COULD they have assessed a penalty based on the fact it was happening? According to the rule book I quoted above, they could have, but its a judgement call...which means they handled it absolutely appropriate (whether we all agree with it or not)

 

 

yeah they shooed them off the field but not after they were out there for a few minutes helping out. So I still call it a BS thing

[PaattMaann]

2 hours ago, ddaryl said:

 

 

yeah they shooed them off the field but not after they were out there for a few minutes helping out. So I still call it a BS thing

 

gross exaggeration, rewatch it, they were removed quite quickly