re: Safety in the Sugar Bowl

quote:

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It was the correct call based on the fact there was no whistle. In a better officiated scenario (IMO), they should've blown the whistle early and given him forward progress. But since there was no whistle, the safety call was correct.

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That's just dumb. His forward progress was stopped at the 2. THe far side ref can even be see marking forward progress there. I've never seen this call made before EVER. The idea that just "because the whistle wasn't called" that forward progress should not count is laughable. In the future, all defensive players should push runners backwards into the endzone, then let them go, and then tackle them for a safety. Your argument is like saying you can pick up an incomplete pass or fumble after the player is down, so long as the ref doesn't blow the whistle. They play is over when the runner is down, not when the whistle is blown. Similarly, it SHOULD be (if it isn't) that the play is over when forward progress is stopped. That's the way I've always seen it, and I've been watching football for 25 years.