Green Bay — Unbeknownst to him, kicking the ball in the air might have cost quarterback Aaron Rodgers a chance to have his fateful fumble reversed in the Green Bay Packers’ 51-45 overtime loss Sunday to Arizona.
As Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams slammed into Rodgers, the ball came out of the quarterback’s hand at about the same time his arm was coming down. As the ball dropped down near his legs, Rodgers kicked at it with his right foot, causing it to pop up in the air and into the arms of linebacker Karlos Dansby, who returned it 17 yards for the winning touchdown.
According to a league spokesman, even though the ball didn’t hit the ground, it is a fumble and not an interception. And because it didn’t hit the ground, it is not subject to the infamous “tuck rule”, which states that a ball lost while the arm is in the process of coming down is an incomplete pass.
Had it hit the ground, the referee could have called an incompletion. Even if he didn’t call, it’s likely the replay official, which handles all challenges in the final 2 minutes of each half and overtime, could have reviewed it.
Randall Liu, NFC information manager, said in an e-mail that “had the ball hit the ground, it would’ve been subject to (instant) replay. And that would be a judgment call by referee Scott Green.”
Based on television replays, there was at least a reasonable chance that Green would have ruled Rodgers’ arm was moving forward at the time he was hit by Adams. As NFL director of officiating Mike Pereira said in a 2005 interview in the Washington Post, there’s not a lot of gray area.
“Does the ball come out after [the quarterback’s] arm is going forward and before he tucks the ball back into his body?” he said. “If so, then it’s an incomplete pass.”
It’s not absolutely certain that the ball would have hit the ground if Rodgers didn’t kick it, but it appeared that way on television. The kick definitely made it easier for Dansby to catch the ball on the fly and return it for a touchdown.
As for a potential facemask penalty on Adams on the very same play, Liu said it’s strictly a judgment call. The NFL eliminated the 5-yard incidental contact facemask this season and only allows a 15-yard personal foul if the player twists or grabs the facemask.
Rule 12, Section 2, Article 5 of the NFL Rule Book states that “no player shall twist, turn or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction,” according to Liu.
The Rule Book describes the penalty as follows:
“Penalty: For twisting, turning or pulling the mask: loss of 15 yards. A personal foul. The player may be disqualified if the action is judged by the official(s) to be of a flagrant nature.”
More than likely the call would have been Green’s or umpire Butch Hannah’s to make. Green was facing the play from the offensive side of the ball and saw it from about 10 or 15 yards away. Hannah was 9 yards away on the defensive side of the ball staring directly at Rodgers as Adams hit him.
Neither threw the flag.
Never seen a "tuck" rule called, except when they wanted to find a way to get the patriots to advance.
Never seen a "tuck" rule called, except when they wanted to find a way to get the patriots to advance.
