I'll never forget it it. I was jumping up and down SCREAMIMG at the TV. There wasn't much coverage or backlash on it either. This wasn't a subjective PI call, this was pure incompetence that literally kep us from running out the clock and winning.
Sadly, the refs haven't got much better 20 years later. Yikes, time goes by fast.
Here's to hoping the Hawks get treated more fairly this time around. Here's a trip down memory lane for anyone interested.
By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter
The NFL acknowledged yesterday that its officials made a mistake involving the game clock late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Seattle-Baltimore game, an error that could have cost the Seahawks a victory in a 44-41 overtime loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
Mike Pereira, the league's director of officiating, issued a statement to the Seahawks explaining what he described as "an administrative error by the officiating crew," with specific mention of the game's referee, Tom White.
With 1:03 to play, and the Seahawks leading 41-38, running back Shaun Alexander ran for 3 yards to the Baltimore 33-yard line. Before that second-down play, the Seahawks sent reserve tackle Floyd Womack into the game as an eligible receiver to have an extra blocker.
Head linesman Ed Camp threw a flag to penalize the Seahawks for illegal substitution, even though Womack had reported his eligibility and White had announced it over his microphone. The false penalty stopped the clock at 58 seconds.
The Ravens had also tried to call their third and final timeout after the run, but they were not charged with it because, according to the NFL statement, "the administrative stoppage of the clock for the penalty flag supersedes a request for a timeout."
Now comes the controversy: The officials waved off the penalty after they concluded Womack had properly reported as an eligible receiver. At that point, White, by league rule, should have reset the play clock to 40 seconds and immediately started the game clock.
After Alexander was stopped for no gain on third down, the Ravens used their final timeout with 44 seconds to play. Then Hasselbeck was stopped on fourth down, and the Ravens took possession with 39 seconds left.
"It was just too bad," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said.
No official at the game recognized the error, and the Seahawks initially thought the Ravens had been granted their final timeout on the play. But Pereira's staff, which watches all of the games from league offices, looked into the incident when the Seahawks called his office after the game.
In his postgame conference Sunday, Holmgren said the officials had acknowledged they made a mistake. The final score cannot be overturned, nor any part of the game replayed, and all that can happen in the end is such an acknowledgment.
Had the clock kept running, hypothetically, the Ravens would have had to spend their timeout after the Womack penalty was dismissed. The Seahawks, facing third-and-one, would still have had two more plays to get a first down to run out the clock.
After running the third-down play, the Seahawks would have taken the 40-second play clock down to its final ticks before running their fourth-down play, presuming they had to do so, and a measurement for the first down would have stopped the clock.
Even if Seattle did not make a first down, the Ravens — with no timeouts left — would not have taken possession until 12 or 13 seconds remained on the game clock, Holmgren surmised. Starting from their 33, they would have had to get into field-goal range with no timeouts.
Holmgren said he was playing for that very scenario.
The Ravens, aided by a 44-yard pass interference call on Marcus Trufant, moved the ball 51 yards to the Seattle 16 with four seconds left and kicked the field goal that sent the game into overtime.
Holmgren and Hasselbeck appreciated the gesture from Pereira to admit a mistake, but they said the Seahawks shouldn't have been in such a precarious position in the first place. Baltimore rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie.
"You have to give them (the league) credit for being honest," Hasselbeck said. "As players, we realize there were opportunities for us to get it done and the officials never had to be a factor. Maybe they didn't help us out — obviously they didn't — but really it was in our hands."
Said Holmgren: "We had our chances, and we just didn't do it when we needed to do it, and it wound up biting us."
Hasselbeck and Holmgren said they thought Alexander got the first down on his third-down carry, but Hasselbeck wasn't so sure he got it when he tried to surge forward on fourth down. Hasselbeck also said he was choked after that play and that officials saw it, though no penalty was called on the Ravens.
Holmgren also questioned the play before the tying field goal. The Ravens were called for an illegal formation as quarterback Anthony Wright lined up his offense to purposely spike the ball and stop the clock with four seconds left. Holmgren asked if a 10-second runoff of the game clock should have been enforced, which would have ended the game and not allowed the Ravens to kick the field goal.
But officials explained to Holmgren that the clock runoff rule was not enforced because the penalty occurred during the snap rather than before.
José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or [email protected].
Sadly, the refs haven't got much better 20 years later. Yikes, time goes by fast.
Here's to hoping the Hawks get treated more fairly this time around. Here's a trip down memory lane for anyone interested.
NFL apologizes for clock mismanagement
Nov 25, 2003By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter
The NFL acknowledged yesterday that its officials made a mistake involving the game clock late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Seattle-Baltimore game, an error that could have cost the Seahawks a victory in a 44-41 overtime loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
Mike Pereira, the league's director of officiating, issued a statement to the Seahawks explaining what he described as "an administrative error by the officiating crew," with specific mention of the game's referee, Tom White.
With 1:03 to play, and the Seahawks leading 41-38, running back Shaun Alexander ran for 3 yards to the Baltimore 33-yard line. Before that second-down play, the Seahawks sent reserve tackle Floyd Womack into the game as an eligible receiver to have an extra blocker.
Head linesman Ed Camp threw a flag to penalize the Seahawks for illegal substitution, even though Womack had reported his eligibility and White had announced it over his microphone. The false penalty stopped the clock at 58 seconds.
The Ravens had also tried to call their third and final timeout after the run, but they were not charged with it because, according to the NFL statement, "the administrative stoppage of the clock for the penalty flag supersedes a request for a timeout."
Now comes the controversy: The officials waved off the penalty after they concluded Womack had properly reported as an eligible receiver. At that point, White, by league rule, should have reset the play clock to 40 seconds and immediately started the game clock.
After Alexander was stopped for no gain on third down, the Ravens used their final timeout with 44 seconds to play. Then Hasselbeck was stopped on fourth down, and the Ravens took possession with 39 seconds left.
"It was just too bad," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said.
No official at the game recognized the error, and the Seahawks initially thought the Ravens had been granted their final timeout on the play. But Pereira's staff, which watches all of the games from league offices, looked into the incident when the Seahawks called his office after the game.
In his postgame conference Sunday, Holmgren said the officials had acknowledged they made a mistake. The final score cannot be overturned, nor any part of the game replayed, and all that can happen in the end is such an acknowledgment.
Had the clock kept running, hypothetically, the Ravens would have had to spend their timeout after the Womack penalty was dismissed. The Seahawks, facing third-and-one, would still have had two more plays to get a first down to run out the clock.
After running the third-down play, the Seahawks would have taken the 40-second play clock down to its final ticks before running their fourth-down play, presuming they had to do so, and a measurement for the first down would have stopped the clock.
Even if Seattle did not make a first down, the Ravens — with no timeouts left — would not have taken possession until 12 or 13 seconds remained on the game clock, Holmgren surmised. Starting from their 33, they would have had to get into field-goal range with no timeouts.
Holmgren said he was playing for that very scenario.
The Ravens, aided by a 44-yard pass interference call on Marcus Trufant, moved the ball 51 yards to the Seattle 16 with four seconds left and kicked the field goal that sent the game into overtime.
Holmgren and Hasselbeck appreciated the gesture from Pereira to admit a mistake, but they said the Seahawks shouldn't have been in such a precarious position in the first place. Baltimore rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie.
"You have to give them (the league) credit for being honest," Hasselbeck said. "As players, we realize there were opportunities for us to get it done and the officials never had to be a factor. Maybe they didn't help us out — obviously they didn't — but really it was in our hands."
Said Holmgren: "We had our chances, and we just didn't do it when we needed to do it, and it wound up biting us."
Hasselbeck and Holmgren said they thought Alexander got the first down on his third-down carry, but Hasselbeck wasn't so sure he got it when he tried to surge forward on fourth down. Hasselbeck also said he was choked after that play and that officials saw it, though no penalty was called on the Ravens.
Holmgren also questioned the play before the tying field goal. The Ravens were called for an illegal formation as quarterback Anthony Wright lined up his offense to purposely spike the ball and stop the clock with four seconds left. Holmgren asked if a 10-second runoff of the game clock should have been enforced, which would have ended the game and not allowed the Ravens to kick the field goal.
But officials explained to Holmgren that the clock runoff rule was not enforced because the penalty occurred during the snap rather than before.
José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or [email protected].
