The Thanksgiving Day opener featured a controversial second-quarter timeout that apparently wasn’t called by Packers coach Matt LaFleur before a false start that would have made fourth-and-1 Detroit’s two on fourth-and-6 from Detroit’s seven.
After the match, referee Ron Torbert told snooker journalist Colton Pouncy: “We recognized the time-out requested and that timeout was called before the false start.”
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This is obvious (and therefore largely unnecessary), given that the Packers were given a timeout – and given that the false start foul was not applied.
The biggest question is whether the timeout was actually called before the false start. It appears not, unless the official on the sideline heard LaFleur at a time when: (1) LaFleur had his mouth covered with his game sheet; and (2) the Lions’ home crowd was making extra noise before the fourth down.
Appearing Sunday NFL Game Day MorningNFL officials and rules analyst Walt Anderson provided something more than a summary of what everyone witnessed.
“It’s one of those situations where the coach can ask for it verbally or visually with a signal,” Anderson said. “But he’s on the sideline, and we allow them, you know, to signal from the sideline or come down on the field. The official on the sideline here. Now, the three officials in the middle, they saw the false start. They have their flag, they end up blowing the whistle. Now, here’s the side judge comes in, and they’re talking, and what the side judge tells them is I got the coach down on the sideline, signaling time dead. And so you are eliminated.
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Although it took him a little while to get there, Anderson ultimately provided the most important information. First, instant replay cannot be used to check whether the timeout preceded the false start. Second, the NFL wants officials to clear up any doubt in favor of granting the timeout.
Implicit in Anderson’s explanation is that it is entirely possible that the timeout was called after the false start. But that doesn’t matter, because replay isn’t available and because the league wants officials to err on the side of calling the timeout.
