MOTOR CITY BURNS WITH BITTERNESS OVER CALLS
Devil’s Night came early this year in Detroit courtesy of NFL officials.
The Motor City was on figurative fire late Monday and all day Tuesday, on social media, on sports-talk radio and anywhere else one of pro sports’ most hardluck fan bases could spit their flames.
In one of the most hellish examples in recent NFL history of a team having had a victory stolen, at least in part, by a stack of incorrect fourth-quarter officiating calls going against them, the Detroit Lions fell to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night 23-22.
It was small consolation the NFL on Tuesday admitted one — just one — of the egregious calls was indeed a mistake.
The Lions dominated the first quarter at Lambeau Field and never trailed until the end, when Green Bay’s Mason Crosby drilled a chip-shot 23-yard field goal with no time left.
With 10 minutes left, Detroit had seemed in control, up 22-13. Then everything went Green Bay’s way. With more than a little help from the refs.
A third-down Detroit sack of Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers in Packers territory with 9:45 left was negated by an illegal-useof-hands penalty against Lions defensive end Trey Flowers. So, instead of Green Bay punting, down nine, three snaps later Rodgers pinpointed a 35-yard TD strike to receiver Allen Lazard to narrow Detroit’s lead to two.
Replays seemed to show Flowers had grabbed only the front collar of a Packers offensive lineman, which is legal. Flowers couldn’t believe the call.
A couple of minutes later, the Lions were victimized again, this time on offence. Downfield officials chose not to throw a flag on apparent, if not blatantly obvious, defensive pass interference when Green Bay safety Will Alexander prematurely pushed Lions receiver Marvin Jones on a Matthew Stafford pass deep into Green Bay territory.
As should have happened, the Lions would have been rewarded with a first down at about the Green Bay 22-yard line, up two. As it was, one play later, the Lions punted with 6:53 left.
That’s when Rodgers mounted the Packers’ game-winning drive that chewed up all of the remaining time, a drive kept alive with 1:36 left when, inexplicably on an unsuccessful third-down Rodgers pass play, Flowers again was wrongly flagged for illegal use of hands, when again he’d grabbed only the front collar of the offensive lineman’s shoulder pads. The rule book says a defender must shove a hand into the face, head or neck of an opposing player to warrant a penalty.
Regardless, automatic first down for Green Bay. Detroit wouldn’t get the ball back.
Four snaps later, Crosby kicked the winning field goal.
NFL owners just happened to open their annual two-day fall meeting Tuesday in Ft. Lauderdale.
Was officiating a front-andcentre topic of conversation? P’shaw, is the Pope a Saints fan?
At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, NFL executive vice-president of football operations Troy Vincent said the first hands-in-the-face call against Flowers was warranted; the second one wasn’t.
“There was one that was clear, that we support, and there was the other that when you look at, when you review the play, it’s not something that you want to see called, on the pass rush,” Vincent said.
“One you can support, the other one — after you review it, you’ve seen some slo-mos — the foul wasn’t there.”
Vincent said he hadn’t had a chance to speak yet with Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford or GM Bob Quinn.
Look, unless your blood runs Packers green and yellow or you’re just particularly hard-hearted, you could not watch the final 10 minutes of that game and not feel both pathos for the Lions and their fans, and anger at the NFL and its officials who worked the game.
Namely, referee Clete Blakeman, umpire Jeff Rice, down judge Jerry Bergman, line judge Thomas Symonette, field judge Joe Larrew, side judge Jimmy Buchanan, back judge Perry Paganelli and booth replay official Matthew Sumstine.
It was umpire Rice who called both fouls on Flowers, who reportedly had never been previously penalized for that infraction in 51 games over five seasons.
“Detroit versus everybody,” Lions safety Tracy Walker said bitterly afterward, per the Detroit Free Press. “I’m saying it. Detroit versus everybody.
“It’s awful.”
BLOCKBUSTER DEALS
The Los Angeles Rams, reeling at 3-3 after three straight losses, made a pair of blockbuster trades on Tuesday.
After dealing their top cornerback Marcus Peters to Baltimore, the Rams a few hours later replaced him with an even better one: superstar Jalen Ramsey from Jacksonville.
The deal came at a huge cost for Los Angeles. They sent to the Jaguars their 2020 and 2021 first-round draft picks, plus a 2021 fourth-rounder.
Is Ramsey that much better than Peters? Yes.
Ramsey, who turns 25 next week, in three previous seasons has been named to the Pro Bowl twice and in 2017 was named a first-team allpro. He’s as good at locking down receivers on the field as he is bad at locking down his braggadocious mouth off it.
Peters, 26, goes to the Ravens in exchange for linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth-round draft pick.
Baltimore will be Peters’ third NFL stop in his five years.
The banged-up Ravens secondary sure can use Peters. Baltimore lost cornerback Tavon Young and safety DeShon Elliott for the year, and cornerback Jimmy Smith hasn’t played since Week 1.
The Rams made a third trade Tuesday, but it was minor, acquiring reserve Cleveland Browns centre Austin Corbett for a late-round pick.