Two gut-wrenching losses happened last weekend in the NFL, and both came down to a similar defining moment – a coach calling a timeout.
The first was Sunday, when the Redskins, emotionally drained from the death of defensive back Sean Taylor earlier in the week, put forth an inspirational effort against the Bills.
They honored Taylor by playing their first defensive snap one man short – leaving Taylor’s position on the field vacated in tribute to their fallen teammate. They played their hearts out, and took a 16-5 third-quarter lead on a touchdown by Clinton Portis, after which he lifted his jersey and revealed a T-shirt that read, “In memory of Sean Taylor.”
But the Bills chipped away at the lead, and despite never scoring a touchdown, found themselves down 16-14 and lined up for a game-winning 51-yard field goal in the waning seconds.
Rian Lindell made the kick, but Joe Gibbs smartly had called a timeout just before the ball was snapped, forcing Lindell to try it again.
But then, Gibbs did something that wasn’t so smart – and called for a second timeout, which is against the rules. The Redskins were penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and Lindell made the 36-yarder with four seconds left, giving the Bills a one-point win.
Whether Gibbs’ gaffe cost Washington the game will never be known – after all, Lindell had made the initial kick from the longer distance, so the penalty may not have been the difference-maker. But afterward, I wasn’t sure why a penalty was even called.
Remember last year’s NFC Championship game between the Bears and Saints, when eternally confused Rex Grossman called a timeout, and then after lining up for a play, tried to call another timeout? The officials simply waved him off, and he rushed back to the line of scrimmage to run the play before a delay of game was called. So if he was just ignored by the officials, basically, why was Gibbs flagged?
I sought a higher power here – and posed the question to longtime NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, who, it should be noted, got back to me within a couple of hours in e-mail, which was quite impressive.
Aiello said that prior to the 2005 season, a rule change was approved by the clubs to make it a 15-yard penalty to call consecutive timeouts on a field goal or extra point try. The penalty only applies in those situations, and an attempt to call a second timeout on other plays is ignored. The same was true on kicks before 2005, but teams started using a tactic on kick tries of trying to call a second timeout simply to distract the kicker, knowing there was no penalty and the officials would ignore it.
Ironically, the following night, a situation arose where Baltimore Ravens fans – and I suppose 1972 Dolphins fans – wish the officials would have ignored the coach, and should have.
Baltimore was trying to end New England’s hopes of a perfect season, clinging to a 24-20 lead as the Patriots were driving for a possible winning score in the final minute. On a fourth-and-1 play, defensive coordinator Rex Ryan emphatically ran down an official, calling a timeout just before the ball was snapped. The Patriots were stopped short of the first-down marker on the play, meaning the Ravens would have had possession of the ball and the game effectively would have been over. But the official granted the timeout, giving New England another chance, even though rules say only a head coach or player can call a timeout.
You can guess the rest – New England ultimately scored, and led 27-24. The Ravens tried a Hail Mary pass on the final play and the pass was caught, but Baltimore receiver Mark Clayton was tackled at the 2-yard line and New England held on for the win.
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The celebrity picks:
Lance Burton, Monte Carlo headliner
(21-16-2)
Packers -10 1/2 vs. Raiders
Lions +11 at Cowboys
Falcons +5 vs. Saints
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Anthony Crivello, star of "Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular"
(20-16-3)
Cowboys -11 at Lions
Bills –7 vs. Dolphins
Vikings –8 at 49ers
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Danny Gans, Mirage headliner
(18-19-2)
Patriots -13 vs. Steelers
Bills -7 vs. Dolphins
Colts -9 1/2 at Ravens
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Oscar Goodman, mayor of Las Vegas
(22-16-1)
Cowboys -11 at Lions
Chargers -1 at Titans
Vikings -8 at 49ers
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Hans Klok, Planet Hollywood headliner
(18-19-2)
Steelers + 13 at Patriots
Colts –9 1/2 at Ravens
Cowboys -11 at Lions
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Wayne Newton, "Mr. Las Vegas"
(14-21-4)
Steelers +13 at Patriots
49ers-Vikings under 39
Texans +3 vs. Buccaneers
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Penn & Teller, Rio headliners
(22-16-1)
Giants +3 at Eagles
Patriots –13 vs. Steelers
Jets +3 ½ vs. Browns
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Rita Rudner, Harrah's headliner
(22-16-1)
Jaguars -11 vs. Panthers
Vikings -8 at 49ers
Browns –3 1/2 at Jets