NFL 2012

I think the issue is that even if they called the holding, they can't put time back on the clock because of it. I'm not sure how you account for that though. Maybe penalties on plays within 1 minute of a half ending result in the clock being reset or something? I duno what the implications for that would be.

If they'd called a hold, perhaps the free kick would've been from the 10 yard line (or whatever) instead of the 20?

IIRC, if you commit a penalty in your own end zone all that happens is that a safety is awarded. Thus, if you're trying to get a safety on purpose there is no reason not to hold. The main thing that would have happened if the refs had called a penalty is it would have saved a few seconds instead of allowing the kicker to run around so long.

Myself and the rest of the people at my place watching the game wanted Jacoby Jones to get the MVP award last night. We were slightly disappointed when Flaco got it. Oh well, it turned into a really fun game to watch.

~C~

Having grown up outside DC as a Redskins fan, and then living in Baltimore for 7 very long years, it's evident that Baltimore in general has an inferiority complex to DC. The news constantly compares Baltimore to DC (We have a lower murder rate than DC!), etc. Which I never saw when I was in DC; Baltimore was fairly dismissed as Maryland's version of Richmond. With crabcakes. (G&M seafood ftw).

And Ravens fans DO talk a lot about the Redskins, which is entertaining considering: (1) different conferences; and (2) the Redskins have been largely irrelevant for the past 20 years. But the week before the quadannual Redskins-Ravens game, my facebook feed fills up with Ravens fans slobbering on about how the Ravens ARE GOING TO KICK THE REDSKINS' ASSES.

It's kinda ridiculous.

An offensive holding penalty wouldn't stop the play, right? So you wouldn't save any time. So it would have been the exact same outcome where they decline the penalty and take the Safety.

That's true. It's not a dead ball foul so no difference.

Former head of officials Mike Pereira said on Fox radio today that the refs could not call holding on the 49ers fourth down pass because once the ball is in the air holding cannot be called. So all they could have called is pass interference, which almost everyone seems to believe never happens under those circumstances. There was a lot of talk about that during the Seahawks/Packers final play controversy.

As for the Ravens/Redskins rivalry, I would assume thats a throwback to the old days. Remember, the Baltimore Colts were in the NFL before there even was an AFL (later AFC) and were one of the teams, along with the Browns and Steelers, who switched over when the merger happened. So from 1953-1969 Baltimore and Washington were in the same conference (so to speak), though never in the same division.

Yeah, I think it was actually a really smart approach. Get caught holding and the Niners get a safety after the play's over. Don't get caught holding and you increase the odds of letting time run out.

Anyway, I was happy it turned into a game. I was disappointed the 49ers didn't show up early, I wanted them to just destroy the Ravens and leave no doubt about the dominance of the NFC West. It's kind of funny, though: NFC West teams played five post-season games this year, but only put in about five halves of play. The other five halves they just fiddle-farted around, spotting the other teams 20 points.

I hate referees. I'll just put that out there. If we could replace them with robots, I would be all for that.

My issue with the non-call on fourth down is that by not making a call, you are making a call, and you are saying that when the game is on the line it's more ok to cheat. If they hadn't called pass interference all game, that would be fine. But they did call pass interference on a very similar play that gave the Ravens a first down and extended a drive that ended in a touchdown. If you aren't willing to throw a flag on fourth and goal in the Super Bowl, you should not be working the Super Bowl. This is like when Brett Hull was in the crease for the Stanley Cup winning goal.

I know I'm a 49er fan, but I don't feel like the calls were blown both ways. Ed Reed was offsides and it wasn't called, but when Brooks was offsides they caught it, and it led to a touchdown. If the 49ers had made a few less mistakes, they would've won. But if the officiating had been consistent, they also would've won. It's pretty hard to win when all the calls go one way. The amount of regular season penalties the Ravens got away with in this game is maddening. Pushing a ref? Are you fucking kidding me? Which would be fine if they'd kept their flags in their pockets for the 49ers too, but they didn't. And when you're talking about a game that came down to a fourth and goal, every single call and non-call played into the outcome. This is a game that will probably make me angry every time I think about it. The refs should be glad this isn't Columbia.

Some random notes:

Was there a better and more dangerous receiver after the catch than Crabtree in the latter half of the season? If there was, I didn't see him.
Not only did Ed Reed get the same number of playoff interceptions as Ronnie Lott, he was also the first player to ever intercept a SF QB in a Super Bowl. Considering they've been to SIX, that's beyond amazing, too.
Ray Lewis. People are tired about him talking. Tell you what, you do 16 seasons as a middle linebacker in the NFL, in what has been consistently a top five defense, you get to talk all you want. No one is forcing you to listen.
49ers came back from 17 points down away at Atlanta and they pretty much came back from 22 points down against Baltimore in a Super Bowl. I thought that Atlanta went to a clock-management mode too early in the game but I didn't see Baltimore do that. 49ers just blasted them for a while there.
Whatever happened to Joe Flacco? He was close to perfect against (wot I think was) the best D in the NFL. I can't even argue against handing him the MVP.

No one is forcing you to listen to the people who want him to shut up about himself already, either.

That's right.

re Flacco/SF D: San Fransisco's D hasn't been the best in the NFL for several weeks. They really slipped on the back part of the season and in the playoffs. And Flacco just had the best four game stretch of his career! He reminds me a bit of Eli back in 2007: mediocre QB who suddenly figures it out in the playoffs. I'll be interested to see if Flacco follows Eli's path and continues to be really good, or if he reverts to form next season.

Depends on how fat Flacco's contract is, and whether or not he views that as something that allows him to relax a bit or something that he has to live up to.

Their bigger problem is that Flacco's new contract will mean losing several other players. To quote ProFootballTalk:

Being over the cap with 7 starters heading to free agency is not a good situation.

The Ravens fired OC Cam Cameron and replaced him with Jim Caldwell, that's what.

That's part of it, insofar as it seems that Caldwell has a better feel for what really makes the Ravens' offense tick -- a steady diet of running plays along with regular deep throws. Cameron always seemed to too quick to abandon the run after a couple of stuffs or low-yardage gains. Caldwell seems to understand that those are just the price you pay even with a good ground game and doesn't flinch so easily.

Equally important, though, was the re-shuffling of the offensive line to bring back McKinnie at LT and move Oher to RT. The difference in pass protection after making this move was pretty enormous.

Also, ALSO important, was using Jacoby Jones more. His playing time has greatly increased under Caldwell. With two deep threats on the field, you force people to decide between Q, Jones, and Smith. Then you have Pitta to eat up the seams.

And there were few things more stupid reaction-wise than giving up on the run when Ray Rice is your RB. I have never been a big fan of "RB carries=wins" but it sure seems that way with Baltimore.