That non PI call...BS!

[Shas]

But the DB's arm is stopping Hollywood's arm from getting the ball. Marquise can't raise his right arm because the DB using it for leverage. Unless Hollywood catches the ball with one arm, there's no way to make that play. It's much more clear in the reverse angle. The DB's right arm is where the intereference is.

No, I'm sorry, that's just not true. It's even more obvious from the other angle that he isn't holding Brown's right arm down. Brown clearly has both hands freee, together, and ready for the catch as the ball arrives.

[stevez51]

The other controversial call that was a bit of a gift to the Cards was the intentional grounding call on Murray backed up on their own 9 with under 4 minutes to play.

They called it, and then picked up the flag after discussion, saying Christian Kirk was in the area.

Had it stood, the ball would have been on the two. The intentional grounding rule states that inside the ten, if the QB drops back more than half the distance to the goal line, the penalty is to place the ball from the spot of the throw (rather than it being a ten yard penalty and half the distance to the goal).

Looking at the replay, based on the field dimensions, you can calculate that Kirk was standing approximately 8-9 yards away from where the ball landed. It was thrown at nearly vertical trajectory, barely to Kirk's side of the field. Had it been thrown to the sideline and fallen that far short, I'd give it to him. Murray's feet are positioned as though that's where he'd throw it, but he flings it Mahommes style across his body. Clearly he was throwing it away because he thought he was going to get the timeout.

Maybe it's a wash that they failed to give him the timeout and then failed to call grounding.

Here's the play in question.

When you throw the ball into the ground behind the linemen you are doing it on purpose. Then again, another crew could call it grounding.

[stevez51]

No, I'm sorry, that's just not true. It's even more obvious from the other angle that he isn't holding Brown's right arm down. Brown clearly has both hands freee, together, and ready for the catch as the ball arrives.

Didn't know someone could levitate without making contact. Another crew could call it a penalty. This one didn't.

[Shas]

Didn't know someone could levitate without making contact. Another crew could call it a penalty. This one didn't.

But contact isn't a foul.

He clearly made contact.

But to be a foul he has to impede Brown's ability to make the catch, by rule, as Tony posted (and as the league said three times in the post). That would mean turning Brown's body or preventing him from getting either hand up to make the catch. None of those things happened--only contact.

If both jump for the ball and bump chests, it's not a foul because it's "merely contact." Here, it only looks worse that that because the contact is behind him....but its the same deal...Brown's path isn't actually altered until after the ball is in his hands.

[Shas]

When you throw the ball into the ground behind the linemen you are doing it on purpose. Then again, another crew could call it grounding.

Agree on this one. Clearly he was throwing it away and it was a lucky coincidence that a receiver was off to the side, ten yards away.

That said, I've seen plenty of liberal interpretations of grounding.

To me, the PI non call was correct, this one could have gone either way, and the early whistle on Brown was a flat out mistake.