# K.J. Wright Batting Ball Out of End Zone **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 6, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726 "2015-10-06T16:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/21 "2015-10-07T14:56:33Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > To me, the ridiculous part of this arises when they say “that can not be reviewed”. If the intention of replay is to get things right, then use it to get things right. dammit. Once a play is in review, everything directly related to the results of the play should be eligible for review. Heard a talking head at ESPN say the same thing on the radio. It was then pointed out by Mike Golic that if every potential situation in a game was reviewable, games would take hours longer than they do already do. There is a very good reason the NFL limits the reviewable parts of the game. Who would want to watch a game that could have potential for a possible review on every play? Not many. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/22 "2015-10-07T14:59:07Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > To me, the ridiculous part of this arises when they say “that can not be reviewed”. If the intention of replay is to get things right, then use it to get things right. dammit. Once a play is in review, everything directly related to the results of the play should be eligible for review. The problem is, if you make everything reviewable, then every play ends up getting reviewed to see if there was, say, holding or pass interference. I think the rule is, anything that involves “an official’s opinion” cannot be reviewed. (No, wait - I can think of at least one; whether or not a receiver “had control of the ball” when landing with both feet inbounds.) Whether or not something was “intentional” is an opinion call. On the other hand, there is one “non-opinion” call I can think of that is not reviewable; whether or not a field goal that passes over the top of an upright is good. Below the top of the upright can be reviewed, as it is easy to tell if the ball passed inside of the upright or not, but not if it goes over the upright, probably because you would need either two cameras in perfect sync - one from the side, and one directly behind the upright - or have cameras in the uprights themselves, pointed straight up. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/23 "2015-10-07T15:03:50Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Heard a talking head at ESPN say the same thing on the radio. It was then pointed out by Mike Golic that if every potential situation in a game was reviewable, games would take hours longer than they do already do. There is a very good reason the NFL limits the reviewable parts of the game. Who would want to watch a game that could have potential for a possible review on every play? Not many. Then go with The Hoodie’s idea: every single play is reviewable, but coaches still only get two challenges per game, plus a third if the first two are correct. Of course, I think coaches should get more challenges, as long as they keep being correct. In the Week 3 game, Detroit successfully challenged three calls (I think; one of the three may have been a booth review due to the timing of the play). If the refs are doing such a shitty job that they get three calls wrong, why is the coach stopped at that point? It’s not his fault the refs suck! Plus, that game was Triplette’s crew, who is notoriously bad: he’s the ref who infamously awarded the ball to the wrong team in OT. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/24 "2015-10-07T15:04:51Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > To me, the ridiculous part of this arises when they say “that can not be reviewed”. If the intention of replay is to get things right, then use it to get things right. dammit. Once a play is in review, everything directly related to the results of the play should be eligible for review. I seem to remember a play a few years ago that was reviewed, and a penalty was added that was not initially called. It was reviewed for one thing, but the call was overturned, and a penalty that was not initially called was then called. I don’t remember the specifics, but I remember it involved my Jets… ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/25 "2015-10-07T15:21:59Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I disagree because for one, the rule that a fumbled ball going out of the end zone is stupid in the first place. And second, given that that is the rule, if the other team intentionally knocks it out then it wasn’t really “fumbled” out by the offense. I tend to agree on the strangeness of the rule about a ball fumbled through the end zone being a touchback, but that’s been the rule forever, it’s well known, and there are lots of examples of it happening. Once the ball was loose and headed out of the end zone, the normal result of the play is a touchback, and only this weird rules violation would change that. As I said before though, it still should have been called. This reminds me a bit of that Cleveland guy a few years ago who took off his helmet in celebration, thinking that the game was over, when the play was still live. He got flagged for it (properly) and they lost. If the penalty hadn’t been called, it wouldn’t have felt like some huge injustice, because it was just this weird circumstance that had nothing to do with the play. > [@racer72](#): > > Heard a talking head at ESPN say the same thing on the radio. It was then pointed out by Mike Golic that if every potential situation in a game was reviewable, games would take hours longer than they do already do. There is a very good reason the NFL limits the reviewable parts of the game. Who would want to watch a game that could have potential for a possible review on every play? Not many. The idea isn’t that you review every play, it’s that you make everything reviewable on the plays that do get reviewed. Coaches would still have a limited number of challenges. So it would probably extend the game by a bit, since there would be more things to look at, but I don’t think it would be a huge change. As a bit of a side note, the CFL has allowed replay review of pass interference since last year, and it hasn’t caused any particular problems. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/26 "2015-10-07T17:57:29Z")
Just more evidence that the NFL’s rulebook is too fucking complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/27 "2015-10-07T18:01:52Z")
> [@DadWagonDriver](#): > > Plus, that game was Triplette’s crew, who is notoriously bad: he’s the ref who infamously awarded the ball to the wrong team in OT. I was looking that situation up and found [this](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/16/replay-assistant-may-have-violated-protocol-to-correct-ref-on-seahawks-onside-kick/). Looks like refs [Triplette] screwed the Seahawks again and no one realizes it. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/28 "2015-10-07T18:09:32Z")
And it looks like I was wrong - The 1998 Thanksgiving Day game ref was Phil Luckett, not Jeff Triplette. Instead, Triplette is the one who threw the heavy end of a flag into Orlando Brown’s eye, which Brown sued the NFL over. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/29 "2015-10-07T18:14:13Z")
The officials totally owed the Seahawks after screwing them out of the Super Bowl in 2006. The penalty on Matt Hasselbeck for a “low block” while he was trying to make a tackle on an interception return was by far the worst call I’ve ever seen in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/30 "2015-10-07T18:31:24Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I was looking that situation up and found [this](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/16/replay-assistant-may-have-violated-protocol-to-correct-ref-on-seahawks-onside-kick/). Looks like refs [Triplette] screwed the Seahawks again and no one realizes it. So as a followup Ref [Triplette] makes an incorrect call and it is not reviewable. It is suspected but not confirmed that the replay official told Triplette the correct call (let’s assume that’s true) and Triplette without “reviewing it” (remember not reviewable) corrects the call. Is it acceptable to break the rules to make the right call? What do all y’all think? ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/31 "2015-10-07T18:59:24Z")
> [@DadWagonDriver](#): > > And it looks like I was wrong - The 1998 Thanksgiving Day game ref was Phil Luckett, not Jeff Triplette. Instead, Triplette is the one who threw the heavy end of a flag into Orlando Brown’s eye, which Brown sued the NFL over. And Luckett was correct in that call, it was Jerome Bettis who tried to change his answer midsentence and came out with “hea-tails”. The rule at the time was that the ref had to go with their first answer which was “heads”. The on field mike missed it, but the enhanced tape confirmed it and a sideline mic heard Bettis admit it to Bill Cowher. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/32 "2015-10-07T19:06:38Z")
Then, as a Lions fan, I can stop feeling guilty about that one? Sweet! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/33 "2015-10-07T19:51:30Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Heard a talking head at ESPN say the same thing on the radio. It was then pointed out by Mike Golic that if every potential situation in a game was reviewable, games would take hours longer than they do already do. There is a very good reason the NFL limits the reviewable parts of the game. Who would want to watch a game that could have potential for a possible review on every play? Not many. Well, you could always write the rule so that it only applies in the corner of that Seattle end zone. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/34 "2015-10-07T20:04:02Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Well, you could always write the rule so that it only applies in the corner of that Seattle end zone. You sir have won the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726/35 "2015-10-07T20:46:00Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Did they review whether Johnson got in the end zone in the first place? Seemed _very_ close when he fumbled to me… Yes. All turnovers are reviewed, and for a fumble, they check if the runner was already down by contact, if he crossed the endzone, if he stepped out of bounds, all that stuff. And they got that part right. Johnson wasn’t particularly close to the plane of the endzone (or rather, the ball was not particularly close) when Chancellor knocked it out. Half-a-yard or so short. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/k-j-wright-batting-ball-out-of-end-zone/733726.md?page=1)