Ok, so I’m watching the play again on NFL Rewind. If you have access to Rewind or otherwise have access to the video, it’s in the 4th quarter with 11:13 left on the clock.
3 seconds after the snap, Delhomme is hit from behind while trying to throw the ball. The ball comes loose and tumbles forward along the ground. The officials immediately and unambiguously blow the whistle. This is about 1 full second after the ball was knocked loose. You can’t see it very well in that image, but the arm of the ref you see on the right side of the screen is from a ref running in, blowing the whistle, and waving the play dead.
As you cna see, several Browns are in position to take a shot at recovering the fumble here. But there is a loud, clear whistle, and officials running in waving their arms. So the Browns stop trying to recover it. The play is over.
This image was taken about 1 second later from a different angle. You can see the ref clearly waving the play dead, as he has been for about 1-1.5 full seconds at this point. You can also see the Browns players slowing down doing the half-ass jog thing players do when the play is over. Even the Bills players are only running at the ball at half speed at this point.
Then a Bills player scoops it up and runs it towards the end zone - with the refs still blowing whistles and frantically waving their arms. Everyone else on the field has stopped.
They review the play and award the bills the ball on the 23 yard line.
Now, I would say one clear difference between this and the Steelers/Miami play is that the reaction to that play occured fluidly and immediately… the whistle blew, but the players were still trying to grab the ball. In the Browns game, the whistle completely influenced the outcome of the play. There were several Browns players within recovery distance of the ball who didn’t even try to recover it because of the totally clear end of the play signalled by the refs, both by blowing the whistle and waving their arms. There was roughly full 3 seconds between when the whistles first started blowing and when a player recovered the ball. The whistle blowing the play dead clearly changed the play, and there was a huge gap between whistle and recovery.
Quite frankly, I don’t understand how this could stand. What were the Browns O-linemen in range of the ball supposed to do? Knock over some Bills players on the way to jumping on the ball, all the while there’s a ref right in their face signalling the play is dead? They’d have gotten a penalty. Yet somehow you can take that situation, a situation where the offense cannot reasonably try to secure the fumble, and declare it a Bills recovery?
I’ve never seen anything like it before, it seems like complete bullshit to me from every angle, the Browns were only down by 4 points at this point and it could’ve changed the outcome of the game - and yet, I haven’t heard a single NFL talking head even mention this fucking play. This is some bullshit.
