The part you missed from the example was more than psychological, it was game changing. Yes, the rule is there, but it’s such a rare occurence that it’s not a big deal. If you have this sort of situation where it may happen with some regularity then redoing is silly.
The point was, a bad or blocked punt will never hit the score board, but a good one very well may; and a do over could mean the difference between winning and losing. Imagine a situation where the Cowboys are up by 2 with 90s left on the clock and they’re looking at 4th and 8 on their opponent’s 40. The field goal isn’t worth it, since it’s a high probability they’ll miss and give the other team excellent field position pretty much right at midfield; going for it would obviously be equally stupid. So, the coach elects to punt where, a good punt pins them inside the 10, and even a bad punt flies into the endzone and at least forces them to get 2 more first downs before getting in position for a last second game-winning field goal.
Of course, in order for this punt to work, the punter’s goal is to get a high, relatively short kick to try to get it inside the 20 and have the coverage in place to prevent a return. The play starts, and the punter gets off what looks like a beauty–BONG!–it hits the jumbotron; play dead, do-over. So, fine, they kick again, except this time someone gets through, blocks the punt and the opposing team recovers it at the 46 on the other side. With momentum on their side and the Cowboys’ spirit snapped, their opponents follow it up with a quick 4 play drive down to the 28 and kick the winning fieldgoal with 14s left on the clock and the Cowboys lose.
I guarantee you, if a situation like that ever happens, that jumbotron will be 5-10’ higher by the next home game.
If not, then consider that the home team is responsible for the playability of the facility. If every punt, by either team, that hit the scoreboard meant a five-yard delay penalty for the 'Pokes, Jerry would find a way to raise the thing.
Not really. League rules say 85 feet. Jerry’s TV is 90 feet above the playing surface. If the NFL wants it raised, they’re going to have to pay for it.
Thanks, but my travel budget and sports ticket budget won’t allow me to visit either of those venues in the near future. What, specifically, didn’t you like about Texas Stadium? One poster above mentioned how hot the place got, another mentioned that the field’s crown was too steep, and I read somewhere else that the cheerleaders lockerroom was too small, was dirty and had a cockroach infestation. With all due respect to the cheerleaders, a cleanup crew and an exterminator would’ve solved two of the cheerleaders’ problems problem and I’m guessing a bigger lockerroom could’ve been built for less that the mega bucks spent on Cowboys stadium. I don’t know that the crown of the field was a big deal.
Of course, the new place has 20,000 more seats than the old one and a retractable roof, so those are real and obvious things Texas Stadium didn’t have. The lack of same doesn’t make Texas Stadium an armpit however.
I know this is the smart thing to do (okay, moving the fucking video screen is the smart thing to do, but still) but a small part of me really, really wants them to rule that the ball is still live.
The mad scramble for a punt that comes down almost vertically right around the line of scrimmage would be awesome to watch.
So, If the Long snapper snaps it over the Punters head, and he has to turn around and run down the ball, He can kick it backward, and as long as he can hit the board he get’s a do-over?
What Jerry Jones wants, Jerry Jones gets. He has compromising pictures of 23 of the other 31 team owners.
It’s cheaper. Haven’t you heard about the economy?
The networks will get to run two sets of commercials in a row! That means you can hear the Viva Viagra song fourteen times in one 3-hour game broadcast, and you’ll be reminded extra-regularly that Ford trucks are Built Ford Tough.
Proposals for the new video board location all restrict God’s view of His team.
Terrell Owens got cut; no danger of injury risk from massive ego bumping into board.
Allows Mat McBriar to remain competitive among NFL punters despite two missing knee ligaments. At least during home games.
Stadium construction crew all Mexican itinerant laborers; all went home due to slumping construction industry. Crazy border-watch militias mostly composed of Texans fans, unfortunately.
If he can knock the ball 90 feet in the air while it’s rolling around on the ground, well, fuck, he deserves a do-over.
I think they’re among the 8 he hasn’t got anything on. After all, what photographic evidence could possibly be more embarrassing than wearing a wedge of fake cheese as a hat and being from Wisconsin?
Well, if it’s true that the NFL told him it merely had to be 85 feet above the field, then if they demand he move it, he could probably turn around and make the league pay for changing their minds after the construction.
The league is probably smart to let the season go ahead with the thing in place, and if it proves to be too much of a nuisance, then they have better grounds to make him change it at his own expense.
