Eli's escape was almost called a sack
Mike Pereira, the NFL Vice President of Officiating, spoke on the NFL Network about Eli's Escape from Super Bowl XLII. He said that the official Mike Carey was approaching Manning as Jarvis Green grabbed his shirt, and was a split second away from calling in the grasp. Eli got loose, and the correct no-call was made.
Asked if it was a borderline in the grasp call, Pereira said, "That was even inside the borderline."
Overall, Pereira thought the Super Bowl was a "clean game" that was well called. I can't disagree - they did a good job overall. Like the rest of the playoffs, they appeared to let the players decide things more than usual. He said the officials were the most euphoric he'd ever seen in the locker room because they were honored to be part of such a great game.
Comments
Outstanding job by the refs. Not one truly questionable call all game. Great job in the biggest game if the year.
Posted by: scott l. | February 8, 2008 11:35 AM
Pushing off Hobbs face mask to catch a pass, a fumble recovery that somehow wasn't. This will be remembered just like SB XL for the blind referees. The disgrace of this will stick with the NFL for a long time.
Posted by: Joey | February 18, 2008 03:13 AM