Top 7 Calls that made me want to put a fist through the television set (luckily I created this blog instead), #4: Monday Night Microcosm Meltdown

The next call in this series takes us back to the 2004 season. The Seahawks came into this season fresh off of a 2003 season that could be boiled down to 2 things: A complete and total inability to win on the road (They were 10-6 despite an 8-0 home record), and of course, "We want the ball, and we're going to score!" The close playoff loss at Green Bay (back when Lambeau was hallowed and Brett Favre was endearing) led to much hype surrounding the Seahawks going into the 2004 season.

While Seattle started the season 3-0, they never fully justified the hype. They blew a 17 point lead with 6 minutes to play against the Rams, turned the ball over 4 times in a loss to the lowly Cardinals, and their wide receivers dropped about 147 passes over the course of the season. If the casual fan were to describe the 2004 Seahawks, I believe he would call them entertainingly inconsistent.

Week 13 of the 2004 season featured a Monday Night Football matchup between the Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks jumped out to a 14-3 lead, then gave up 26 unanswered points to fall behind 29-14...only to score 25 straight points themselves, capped by a 32 yard TD run for Shaun Alexander on 4th and short with 2:46 remaining.

3 offensive plays later, Dallas is at the Seattle 34, trailing 39-29. Cowboys QB Vinny Testaverde (hey, that name sounds familiar...) takes the snap, shuffles around in the pocket, and launches a throw into the rear of the end zone for Keyshawn Johnson. Johnson is covered on the play by Terreal Bierria, who may be the worst safety in coverage in the history of the NFL*. Despite there being less than 2 minutes left and Seattle having a 10 point lead, AND despite the fact that Keyshawn Johnson runs only slightly better the end zone pylon, Bierria allows Johnson to get 5 yards BEHIND HIM in the end zone.

Anyway, the ball reaches Johnson just as the scrambling Bierria does.



Johnson makes a tough catch and gets his right foot down (notice his left foot in the air):



And here comes the...ahh, interesting part; before Johnson's left foot touches the ground, Johnson's left HAND touches the ground...about a yard out of bounds.



This is a problem considering the NFL rules state the offensive player must have both feet or 1 knee touch in bounds before any part of the player's body touches out of bounds for it to be a completion. As evidenced by these photos, Keyshawn neglected to meet either of these criteria. The pass should have been incomplete and it should have been 1st and 10 at the Seattle 29 (due to a penalty).

There is one other possibility. If the official determined Johnson had been forced out by the defender before he could get both feet down, the official could rule the pass complete. As this is a judgment call, once the official decides to invoke the force-out rule, the decision is final and unreviewable. However, the official actually has to invoke the force-out rule for it to apply. usually this is done with a visual signal. On this play the official made no such signal, instead he simply raised his arms in the air to signal touchdown.



To be fair to the official, he was standing about 3 whole yards away from the play. I guess it's also possible that he confused the "force-out" signal with the "do nothing" signal.

In case you wish to see the play to draw your own conclusions, you can find the highlights here. The play in question begins at 1:37 of the clip.

Now, you may ask why this call is so upsetting as Seattle still had a 3-point lead and was getting the ball back. The only way Dallas was going to have a chance was to recover an onside kick and surely a playoff calliber team liek the Seahawks would expect this, be ready for it, and thwart the attempt. Well, they did see it coming, and were lined up to prevent it...but they failed to actually go to the ball and secure it (you can see this in the clip too). Dallas took over at their own 43, and a few plays later, average running back Julius Jones capped off his 198-yard, 3 TD performance with a 17 yard TD run right up the middle.

Like this game, the 2004 season was a veritable roller coaster ride for Seatte, with many ups and downs. Also like this game, the season ended on a very sour note (a playoff loss to the Rams at home). Seattle did plenty on their own to lose this game (and to torch their season), and this poor call should not have made a difference. But at the same time, the Seahawks were put in a needlessly difficult position because the back judge failed to appreciate what Keyshawn's left arm was doing 2-3 yards in front of him.

Anti-Quality of call: 8/10
Effect on game situation: 8/10
Effect on my mood: 7/10

*Note: About 2 years later there was an article about Bierria, who left the Seahawks before the 2005 season to help rebuild his old neighborhood after a natural disaster. The article was written with the tone questioning why Bierria didn't get a roster invite afterwards, insinuating it was because coaches didn't appreciate that he wasn't 100% focused on football. That wasn't it. It was because he couldn't cover an NFL blocking sled. Believe me, I watched him butcher multiple games that season.