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points before its time.
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NFL rigged game 
Clock error added 52 seconds to Steelers-Pats game
ESPN.com news services
Tom Brady, among the league's best in late-game drives, led the Patriots down field for the winning score against the Steelers in 1:21 on Sunday.
But could he have done it in 29 seconds?
The NFL confirmed Monday that the game clock was improperly set early in the fourth quarter, adding 52 seconds to the game.
The NFL confirmed the error occurred at the beginning of the fourth quarter. With 14:51 remaining, Steelers receiver Cedric Wilson ran a reverse and was held to no gain; the play ran the clock down to 13:59.
A false start was called on Steelers guard Kendall Simmons on the next play, but instead of resetting the clock to 13:59, the clock operator set it back to 14:51 -- the time before Wilson's running play began. No one noticed the error, including the officiating crew.
Mike Pereira, the NFL's senior director of officiating, spoke to coaches Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick about the error on Monday and addressed it in a prepared statement.
"The on-field officiating crew, which oversees the official game clock operated in the press box, failed to recognize that the clock was improperly reset," he said.
According to former NFL official Chuck Heberling, who observes the officials in a league-appointed capacity, an NFL employee in New York spotted the error and immediately called officials supervisor Johnny Grier. Grier was sitting with Heberling in the press box.
"We checked it out with the statisticians and, according to his records, everything seemed to be all right," Heberling said. As a result, no move was made to try to correct the error.
The mistake showed up when the officiating crew, headed by referee Bill Carollo, reviewed the CBS game tape with Grier and Heberling during their usual post-game meeting in a Pittsburgh hotel.
"When we ran the tape, it was obvious it [the clock] was jumping," Heberling said.
The clock operators -- there are two, one for the game clock and the other for the play clock -- are locally-based but hired by the league. The Steelers did not identify them, and they are not listed with the other officials on the league's statistical report.
"It's a very unusual thing," Heberling said.
With those extra 52 seconds in place, the Steelers rallied to tie the game 20-20 on Ben Roethlisberger's 4-yard TD pass to Hines Ward with 1:21 remaining.
But that was enough time for Brady to lead the Patriots into position for Adam Vinatieri, the league's best clutch kicker, to make a 43-yard field goal with one second remaining to beat the Steelers 23-20 at Heinz Field.
Steelers president Dan Rooney was unaware of the mistake until being alerted Monday by reporters.
"There's nothing to say. The game's over," Rooney said. "It's not going to change the score."
ESPN.com news services
Tom Brady, among the league's best in late-game drives, led the Patriots down field for the winning score against the Steelers in 1:21 on Sunday.
But could he have done it in 29 seconds?
The NFL confirmed Monday that the game clock was improperly set early in the fourth quarter, adding 52 seconds to the game.
The NFL confirmed the error occurred at the beginning of the fourth quarter. With 14:51 remaining, Steelers receiver Cedric Wilson ran a reverse and was held to no gain; the play ran the clock down to 13:59.
A false start was called on Steelers guard Kendall Simmons on the next play, but instead of resetting the clock to 13:59, the clock operator set it back to 14:51 -- the time before Wilson's running play began. No one noticed the error, including the officiating crew.
Mike Pereira, the NFL's senior director of officiating, spoke to coaches Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick about the error on Monday and addressed it in a prepared statement.
"The on-field officiating crew, which oversees the official game clock operated in the press box, failed to recognize that the clock was improperly reset," he said.
According to former NFL official Chuck Heberling, who observes the officials in a league-appointed capacity, an NFL employee in New York spotted the error and immediately called officials supervisor Johnny Grier. Grier was sitting with Heberling in the press box.
"We checked it out with the statisticians and, according to his records, everything seemed to be all right," Heberling said. As a result, no move was made to try to correct the error.
The mistake showed up when the officiating crew, headed by referee Bill Carollo, reviewed the CBS game tape with Grier and Heberling during their usual post-game meeting in a Pittsburgh hotel.
"When we ran the tape, it was obvious it [the clock] was jumping," Heberling said.
The clock operators -- there are two, one for the game clock and the other for the play clock -- are locally-based but hired by the league. The Steelers did not identify them, and they are not listed with the other officials on the league's statistical report.
"It's a very unusual thing," Heberling said.
With those extra 52 seconds in place, the Steelers rallied to tie the game 20-20 on Ben Roethlisberger's 4-yard TD pass to Hines Ward with 1:21 remaining.
But that was enough time for Brady to lead the Patriots into position for Adam Vinatieri, the league's best clutch kicker, to make a 43-yard field goal with one second remaining to beat the Steelers 23-20 at Heinz Field.
Steelers president Dan Rooney was unaware of the mistake until being alerted Monday by reporters.
"There's nothing to say. The game's over," Rooney said. "It's not going to change the score."
Go KC!
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Originally Posted by WestSideBilly,Sep 26 2005, 04:27 PM
NFL rigged game
I don't think it is as simple as saying the Patriots should have had 52 seconds less. Two mintue timing rules would have come into effect earlier (at 2:52). It's hard to say.
