From: kbos@carina.unm.edu (K. Mitchell Bose)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: Was Dallas screwed? You make the call....
Date: 14 Dec 92 15:55:35 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <1410@netxcom.netx.com> jwc@netxcom.netx.com (Jeff Comer) writes:
>Was Dallas screwed? You make the call.... For those who didn't see it, the
>Cowboys had the game sewn up at RFK late in the 4th quarter, 17-13. On 2nd
>and 7, from their own 5-yd line, Aikman drops back to pass. DT Jason Buck
>hit Aikman as he was attempting a pass; the ball rolled loose in the end
>zone, and RB Emmitt Smith picked the ball up. He was immediately hit by LB
>Andre Collins and Danny Copeland. As Smith was going down, it looked like
>he was trying to roll the ball forward out of the end zone. In any case,
>the ball squirted loose again, and Copeland fell on it for a Redskin TD.

I'll leave this up, even though by now I'm sure even the folks in Australia 
have seen the play...  :)

>
>Several points -
>
>[1] Was Aikman's forward motion enough to make it a pass? On this, I am
>    inconclusive. The official ruled that he saw no forward motion, and so
>    it was a fumble. But several replays seem to counter this; I did not
>    see any replays so I cannot judge; but several non-partisan viewers do
>    say it should have been an incomplete pass.

In watching the replay, it was clear to me that the ball had not left Aikman's
hand; Buck smashed into Aikman after Aikman had brought his arm forward, but
the arm was knocked backwards before the ball had left.  In another post, the
rule book is quoted as saying a forward pass is not attempted before the ball
leaves the hand.  On the other hand, the official saw no forward motion.  He
could not have ruled that any other way.

>
>[2] Was Smith down? It seemed as though he was not, though again, several
>    replays suggest otherwise. I was at the game on the 40-yd line, and to
>    me it looked like Smith was down.

I think what tipped the officials towards the fumble idea is that Smith was, in
my opinion, deliberately fumbling the ball (more on that below...).  Obviously,
if he were trying to fumble, he would have gotten rid of it before he was
brought down.  The lone replay also is unclear as to exactly when Smith lost
control of the ball.

>
>[3] What the hell was JJ trying to do? The game is on ice with 3+ minutes
>    to go; why try to pass at all? The Cowboys had been moving the ball on
>    the Skins defense most of the day; all they had to do was just keep 
>    stuffing the ball up the middle, wasting clock time, and hand the ball 
>    back to the Redkins offense, which was pretty anemic.

Actually, if I remember correctly, it was third down.  Then again, I might not
remember correctly...

>
>[4] What was Smith trying to do by rolling the ball forward? Was he in fact 
>    trying to roll the ball forward? I thought you were supposed to fall on 
>    the ball! The worst result is that you take a safety, give up 2 points, 
>    and kick off from the 20, still leading the game 17-15 with 3 minutes 
>    to go.

He's young.
I think that if he rolled the ball forward, it was in an attempt to get it out 
of the endzone and into the arms of a Cowboy teammate.

>
>I am interested in what other netters think of this bizarre play. I am a
>little disappointed that such a big game turned on such a weird event.

Naah.  It's a mythic play for a mythic game.  
>
>So now the Pokes have something they can use as revenge. For Skins fans,
>this is not good, as the two will probably meet in the playoffs, back in
>Texas. The loss might end up being a boost for Dallas, and might serve to
>refocus them on the Super Bowl drive.
>
On the other hand, this might be the the straw that breaks the Cowboys as they
see an important game against a quality opponent slip away.  That, with the 
loss to Detroit last year, may destroy the confidence they'd built with the 
11-2 start, and may call Aikman's ability to take them to the next level into
question.

As for whether or not it's good for the Redskins, that's silly.  They needed
the win to even get into the playoffs (well, it at least improved their chances
drastically).  And, again playing devil's advocate, a miraculous victory like
this may plant the seed in their head that the magic of 1991 is still there, 
and that they are indeed a team of Destiny.

"Motivation" is a funny thing.  It's quite possible that this could help either
team, or hurt either team.  It's just....wierd.

-- 
Kurt Bose (as in Daisy, not Rose) * kbos@carina.unm.edu * Walks: not that sexy.
"Halt!  Based on conclusive dental evidence that truly bites, I arrest you 
 hereby for the murdering of the dead Belzic Tascar.  I am obliged to warn you 
 that my weapons are registered as offensive fronds!!"- R.M.Allen, "Monkey See"
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro