Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray finally went public Wednesday about the crucial false start flagged against tight end Tip Reiman late in Sunday’s game against the Vikings.
Coaches and players usually refrain from criticizing the officiating for two reasons.
First, it can sound like an excuse. And second, no one wants to be fined by the NFL no matter how much money they make. However, there is rarely any public accountability for the officiating by the league and the Cardinals surely aren’t the only team affected by game-changing calls.
To review Sunday’s scenario, with a 19-16 lead, the Cardinals had moved from their own 30-yard line to the Vikings 5-yard line, where it was first-and-goal. The drive began with 11:08 to play in the game and after running 12 plays, there was 4:14 on the clock.
The Cardinals were five yards away from taking a two-score lead. However, on that fateful first down, before the snap, Vikings defensive lineman Jerry Tillery clearly entered the neutral zone and likely crossed the line of scrimmage. That resulted in Reiman moving.
A flag flew, and game analyst Greg Olsen immediately noted that Tillery had moved, but was then shocked when the penalty was announced as a false start on Reiman. A subsequent replay showed even more obviously how Reiman reacted to Tillery, which, by rule, is a defensive penalty.
Had it been called correctly, the ball would have moved close to the 2-yard line. Instead, as we know, it was moved back to the 10 and we also know what happened next.
NFL teams routinely send numerous plays to the league office after games for clarification on calls made to learn why certain decisions were made and, yes, to be told whether they were right or wrong. However, except in very rare instances, the NFL doesn’t announce the mistakes, and teams are told not to relay any information to the media.
On Monday, when head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked if the Cardinals follow that reporting protocol, he said, “Yeah, (through) the allotted process, we try to gain information and learn from it.”
However, when asked if that specific play had been submitted, he understandably said, “I get the question, I appreciate the question. However, I’m not gonna get into what we send in to learn from.”
In talking to a source with knowledge of NFL rules and who saw the play, it was confirmed it should have been a defensive penalty. The source said, “And I don’t think it’s even close.”
So it was that while Murray was talking to the media Wednesday, he was asked about the loud environment and red-zone issues the offense experienced in Minnesota and Seattle the week before.
Murray somewhat couched his words, but said, “I think the false start was kind of a … I don’t want to say what I actually want to say, but I don’t think that was a false start. I think that that really affected the game in that moment. And I don’t put that on Tip as far as not being locked in or focused.”
We all know Murray and others don’t “think” it, they know-know it, but it’s ancient history now.
They have to find a way Sunday to somehow make sure they control their own destiny and not have it be affected by the whims of a penalty flag.
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