FORCE OUT THE FORCE OUT

by Mac G, Mac G's World

Throughout the first six weeks of the NFL season, one highly controversial type of call keeps popping up on the football radar screen every Sunday: The Force Out.

In back to back weeks, the Packers found themselves on the opposite end of this call. In the Packers/Bears game, Bears' TE Greg Olsen was granted a touchdown on a force out call and against the Redskins last week, Packer's TE Bubba Franks was ruled out of bounds in the end zone, even though it appeared he was pushed out by Skins CB Fred Smoot.

The rule states that a referee can grant a force out if it appears that a player would have came down in bounds with both feet but he was unable to because he was pushed out by a defender.

This subjective decision is NOT reviewable under the current replay system.

On the NFL Network's Total Access program on Wednesday, Vice President of NFL Officiating Mike Pereira talked about the Franks play, along with two other force out calls.

In all three different cases, Pereira concluded that the officials made the incorrect calls.

Franks should have been granted a TD.

"Clearly Bubba Franks would have come down in bounds and it would have been a catch... I think we were really wrong in making that judgment."

Against the Panthers, Larry Fitzgerald was granted a catch on a force out after only getting one foot in bounds but Pereira's issue was that Fitzgerald was not pushed hard enough to make that call.

The last call that Pereira dissected was a potential crucial first down catch by Terrell Owens against the Pats. This was a very unique play as TO was initially ruled by the official to have come down with both feet in bounds. The play was reviewed and the call was reversed because TO only had 1 foot in bounds.

However, on the replay you can clearly see that TO was pushed hard enough by the defender and it should have been called a push out but since that call can not be made in the review process, it was ruled incomplete. Periea acknowledged that the official on the field should have ruled that the TO catch was a force out.

Pereira cited three reasons as to why the force out call is one of the most difficult decisions that a NFL official can make.

• Focus on whether the player catching the ball comes with 2 feet in bounds.

• Determine the strength of the push by the defender.

• Make sure the offender is controlling the ball when they hit the ground

Pereira states on the program that he hates the force out call and would like to see the NFL do away with it. The video can be seen at this link under NFL Netwok/NFLTA:Official Review-Oct.17.

The way I look at it, 3 things can happen with the force out rule: Get rid of it, Keep it as is, or let the call be reviewable.

In college, only one foot coming down in bounds is required for a sideline catch and no such force out rule exists. I like how the NFL has different rules than college. Plus, the players are so much stronger and faster, with so much strategy involved and slim margin of error determining victories, I could see where D coaches would make all of their defenders just push out every ball catcher on the sideline. I am sure this is why the force out rule originated in the first place.

The status quo of the rule seems not to be working as officials keep getting the call wrong.

I would argue to keep the rule in the game and let the officials review force out calls. I understand the NFL not wanting to take the subjective ruling away from the officials on the field but other calls like fumbles, knees down, spot of the ball are reviewable. While not purely subjective, they all have some sort of judgmental elements in them.

Why can not we determine if a player has pushed another player hard enough out of bounds? If everyone in sports bars or on their couches watching the games can determine this, why not give the officials in the booth the proper ability to get the call right?

In the past, player's kept fumbling the ball before hitting the ground but since the whistle had been blown and the player had been ruled "down by contact," it had not been reviewable. This call is now reviewable as they allow for continuation after the whistle on fumbles, bringing the ball back to the spot of the fumble if the replay booth determines it was a fumble and the defenders recovered.

This rule change was a positive one for the NFL and it is time to see the force out call placed under similar replay review.

What are other people's thoughts or comments on the force out rule?

NFL Video-NFL Netwok/NFLTA:Official Review-Oct.17.
Franks' Call Wrong
TO's Call Incorrect