invalid fair catch signal

The sad part in all this is that people (especially Iowa fans) don't understand what was actually called. Iowa fans are still complaining that he didn't signal for a fair catch, and they are right, he didn't. But that isn't what was called.

DeJean didn't signal for a fair catch but he did wave his arm which makes it an invalid fair catch signal and a dead ball wherever he decides to field it. Refs were probably surprised he ran it and let the play go as they have been instructed to do when in doubt at all.

The rule is there to keep punt returners from deliberately deceiving the coverage team. If you see the punt returner waving his arms you don't hit him. On the wide view you can clearly see a few defenders let up for the Gophers because they figured the ball would be dead. Doesn't excuse the horrible tackling when he did take off but explains why some guys were out of position.
Or, if DeJean prefers, we can go back to blowing up the PR into next week regardless of any arm waving, balance attempting, pointing or farting for all I care. The rules were put in place to protect his stupid ass, not for him to try to take advantage of it. Let him get demolished once or twice. Bet he doesn't pull that shit again.
 

Yup.....that shit eating grin makes a whole lot more sense now. Thought he had gotten away with a dishonest play there. lol.
I don't know that he thought they had pulled a fast one on that particular play but he was more thinking that once again they were going to escape with a win in a game they had zero business winning. Happens for them over and over and over again, especially against Minnesota.
 

Correct call. Never gets called. In fact the same thing happened in another game yesterday. This is never called. Very subjective, and we are incredibly lucky.
It was called in the TN-Alabama game yesterday. Wasn’t called in the UNC game. That missed call netted them an extra 5 yards.

It is called, it’s just usually called right away. This was unique in that the whole play was allowed to continue and then changed after a review. Most of the time people hardly notice it.

There was an example posted here from awhile back where a Wisconsin TD was called back for exactly the same thing.
 
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Not shit. The rule is in place for a very, very good reason, and it was 100% accurately applied in this case.

If even ONE player on the kicking team thinks it was a fair catch signal, you have gained an advantage. Plain and simple.
This. You can see at least a couple of Gophers explicitly letting up, and then flat footed as DeJean makes his move, reacting late to his surprising take off after motioning that he would not. That’s why the rule is there, as the ability to feign a fair catch signal to get the defenders off-guard is a clear and deceitful advantage. Further, the ”invalid” FC signal rule is in place because the only alternative for an otherwise confused defender is to tackle the guy, and if the ref deems a proper FC signal, then the defender is flagged 15 yards. (An extra 15 yards on that play would have essentially put them in long FG range already.) So waving hands around, no matter the motion, has been ruled as dead ball. As it should be.

The only question that should remain here is why this was not whistled dead upon DeJean’s catch. If it had been, none of this controversy would have occurred. But refs are also taught these days to hold whistles to avoid stopping plays prematurely, so they are in quite the conundrum.
 
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Or, if DeJean prefers, we can go back to blowing up the PR into next week regardless of any arm waving, balance attempting, pointing or farting for all I care. The rules were put in place to protect his stupid ass, not for him to try to take advantage of it. Let him get demolished once or twice. Bet he doesn't pull that shit again.
And this x1000. Had he not been farting around with his excessive hand motions he very well might have been lit the F up on that play. Several Gophers had slowed down pursuit.
 

Or, if DeJean prefers, we can go back to blowing up the PR into next week regardless of any arm waving, balance attempting, pointing or farting for all I care. The rules were put in place to protect his stupid ass, not for him to try to take advantage of it. Let him get demolished once or twice. Bet he doesn't pull that shit again.
Bingo.
 

It was called in the TN-Alabama game yesterday. Wasn’t called in the UNC game. That missed call netted them an extra 5 yards.

It is called, it’s just usually called right away. This was unique in that the whole play was allowed to continue and then changed after a review. Most of the time people hardly notice it.

There was an example posted here from awhile back where a Wisconsin TD was called back for exactly the same thing.
Those were the same ones I saw. I didn’t know that it wasn’t called on UNC. I thought it was marked where he caught it. I think it was also called in the ASU-Wsh game.

Anyway, this call is no different than a hold or block in the back away from a play. A foul is a foul and gives a team an illegal advantage, no matter how slight. Ferentz, DeJean, and RedState can cry all they want and it changes nothing. Any waving of either arm by a returner is illegal or a fair catch 100% of the time. Not when you feel like it.
 

It's actually good coaching to do the half-@ssed fair catch signal. First you might bait the defense into hitting you and getting a 15 yard penalty. If that doesn't work you can try to field the ball anyway and do what he did. And if you get called for the invalid fair catch there's no real harm done.
Which is why the rule needs to be changed to include a penalty for invalid fair catch. Signal has to be clear. Unclear and ambiguous signals that include trying to return the kick needs to be penalized, increasing risk of faking something intended to keep players safe.
 




Or, if DeJean prefers, we can go back to blowing up the PR into next week regardless of any arm waving, balance attempting, pointing or farting for all I care. The rules were put in place to protect his stupid ass, not for him to try to take advantage of it. Let him get demolished once or twice. Bet he doesn't pull that shit again.
It’s like that fat-arsed PSU kicker that thought he was linebacker. Remember what happened to him? Tit for tat and he cried like a baby.
 

GH posted a video that clearly shows Tariq Watson stopping....before resuming pursuit when no whistle was blown. Without that arm waving signal.....DeJean would have been lit up the second he touched the ball.

Video also shows a good view of Coleman Bryson making an inexcusable error....which fortunately didn't end up biting us.

Yup. One Iowa player stops and runs to his sideline, another runs off to the Gophers sideline, and multiple Gophers basically start jogging. This is such a stupid debate.
 

I can't focus; I'm still joyously delirious from watching the Gopher defense hold Iowa to 11 yards rushing on 28 carries... in Iowa City, no less.
If you’ve seen the Iowa offense the last 3 years, it nothing extraordinary.
 




To what? You can undo a signal? That’s why the rule is what it is.

I remember a Gopher player having a return brought back for shading his eyes.
I don’t disagree right the rule.
Really hard for a guy trying to get off a block to differentiate between a valid fair catch and a guy waving off his teammates.

I don’t think there should be a rule change
 


The online discussion is endless goal post moving.

  • HE DIDNT SIGNAL FAIR CATCH
  • ITS NOT REVIEWABLE
  • REFS DONT KNOW THE RULE
  • IT DIDNT HAVE ANY IMPACT
The new one I’ve seen is that because the officials told the coaches they were reviewing if he stepped out of bounds, they can’t review or change anything else. They absolutely can. That’s why the ref announces that the play is under review.
 

The new one I’ve seen is that because the officials told the coaches they were reviewing if he stepped out of bounds, they can’t review or change anything else. They absolutely can. That’s why the ref announces that the play is under review.
Also it was the TV guys going on about stepping out of bounds… I think some folks took that as gospel.

I will say a little credit to the tv guys, when they figured it out they seemed to understand.
 
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The new one I’ve seen is that because the officials told the coaches they were reviewing if he stepped out of bounds, they can’t review or change anything else. They absolutely can. That’s why the ref announces that the play is under review.

It would blow their minds to learn that in the NHL numerous goals every week are negated due to video reviews calling offsides.
 

Also it was the TV guys going on about stepping out of bounds… I think some folks took that as gospel.

I will say a little credit to the tv guys, when they’re figured it out they seemed to understand.
The official only says “the play is under further review” over the loud speaker. Supposedly both coaches afterwards said the officials told them specifically they were reviewing if he stepped out of bounds. I have no idea if that is actually true or not. Even if it is, that doesn’t matter unless it was a coach’s challenge. Which it wasn’t.
 

You seem to be putting words and claims in my posts.

A guy waving his arms and his own players running away should be ignored?

Your suspicions are way off.

My suspicion is you, like most players, truly don’t understand the nuance of officiating, let alone the rules.
Sure thing. And you are / were an official also. Meanwhile, back in reality..............
 

It’s like that fat-arsed PSU kicker that thought he was linebacker. Remember what happened to him? Tit for tat and he cried like a baby.
Was an awful penalty and ejection.

He has highlights of him lighting people up during kick coverage, so the gophers send someone to block him and it’s an ejection
 


A lot of Iowa fans (and writers) are showing their ass with this one. If it were reversed I’d be unbelievably pissed, but I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be this intentionally ignorant. Some of these people are unhinged
 


A lot of Iowa fans (and writers) are showing their ass with this one. If it were reversed I’d be unbelievably pissed, but I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be this intentionally ignorant. Some of these people are unhinged
Do they not realize this is just entertainment? It is not like their total lives would revolve around Hawkeye football. Oh wait. You win some and you lose some, get over it. As my dad used to say it is just a bunch of guys throwing the ball around on a Saturday afternoon.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!
 

certain people seem to be making the following argument:

some referees do not call a certain penalty correctly.

therefore no referees should call that penalty, because a different referee working a different game did not handle the play correctly.


It's like me arguing with the State Trooper who just gave me a speeding ticket, and I claim that another car was driving faster than I was and he didn't get pulled over. I'm still going to get the ticket. what happened or didn't happen with the other driver has no impact on whether I was speeding. just like what happened or didn't happen in another game has no impact on how a penalty was enforced in the Iowa-MN game.
 

A lot of Iowa fans (and writers) are showing their ass with this one. If it were reversed I’d be unbelievably pissed, but I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be this intentionally ignorant. Some of these people are unhinged
I’d be pissed at the rule, not that it was called.

The rule is fine, I’m just irrational when bad things happen. Iowa fans have gone well beyond irrational with this. There’s like 10 reasons it was a bad call at this point.
 


certain people seem to be making the following argument:

some referees do not call a certain penalty correctly.

therefore no referees should call that penalty, because a different referee working a different game did not handle the play correctly.


It's like me arguing with the State Trooper who just gave me a speeding ticket, and I claim that another car was driving faster than I was and he didn't get pulled over. I'm still going to get the ticket. what happened or didn't happen with the other driver has no impact on whether I was speeding. just like what happened or didn't happen in another game has no impact on how a penalty was enforced in the Iowa-MN game.
Correct. OJ getting away with murder doesn’t mean homicide should be ignored.
 




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