04/20/24
January 09, 2005
Jets Beat Chargers in OT, 20-17: A late comeback was spoiled when San Diego rookie Nate Kaeding's 40-yard kick sailed wide right in overtime. The NFL's coach of the year, Marty Schottenheimer didn't use a third-down running play to set up the boot, leaving it on the right hash. Kaeding, who has a pizza named after him in Iowa City, had an "I see dead people" expression as the Jets' Doug Brien set up for his game-winning kick.
The Chargers were fortunate to even have a chance at a game-winnning gield goal. The penalty for a late hit on Brees on a fourth-down, last gasp of life play gave the Chargers fresh opportunities to send it into OT. And don't blame the loss entirely on the kicker. Schottenheimer ran on the field protesting a call and received a penalty that helped the Jets to a touchdown before halftime, and late in the game (4th quarter? OT?), the Chargers had 12 men on the field for a Jets punt that kept a drive alive for New York. A sloppy game by both sides. The Jets just took better advantage of the other team's miscues.
posted by msacheson at 12:40 PM on January 09, 2005
I don't blame the kicker. A 40-yard field goal is not a gimme. When the Chargers hit the 35, Schottenheimer turtled and played for the kick, even though Tomlinson was slicing through the Jets on that drive.
posted by rcade at 12:50 PM on January 09, 2005
I think Kaeding was looking at his coach with an "I see dumb people" expression.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:58 PM on January 09, 2005
So, purely speculative question for the football scholars in the house: The Jets ran the clock way down to get to that field goal, and I believe had no timeouts left, while San Diego had a couple (if I'm correct). When the first field goal was attempted, it was at 12 seconds; but Schottenheimer called a timeout just before the snap, which negated the field goal (and the play). Nevertheless, the clock dropped to 8 seconds, unless the scorer never reverted it because there was little apparent point with a win-or-second-OT play about to occur. So, hypothetically: with 8-12 seconds left, is there anything the Chargers could have done on defense to eat up that time and keep the field goal from even being kicked (besides blocking the kick)? Even if you chew up your timeouts and then incur penalties to put them right up against the goal line, it won't matter if you can get that clock to go to 0:00 and prevent them from kicking. I'm just curious, as something of a football naif, while watching the OT of that game why the Jets were letting the clock get so close to 0:00 before making their first attempt (because if he misses, or it gets blocked and recovered by the Jets, they don't even have time to set up a second attempt for 4th down).
posted by hincandenza at 04:09 PM on January 09, 2005
isn't the overtime period is like the 1st and 3rd quarter? the play would continue, you would just change sides.
posted by goddam at 04:25 PM on January 09, 2005
Hal: Technically, you can keep getting penalties over and over again, but if the defence is the one incurring the penalty, there is always one play left. Even if the clock got to zero, and the defence commits a penalty, the offence can run one more play. Defensive penalties cannot end a game (unless declined by the offence). Here is the timing rule for overtime in the NFL: 3. Following a three-minute intermission after the end of the regulation game, play will be continued in 15-minute periods or until there is a score*. There is a two-minute intermission between subsequent periods. The teams change goals at the start of each period. Each team has three time outs per half and all general timing provisions apply as during a regular game. Disqualified players are not allowed to return. So each 15 minute time period is treated as a "half", so there would have been another kick-off if the Jets had missed their field goal. At the end of the second overtime, there would have been ANOTHER kick-off, and so on and so on. The teams would alternate kick-offs and ends every quarter. Interesting tidbit from the same rules: 1. The sudden death system of determining the winner shall prevail when score is tied at the end of the regulation playing time of all NFL games. The team scoring first during overtime play shall be the winner and the game automatically ends upon any score (by safety, field goal, or touchdown) or when a score is awarded by Referee for a palpably unfair act. Wow. I'd like to see a referee invoke THAT portion of the rule some day. I'm guessing that's the "player on the sidelines interfers with wide receiver on his way (untouched) to the endzone" provision.
posted by grum@work at 06:12 PM on January 09, 2005
Thanks grum- the timing issue wasn't what interested me (unless it was as goddam suggested, that the Jets would just get the ball in the same spot on the other end of the field); the idea being if the Chargers could possibly stop the clock and force the sudden death to start fresh: even if they had to kick off to the Jets again, they'd have a better chance of stopping them on a fresh drive than trying to block a punt from 28 (?) yards. But from what you say, the time can be at 0:00 and the offense still gets to run the play they're set up for (a field goal). Interesting tidbit too: I suspect such a rule is one of those "it's there, but it will never be invoked" rules; I cannot foresee a team of refs awarding actual points for even the grossest of misconduct, in a playoff game (excepting maybe homicide, such as in "The Last Boyscout"). Extreme penalties, etc, sure, but not points. It's almost like umps refusing to call a hit-by-pitch on a batter if the umpire feels the batter did not make a true effort to avoid the ball; it's in the rules, but you almost never see an ump call it, even though many players clearly lean in with that elbow armor and take one for a free base. Anyway, thanks for your knowledge dump: my paucity of football knowledge makes my SpoFi 2004 NFL Playoffs Prediction crown all the more hollow. *sob* I'd like to say I'm strongly opposed to sudden death in NFL: it defeats the purpose and spirit of the game! Much like basketball, soccer, and hockey, the game is played according to the clock, not by innings or rounds, a la baseball. The full 15-minute OT should be played out completely, simple as that. The victor is whomever has the most points at the end of the fifth quarter (or sixth, etc). Alternately, the college method is interesting; start each team at a specific spot on the field, and let them each make alternate best efforts score, until one "blinks" and doesn't equal the score of the other after that round.
posted by hincandenza at 12:22 AM on January 10, 2005
*orders beer* *cries in it*
posted by LionIndex at 10:39 AM on January 10, 2005
I told you all not to go against my Mom. Fortunately, despite her fangirl nature, she is not picking the Jets over the Steelers.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:06 AM on January 11, 2005
the chargers choke but still a great game i bet the superbowl is goin to look like this game
posted by dhdefrag3x at 06:26 PM on January 13, 2005
As someone who picked the Chargers in this game for my work playoff pool, it brought back some painful memories... Norwood misses wide right! Shudder...