Lee's safety

[AmishMafia]

I was sick and missed the game for the first time on Sunday. Excuse me if I have missed this and the point has already been made. But I have not read this take on the safety. I just watched the game on nfl rewind and when Lee reaches across the endzone and grabs the ball, he takes a knee. T he official behind him and at least one other, immediately blow their whistles. This should ends the play and he would no longer try. Had they not blown their whistles, the lions would have closed on him quickly, maybe he would have figured it out. Not sure what should have happened, not a do-over, but I'm not sure the refs blew that one and should have given him a touchback.

 

[okcpackerfan]

they blew the whistle because it was a safety

 

[AmishMafia]

they blew the whistle when there wasn't a lion within 10 yards of Lee. They were also waving their arms to also indicate the play was over.

 

[Mr. StyleZ]

He took a knee which means he gave himself up, thus ending the play. Can't take a knee then get up and run..

Maybe I'm not sure what you're asking?

 

[AmishMafia]

Good point. But I have seen players take a knee, hear no whistle, then realize the play is live and still run.

 

[bozz_2006]

They took a knee on a kick-off return? Or are you talking about when, say, a QB throws it, and WR has to go down to a knee to catch it, then takes off? Those two are very different. When you take a knee on a kickoff, it's giving yourself up. That's what Lee did. Play over. Two points, Lions.

 

[Helmets]

I disagree. I have seen where a kick returner - on a kickoff, takes a knee, then realizes that he is out of the endzone, or took possession of the ball outside of the endzone, and then takes off. I agree with Ezra Yoder the Amish fella...the ref in the endzone behind Lee blew the whistle and waved his arms, as he thought it should have been a touchback. It was not until the refs huddled and another ref with a sideline view indicated that the ball was outside of the endzone. Bad call and a quick whistle. Like Amish, I don't know what they could have done. Only two choices - touchback or safety.

 

[greenandgold]

It doesn't matter any way. It was a dumb play on his part. And not the only mishandled ball he had that day, if I remember right.

 

[The Real Pack Attack]

It doesn't matter any way. It was a dumb play on his part. And not the only mishandled ball he had that day, if I remember right.

Yes you are correct. He mishandled the first 2 kick-offs of the game. The safety was the second kick-off. Slocum did the right thing for once and removed him from return duty after the safety. Only for some inexplicable reason Slocum put him back in the game for the last kick-off of the game. Luckily for the Pack Jason Hanson kicked it out ot the end-zone!

 

[TJV]

When a player has possession of the KO with his knee down in the EZ, the whistle should blow the play dead. The reason for the conference was to clarify whether or not Lee brought the ball back into the EZ or not. Helmets, in the examples of what you have seen you don't include a returner taking a knee in the EZ. Lee's knee was down in the EZ, then he reached across the goal line and brought the ball back into the EZ while his knee was still down. It's the equivalent of a player receiving the KO at the two yard line and in an attempt to evade tacklers, goes into the EZ and gets tackled (or foolishly takes a knee).

 

[Bensalama21]

Good point. But I have seen players take a knee, hear no whistle, then realize the play is live and still run.

The rule is though that if a player takes a knee in any play, the play is automatically dead.

 

[PFanCan]

The rule is though that if a player takes a knee in any play, the play is automatically dead.

Sounds reasonable. However... as Lee's knee was already down when he reached forward to grab the ball on the 6 inch line (and pull it back into the EZ), why not give the Packers the ball on the 6 inch line? As the play ends the moment he takes possession of the ball, would it not be marked at the position of the ball rather than his knee?

((BTW, I agree, without really knowing the rule book details, that it was a safety. Just playing devil's advocate here.))

 

[Bensalama21]

Sounds reasonable. However... as Lee's knee was already down when he reached forward to grab the ball on the 6 inch line (and pull it back into the EZ), why not give the Packers the ball on the 6 inch line? As the play ends the moment he takes possession of the ball, would it not be marked at the position of the ball rather than his knee?

((BTW, I agree, without really knowing the rule book details, that it was a safety. Just playing devil's advocate here.))

True. I think that he was in a knee position when he grabbed the ball, but they still called it a live ball, and he did it a second time and that is when they called it dead.