Chargers Lose to a Zebra | Video
It must really be tough to be a San Diego Charger this morning. Week one sees them lose the game on the last play against the Panthers. This week they lose the game to a Zebra. Don’t know what I’m talking about yet? You will. Kyle Turley will not be able to swing a Jets helmet without hitting a video of of it.
Ref Ed Hochuli blew it…the call and the whistle. So, Jay Cuter fumbles and the Chargers pick it up. Not so fast. Hochuli was behind Cutler and from his view he thought it was a pass (not seeing the ball flew out of Cutlers hands while going backward). He blew the ball dead when it hit the ground. So under strange rules, or lack of a rule, the fumble became a incomplete pass…that the Broncos lost about 8 yards on. INCOMPLETE PASS FOR A LOSS!
“The ruling on the field was that it was an incomplete pass,” Hochuli told a pool reporter. “We went to replay. It should have been ruled a fumble. By rule – by the instant-replay rules – on that particular play where there’s a pass/fumble, a quarterback pass/fumble – the rules do not permit you to give the ball to the other team.
“All we can do to fix it is put the ball at the spot that it hit the ground, which is why we moved it back to the 10-yard line and the down counts and it becomes third down.”
The Broncos get a TD and then shock the world (not really but the way people talk you would think so) by going for two and the win. Why not? The TD was just gift wrapped, go for it all.
I’m sure the Chargers will get a nice apology from the NFL but that won’t take away the fact that the Chargers are 0-2, Broncos 2-0. and they are trailing the Raiders in the AFC West!
“It was a fumble, clear to everyone on our sideline, and I’m sure all the fans,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “Ed (Hochuli) came over to me and said he blew it and that’s not, to me, acceptable. This is a high-level performance game and it is not acceptable to have a game decided on that play.”
Here is some video of the ESPN guys talking about it…
We will certainly be talking about this one on the Football Jabber Radio Show this week. Click below, set an email reminder and call in!
We blew up some pictures that we got off of the internet and it looks like the whistle is hanging on a lanyard around his neck during the play, during the fumble he waves his arms indicating incomplete, the Charger recovers the ball and the Ed puts his hand to his mouth.
Can you get a close up video or pictures of him to verify this??
That’s interesting Mike. I’ll have to have a look around.
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