I’m still amazed at the tumult and discussion over what I will henceforth simply call “the timeout,” the stoppage of play that rendered Sebastian Janikowski’s 52-yard kick through the north end zone uprights meaningless late Sunday afternoon.
“A crazy timeout; I don’t know,” opined Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter Monday as he narrated the sequence of Janikowki’s miss and Jason Elam’s successful 23-yarder. “Maybe they should identify when the timeout was called.”
Uh, Kenny … they did.
Perhaps it’s because I clearly saw official Byron Boston waving his arms to stop the clock from my press-box perch. While 74,000 of the people inside the stadium had some kind of visceral reaction to the play, I just shrugged. It didn’t count. It wouldn’t count. And if referee Walt Anderson ruled that it did, instant replay would show otherwise.
To me, the whole thing wasn’t a big deal. Yes, Elam has said that opponents’ attempts to ice him are futile — which is probably why the Raiders didn’t follow suit with a timeout of their own on the following possession. Nevertheless, isn’t that what you’re supposed to do — wait until the last possible second and then get the stoppage?
Which brings me to the first inkling I had of any controversy.
As the hours passed from merely late to workaholically insane late Sunday night inside the INVESCO Field at Mile High press box, I paused to hear the end of KCNC-Channel 4’s postgame show, Broncos All-Access, where the station replays phoned-in comments from fans sounding off about the game.
The last comment dripped with vitriol. The lady yelled into the phone, accusing Mike Shanahan of cheating and poor sportsmanship. (She then said, “You’ll never run this.” She underestimates those of us in the mic-and-laptop set. We love contrarian opinions delivered in a needlessly emotional and over-the-top manner. The more loony the reaction, the more likely we are to use it. Basically, we’re only opposed to boring.)
Even my girlfriend wondered about the ethics of the timeout — and she was pulling fervently for the Broncos, evidence of which exists in a series of text messages that became increasingly frazzled as the game’s tension increased.
Now, I had this piece written hours ago. But when she raised the objection, I wanted to talk further with her about it before firing this missive. (Sorry about pilfering your word, J. Mike.) What struck her as wrong about the play? She’s rational and intelligent; her medical doctorate is proof of that.
To her, it was just the fact that it came so late — and from the sidelines. I can respect that perspective, but I’m still not down with it.
(That being said, after seeing how someone as rational and logical as her can see this issue differently, I’ve softened this blog entry a bit. The original one was angry and flustered, not unlike my reaction to hearing Hells Bells over the P.A. sytem Sunday.)
Shanahan played within the rules of professional football — rules which were specifically rejiggered this offseason to permit what he did. If Lane Kiffin or Dick Jauron had done the same thing, you wouldn’t hear an objection from me.
It couldn’t be more clear. Coaches can call timeouts. Shanahan was positioned next to Boston. The Broncos took their timeout. The official signaled for a stoppage of play. If anything is to blame for the Raiders’ execution of the soon-to-be-nullified kick, it’s the crowd for doing exactly what it’s supposed to do in that situation — raising a jet-engine-level ruckus.
If the Broncos call that timeout and the game is on the road, Boston’s whistle is heard throughout the stadium. Even Oakland’s Barry Sims admitted hearing the whistle.
Maybe it’s just because everyone’s on heightened cheat-watch alert in the wake of the Patriot Caper and the subsequent punishment handed to Bill Belichick.
But let’s not get carried away trying to turn a perfectly legal strategem into something devious.
FYI … Unless something unforeseen arises, I will be responding to blog comments Tuesday afternoon after getting back to my desk … I’m not ignoring the posts; I’ve just been fairly busy since the end of the game.
Tags: Jason Elam, Mike Shanahan, Oakland Raiders, Special Teams
I agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with calling a timeout there. I was sitting in section 100 and did not hear a whistle, but that’s because I was firmly focused on the kicker and screaming my lungs out (still hoarse today).
My heart sank as I realized that we had just given that game to the Raiders, then I joined the frenzy when it was announced that Denver had called timeout and Janikowski missed the next one. What a great day to be at Mile High!
I have been amazed and astounded at the reaction to what was a fairly common, completely legal play. Maybe it is becuase Rich Gannon and Kevin Harlan were celelbrating like school girls becuase “son of Monte” got his first win….almost…
I worte about this lashback over at the MHR — http://www.milehighreport.com/story/2007/9/17/14539/2783
I guess my message to Fader-Nation would be this….Just Win Baby…remember?? That’s what the Broncos did..
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
Oh, and my entry has the anger and fluster that you removed from yours….Couldn’t help myself…
TSG
I just checked out the raiders web site and there actually isn’t anybody screaming cheat on there…very suprising….it was just another mastermind play call if you ask me.
man, i’ve had my share of “discussions” with buddies or co-workers the past 2 days… here are my arguments. and i’m sure these have been put down on various website and discussion boards already, but these are the ones that i think are irrefutable:
1) it’s the exact same thing as if the D takes a timeout right before the O snaps it, but they cant hear the whistle b/c of crowd noise. part or all of the play gets run before a majority of the players realize the play is dead, but does the play count? no.
2) it can work both ways: the kicker could’ve missed the first try, and then made the 2nd. the irony of it all is that if that were the case, nobody would be complaining that Shanahan is devious or unsportsmanlike and instead everyone would be mocking him on what a stupid move it was.
lastly, i can’t stand how ppl are actually comparing this move to Bellicheat and the taping scandal. comparing something that is perfectly legal in the rule book with something that was explicitly told to teams both verbally and in written communication is illegal… is just totally asinine.
oh lastly lastly, if anyone’s unsportsmanlike, it’s Bellicheat… the refusal to greet Mangini on the field after games, the Peyton blow-off after last years AFC title game, the alleged story about telling Steeler medical staff to “get the f*** away from” his player when they were just trying to help, etc etc.
/end of rant.
As the username suggests, I was watching the game on tv in Las Vegas. The whistle was perfectly audible to us watching the telecast, even over Gannon’s yapping. My wife actually laughed over the fact that Janikowski made the first one, because we both had a feeling the added pressure would cause him to miss it the second time, since we both HEARD THE WHISTLE.
It was legal! Mike Shanahan did the right thing! Was it used to get inside the head of the kicker? YES! And it worked! What is the big deal? The Raiders had the chance to do the same thing to us. Good Job Shanny!
I was upset…only because I hastily turned off the TV in disgust, thinking our BRONCOS let the Raiders back into the game for their OT winner. I didn’t hear the whistle, but it wouldn’t have mattered. I was frustrated that we blew a decent lead…AND to the Raiders, even. Ugh. Only Monday did I realize what transpired…and that’s when I REALLY became upset…at myself. I should’ve known better than to hastily turn off the TV before the final seconds ticked off the clock. So yeah, I was upset…at myself for not catching the whole game. Doh!!
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with calling a timeout right before a snap. I wouldn’t think any other fan would complain if it had been their team’s masterful coaching. But…it was a legal call for Shanahan to make so it’s a non-issue.
GO BRONCOS!!!
It was an amazing call. It just goes to prove what a great coach Shanahan is and how badly Raiders take losing. I love it. Bring on the controversy I say, for at the end of the day, we got the W and are 2-0.
It doesn’t matter when he called the timeout, as long as it was before the play. If a QB calls timeout 1 sec before the play clock runs out, is he cheating? No!
I’m just logging on for the first time since the game, and I can’t believe my eyes.
Controversy? About What??
Shanahan is a pretty smart guy, but ‘news flash’, he didn’t invent icing kickers. Forget legal, what about commonplace?
In our statistics-driven sports world, let the powers that be find out how many times a timeout has been called by the opposing team prior to a critical field goal attempt, and then you will see that ‘contorversy’ is not that it happened in the first place, but that Shanahan may be praised for doing it when it has the highest potential for working, the last second.
At the end of the day SEA BASS missed the kick, not Mike. And as much as I love the Raiders, I have to say, Go Broncos!
Hey it was a good call………………..he made the kicker nervous with the second kick which led him to missing………………….hahahaha………………..go broncos
THAT WAS A GREAT DAY IN BRONCO HISTORY! The only people who bag on it, are out to rain on the Bronco parade. Rules are rules, it is a typical call, Shanahan is the man, he executed the call perfectly. Isn’t it great to consistently smack the lame raiders down, down, DOWN! LUVIN IT!!!
what a smart decision. Janikowski had missed two from about the same distance the week before so make him think about that as long as possible. All us Bronco fans can say is 2 and 0. I have something to say about the announcers of the game as well. CBS should ban Rich Gannon from any Bronco game televised from now on. I can’t stand his hatred of the Broncos over the air anymore. Im just glad that we pulled it off and he wasn’t able to rant about how great the Raiders are.
Here it is, two days later, and it still racks my nerves when I think of what happened Sunday. But the thing is, I’m not upset over the timeout call. For the sake of my nerves…and my heart, please, Mike Shannahan, make the call just a few seconds sooner.
What reall has me upset, though, is the whole concept of kicking a field goal when it’s first-and-goal on the 4 yard line. I mean really…you have at least 3 downs to drive it in with the likes of Travis Henry and Selvin Young (not to mention the fullbacks, too). If it were 4th and goal, I could understand the kick, but why waste those extra downs?
Andrew, could you explain the rule on losing those extra downs just because you might attempt a field goal on a down that precedes 4th down? I’m thinking you ought to be able to use those extra three downs, even if you miss the field goal.
Nevertheless, RUN the d*** ball! I’m not buying this whole notion of possibly risking a fumble. What are the odds that would happen, anyhow? You run just as big of a risk missing the field goal… and Jason Elam isn’t exactly at his best right now; what with missed field goals in both of these first two games.
The only why you have an argument to this whole conversation is if you do not know the game of football. This is not even a subject of a moral concern. This happens in every facet of the game and always has. So please you people that like to whine about every little detail please know what you are talking about before stating your opinion!!! Let worry about more concerning news. The broncos offense needs to start getting in the end zone before we get to Indy in two weeks!
i will agree with everyone YES IT ‘S PERFECTLY LEGAL TO CALL A TIMEOUT BEFORE THE SNAP AND I CLEARLY SAW ON THE REPLAY THAT IT WAS CALLED SO EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP MAKING SUCH A BIG DEAL ABOUT ! COME ON ITS NOT SOME CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT THE REF CHEATED IF IT WAS THE NBA MAYBE BUT COME ON LET IT GO BRONCOS 2-0 BY WHATEVER MEANS
No worries. “Missive” wasn’t really my word anyway. I can think a copy editor at the old Franklin “Review Appeal” for that one. I remember having to look the word up when he came up with a column title.
Andrew,
I think there has been plenty said about “The Timeout”, we can all agree it was fair and legal, and yes, I too heard the whistle on the broadcast and was yelling at the TV “False start?? What was the whistle?”. Anyways, what do you think about this constant signing and waiving of Stephen Alexander and Chad Mustard? Furthermore, Daniel Graham has obviously been great but Scheffler was clearly one of Cutler’s favorite targets last year and he hasn’t caught a pass this year. As far as I remember, he hasn’t even been targeted. What do you think about the tight end production in the passing game?
I’ve been astounded by the reaction. I watched on TV and I heard the whistles before the first kick was up and I knew it wouldn’t count. I was surprised that Gannon and Harlan didn’t notice.
No one would have said anything if he’d missed the first try, or if he’d made the second. The field goal didn’t do anything that would physically make him more or less likely to make it. From the way people talk, you’d think Shannahan had called the timeout after the first kick was good, not before.
57 yellow,
There is a pretty damn obvious reason why you kick the field goal on 1st down. Flash-back to our buddy Quinton Griffin against Jacksonville a few years ago. Shanny has him run it one extra time to burn the rest of the time off the clock and spot the ball in the middle of the field before Elam kicks the game winner. He fumbles, Jags recover, and we lose the game. If you are in great range for a field goal to win a game, you kick it. If the snap or hold is bad, the holder pulls down the ball and you get another shot at it. There is NO ROOM for mistakes if you run the ball again at the end of the game, plus it was a chip shot for Elam already. Quinton might have been the starter for the whole year were it not for that play. Instead, he supposedly got “hurt” and Reuben became the starter. Now he probably works at McDonalds….who knows or cares. Back me up here Andrew!! As for controversy over the time out? You have to be an idiot to think this was unfair in any way. Shank-akowski got a warm up attempt at the field goal. If anything is unfair it is the fact that the officials let him kick it in the first place!!!!!
Same thing happened in the Seattle/Arizona game. Hasselbeck runs into alexander, fumbles, and the Cardinals get the ball back and drive for the winning field goal.
Kicking it on first down is the best bet….
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
Great Call
Poorboywilly,
I noticed the exact same thing. I guess the passing game must be working fine without having to involve Grahm and Schef too much. I wonder if it is a wrinkle Shanny is waiting to install in the game-plan when we really need it? So long as they continue to help Travis get 100+ per game, I am cool with it.
Calling that time out was one of the greatest coaching strategies ever. Ice the kicker, every team does it. Everyone has been saying they didnt hear the whistle I heard it loud and clear. Serves the raiders right, trying to come back from a 17-3 deficit, we the broncos FOO!
No more to be said about all of this, bottom line is we had a 2nd chance and we won. Now I have another week to get well from my 2nd hart attack in a row. I hope the 3rd one is not on the way.
Jeez, what’s all the fuss about. The Broncos won on a legal and fair timeout called a split second before the ball was snapped. Any other team in the league and nobody would have even said a word. However, since it was the Broncos, we are cheaters. Duh!!! To me it just proves one thing, actually two, the whinners are poor loosers and the shear genesis of Choach Shannahan. Go gettum Broncos and bring home another win next week!!!!
I watched the game in little ol’ New Zealand, and I know that there is etiquette and then there are rules. This was a tatic within the rules. END OF STORY! Broncos 2-0 So Shut Your Whinny Pie Holes!!! GO Broncos!
First of all if you enjoy listening to Kenny Mayne than you probably enjoy watching shuffle board tounaments. The guy is boring as *&$% and has a personality to match. Any coach that knows anything about winning will do this. Not so much to “ice” a kicker but more importantly to give your rushers a little rest and make sure everyony is ready for an all out rush. I am very thankfull that our coach knows what hes doing and thats why he wins. Just think we could have someone like Coughlin or Herm Edwards. Bronco fans count your blessings. GO BRONCOS
Good strategy. If the kicker (17th pick overall in the 1st round), had made the kick there would be no controversy. Enough said.
Hey Sir Mason, that is amusing. Your girlfriend has an M.D., yes? And she is a Brewers fan from what I recall, yes? Well, I have a psychology doctorate and I’m a Brewers fan–and of course a Bronco fan. We doctors must stick together, yes we must…But I don’t agree with her on the timeout thing. Tell her that a one of her fellow upper eschelon thinkers (I mean that with no arrogance whatsoever) said that
And if she needs a therapy session to sort that out, well I know somebody…He he he.
Andrew,
I enjoyed your musings here… But one item has me perplexed:
You wrote: “The original one was angry and flustered, not unlike my reaction to hearing Hells Bells over the P.A. sytem Sunday.”
Why were you angry and flustered after hearing Hells Bells?? That’s a great rock song by a great rock band and it’s even better when played during a clutch situation at a sporting event. I’m gonna need an explanation on that one.
Hey, i heard the frickin whistle…and i was i a sports bar,,go broncs
Hey, i heard the frickin whistle…and i was in a sports bar,,go broncs
Watched the game from a bar in SF. It was pretty tense towards the end. Raider fans of course were cheering when the 1st kick went thru. But what was great was after they realized the timeout had been called they all sat down and stfu because they knew Janikowski wasn’t makin 2 in a row from that distance. I was still worried, but they totally all knew it and were joking about it. The dude can boot a 75-yarder but has a tendency to default to failure. Good call Shanny. Go Broncos!
Cept now I’m goin to the week 13 game IN Oakland.. if they had forgotten any of their hatred for the Broncos, it’s now at full rage. Any body know where I can get a good deal on some body armor??
Bravo to Shanahan! 2-0, going for 3-0. Even tho that was a tough decision..and it could have gone the other way, with the Raiders missing the first Field Goal, and then hitting the second one and we would have lost. I trust Shanny, the Broncs, and will stick with them no matter what.