Double PI Saints/Falcons

[bama_stripes]

Don't know that I've ever seen that before.  Can anyone grab the video so we can discuss it?

[GAHSUMPIRE]

I've been travelling home from the christmas holidays, and was hoping someone else had questions about that as well. I am a Falcon fan, and obviously biased, but what the heck was that call?

[Etref]

Don't know that I've ever seen that before.  Can anyone grab the video so we can discuss it?

I have had no calls on PI when both players were in violation but never a "double foul". I just do not call anything and tell the coach each was just a guilty. I guess it could be like a DB PF when both are pushing/shoving. We flag it and then offset.

[bama_stripes]

I wasn't paying that much attention, but evidently the defender held, and the receiver pushed off later (both while the ball was in the air).

The wing caught a lot of grief from his sideline, though.

[DallasLJ]

I have had a double PF on the same play with same players.  I had a push off by the WR to make his cut outside, and then my B had DPI on the DB tugging on the WRs shirt to reel him back in.  Wierd -- but we reported offsetting fouls to our R and he was good with it.

[Matt]

I've had a double PI in one of the few games I've worked at BJ. B pushed to get the inside angle then 2 strides later A pushed B in the back to create separation to catch the ball. You could see both fouls clearly on the game film but it took the coach for A two years to quit whining about it.

[Mark uk]

This seems to me to be an interesting point. If we see a foul and throw the flag then see another we have to throw the second flag, offset and replay the down, but if we see two players 'sharing the sin' at the same time I suspect most of us are inclined to keep our flags in our pockets, and therefore we don't replay the down. This is actually quite a significant difference. I'm not aware of a policy within my association, do others have an agreed method?

[AlUpstateNY]

I watched the play live, and watched all the replays, but couldn't tell if one official threw two flags, or two officials each threw a single flag.  There appeared to be two separate sequences of contact, and different wing officials (one deep, one short) having different views, reacting to different sequences of contact makes a lot more sense.

At this level, it would be difficult to believe any single official would throw two flags to represent mutual contacts between receiver and defender.  It's much more likely either a single flag would be directed at the more severe interference, or absent a really clear "more severe contact", the interaction between players would be considered mutual and ignored (at other levels, possibly followed by some instructive cautioning).

The wing official who bore the brunt of the Atlanta Coaches tirade, showed great poise in totally ignoring all the childish posturing and screaming.  At some levels, that level, and length, of behavior would, and should, draw it's own flag.

[RMR]

We had that situation in a game once.

The H had DPI and I (B) had OPI on the play, similar to the situations described above.

When we told our R what we had he looked at us like we had come to his house and taken a dump on his living room floor.

He went to both coaches and explained the situation to them and they were both OK with it though and understood why it worked out like it did.,

[elewis023]

Why wouldn't you throw if you have both fouls?  I understand that they "both did it", but what if there was holding at the LOS by A?  If you threw for both fouls that were there, then we would offset with the holding, replay the down.  However, if you pass on throwing because "they both did it", and the holding is the only flag down, we are penalizing A and letting B get away with a foul that could have offset instead.  I can understand passing on hand-checking, but if a flag is warranted, I think you should throw.  Please don't compare it to holding away from the POA, because it's not the same.  I think if we stand there and do nothing that everyone in the stadium can see, we look like idiots.

[TXMike]

You have to flag both.  What if it turns out the offensive guy was covered up, unknown to you?  Once you hear that then you realize there is no DPI but the OPI stands.

[mccormicw]

When we told our R what we had he looked at us like we had come to his house and taken a dump on his living room floor.

I've experienced that same look.

[VALJ]

I've experienced that same look.

Me too.  From my R, from my wife, from my mom, from my dad... Heck, I think I even got one from a U this season during a game I was working as the R..

[Razor]

Checked out You Tube but they did not have the play.   

[LarryW60]

If you had offsetting fouls at the same time, you HAVE to flag it and not ignore it.  By rule the down should be replayed.  If you ignore it, then the result of the play stands unless some other foul happened and then you're in deep kimche because THAT foul should have been offset as well, but wasn't because you didn't drop your flag.