On Oct 26, 2009, at 8:02 PM, Jerry Belloit wrote: > I want to take exception to what Dan Mullen is complaining about > here. I thought the call was close. I saw the replays and on one > of the angles it looked like he was stripped of the ball before the > ball “broke the plane” of the goal line. However, none of the > angles were definitive. The official on the field looked to be > perfectly placed on the field to make the call. I don’t think the > video evidence was definitive. I find it hard to argue that both > officials were “clearly” in error. > > Unfortunately, I erased the game so I cannot revisit the replays. > I do remember that the network tried to make it out as a poor call > by using some sort of a composite image, but they could not account > for the angle of the camera. In horseracing, the camera is placed > exactly on the finish line. The cameras were not on the goal line > on Saturday. Do any of you that still have the game recorded think > that he was clearly stripped of the ball before breaking the plane?
Yes, in high def. There was at least one camera on the goal line, on the same side of the stadium as the main broadcast (meaning Doe running from right to left). Remeber the play started at around the 30 and was headed the other way, so there was no reason to have a lot of cameras on MSU's goal line. As the ball was in Doe's hand, the goal line camera's view was blocked by the stride of Doe's left leg. In the field, he had possession; in the end zone he did not. What was happening while he crossed the plane was not visible. There were two other angles, but not goal line angle. Each seemed to have a problem with parallax (?) distortion, as they were high and away. One didn't show anything relevant. On the other, the fumble can be seen clearly but it is impossible to tell exactly where Doe was at the time, as it was from up and behind (and both Doe's feet were in the air as he ran, IIRC). Doe looks like he might be in the field, but his shadow is clearly a yard or so in the end zone, so the angle of perspective made it impossible to place Doe's position (or that of the ball) at the moment of the fumble. To be frank, however the play was called on the field was going to be upheld as no replay was definitive. From my understanding of the rule, the replay has to be clear and convincing to overrule the call on the field. ESPN then did something very clever (and that I do not think that the replay official has the technology to do). It took the goal line camera and the view that showed the fumble (the "clear view") and synced them. I assume that video has time markers that allow this, not sure how exactly accurate two separate cameras' time lines are in the production booth, but let's say they are down to the millisecond. ESPN then stopped the replay exactly when the "clear view" showed that the ball was loose, and displayed the goal line view next to it in a split screen. The goal line view showed that Doe had not yet crossed the goal line, thereby showing that the call on the field was incorrect. That said, it was a "bang-bang" call on the field and mistakes are easy. Unlike a goal-line stand, I doubt that the ref was standing on the goal line, and probably made the call from a distance. The ref was mistaken. The replays available to the replay official were inconclusive, and he properly let the call on field stand. ESPN used some clever technology to demonstrate the mistake. That technology ought to be made available to replay officials, I doubt that it is currently. -Zeb --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
