Announcers questioning the Brees "run" for a first and short?

That’s a pretty good point I didn’t see that play though

Here is a scenario.

1st down is the 20 yard line.

If a WR runs a comeback route and catches the ball at the 21 yard line. But his momentum brings him back to the 19 and then a player tackles him. Does he get the first down?

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If a WR runs a comeback route and catches the ball at the 21 yard line. But his momentum brings him back to the 19 and then a player tackles him. Does he get the first down?

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Not usually. Unless he was hit beyond the line to make and pushed back. I see the argument. Brees (and the ball) weren't necessarily pushed back. He stuck the ball out, then pulled it back. When you are not down until touched, arguably you could say by the time Brees was "down" the ball was short of the line to make.

I didnt like the call either way. Its one thing to do it on the goal line where the play ends when the TD was scored. You run the risk of having the ball knocked out of your hands in that spot which would be a fumble unlike on the goal line.

Human nature is for the ref to follow the ball with his spot. It was so close, they never were going to overturn it regardless of call.

Brees pulled the ball back on his own. His forward progress was stopped short of first down. Announcers were right and we got away with one.

Tampa will complain to league. We won't get away with this again. This works for goal line, not in field.

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That made sense to me, did we get away with something

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Drew has been getting away with that move for a decade. He used to do it all the time. Drove me nuts bc it’s not a first down. He hasn’t done it in a few years, which I assumed was bc someone figured it out and they realized if you voluntarily pull ball back you don’t get forward progress. It’s same as when a runner isn’t driven back but voluntarily retreats to a point short of the line to gain. But I guess they haven’t figured it out yet.

I didn't like the announcers questioning the spot, that was annoying....what I actually think happened was, the ref sorta realized that only one player on that whole entire field that day was going to have his jersey retired behind glass in Canton, and when you have earned that kind of respect the refs will sometimes nudge the ball forward and GIVE you the spot you need. They used to do that kind of thing back in the day with spotting the ball for the great running backs like Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, etc., all the time. Peyton Manning used to walk over to the refs after a play and request they throw a flag for him, and he'd get them to throw it long after the whistle was blown. It's all part of being a living legend in the game and one of the all time greats.

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I didn't like the announcers questioning the spot, that was annoying....

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Discussing plays is 50% of their job. They had a point, and I think they were correct. As others had pointed out, he was not touched by a defender, so in essence he voluntarily went back behind the LoS. It is a judgement call that would not have been able to be reversed under review.

For the WR catching the ball past the 1st, then momentum bringing him back scernio...it depends if the contact from the defender started when he was still past the 1st down. BY rule, if the defender doesn't initiate contact until the WR is back at the 19, then the WR should be short of the 1st. It is another one of those plays that the officials call inconsistently.

When his feet hit the ground he was over the line and got pushed back it was a clear first down. These same announcers were trying to suck off Jameis after he threw a pick 6 and were saying stupid shite all afternoon.