You need to click this link and read some of the comments and follow some of the links related to ACC Television broadcasts. The trainwreck that is Lincoln Financial television coverage continues to provide sad entertainment for us each week.
With just over 12 minutes to go in the 4th quarter today, NC State’s John Dunlap caught a pass near the sidelines and was wrapped up by a Maryland defensive back. Dunlap’s motion was stopped before he could get out of bounds. Multiple officials blew their whistles to stop the play including the official closest to the play who blew his whistle and raised his hand to indicate the end of the play.
A couple of seconds after the blowing of the whistle a Maryland player came in and laid a late hit on Dunlap. Multiple flags (rightfully) were thrown for unnecessary roughness against Maryland and soon after the ‘brilliant‘ Steve Martin and ‘Doc’ Walker began criticizing the call because Dunlap was not out of bounds yet when the hit occurred.
Forgive me guys…but how do you continue to pull a pay check to not follow what happens on the field right in front of you? At what point do you think it is a part of your job to learn the rules of college football? (See last week’s classic “knee was down while he was still bobbling the ball that never hit the ground” phantom rule).
Anyone who knows football – anyone who is not a Maryland fan or a Lincoln Financial television announcer – immediately understood that the issue was NOT that Dunlap had not yet gotten out of bounds. In fact, the proximity of the play to the sidelines was simply an irrelevant coincidence. The issue was that Dunlap’s motion had clearly stopped and the officials had clearly blown the play dead long before the hit came.
How the announcers did not realize this when the play happened is scary. How the announcers did not figure this out after the play is embarassing.
The video producers of the broadcast showed multiple replays of the play that all included the closest referee in the frame of the picture. About four different angles showed the official clearly raising his hand signalling that he had already blown his whistle and the Maryland player coming in extremely late for a hit.
Never did Martin or Walker get close to figuring out what had happened on the field.
