Refs missed the call on ‘dribbled’ kick

If a referee blows a call and no one – not coaches or TV analysts or fans of either team playing or bloggers for that matter – notices until hours after the fact…  Is it still a blown call??

Well, actually it is.

In the 2009 CFL rule book, under kicking article five the rules are clearly stated for a “dribbled” ball like what happened near the end of the first half in the Roughriders / Lions game:

A dribbled ball occurs when the ball is kicked while not in possession or control of a player, i.e. a loose ball following a fumble, a blocked kick, a kickoff or a kick from
scrimmage. Such a dribbled ball may be touched by the kicker or an onside player without penalty.

If touched by an offside player:  PENALTY: Ball awarded to opponent at point ball touched, or option.

Replays it clearly showed Lions Safety Jason Arakgi was on the Saskatchewan 51 yard line the moment linebacker James Yurichuk kicked the ball forward at the 49 yard line.  Arakgi then sprinted forward and was the first person to touch the ball at the Saskatchewan 31 yard line.  By rule the ball should have been blown dead because Arakgi was 2 yards offside and it should have been Riders ball 1st and 10.  Instead the call was missed – and maybe even more importantly it was not challenged by Riders coach Ken Miller – and the play stood as it was, a touchdown for the Lions.

The CFL had reportedly called both teams Saturday afternoon to acknowledge that the correct call was missed and it was discussed at length on TSN’s broadcast at halftime of the Bombers/Stampeders game, but the CFL has yet to release an official statement – maybe in hopes that if they don’t bring much attention to it, it’ll blow over.  Although truth be told the CFL and the officials should get a pass for missing that call simply based on the fact it was a very chaotic play and no one that night seemed to catch the small detail of an offside player.

While the Riders and their fans won’t come out and say that it was that blown call that led to their loss, it sure would have changed the complection of the game had it been called correctly.  And much like the horse collar tackle on the Staps Ken-Yon Rambo wasn’t called by officials when it happened, you can be sure the CFL will be paying much closer attention to detail if this kind of situation happens again.