Seahawks' End Zone Is the NFL's Bermuda Triangle
Prevailing perception has it that the Seattle Seahawks' impressive home-field advantage is due to its loud crowd.
But maybe there's something else that's even more prominent.
Like one particular patch of land that addles officials' minds and causes upheaval in The Shield's realm.
Especially against visitors from the NFC Central.
Last night, there the Detroit Lions were, down 13-10 with 1:51 left in the game and knocking on victory's door at the Seattle 14. Presumably, if victory didn't answer, a simple kick could then preclude overtime.
Baseball leads all sports in amount of double-secret probation rules, but when football is so inclined, it can pull an arcane regulation or two out of the sacred book. Like Rule 12.1.8:
| A player may not bat or punch: (a) a loose ball (in field of play) toward opponent's goal line; (b) a loose ball (that has touched the ground) in any direction, if it is in either end zone; (c) a backward pass in flight may not be batted forward by an offensive player. |
Linebacker KJ Wright was clearly unaware of this ...
... as most of his counterparts would be. It's part of the NFL's Players' Creed:
To the Lions, that limitation includes the fact that -- for whatever reason -- plays pertinent to Rule 12.1.8 are not reviewable. Could it be due to the fact that a sentient official would be in position to observe the obvious?
Well?
Time for the rationalization to kick in:
So instead of a ten-yard penalty against Seattle with Detroit maintaining possession, the Seahawks instead dodged a bullet and advanced to a season-saving 2-2, which beats the hell outa the Lions' 0-4.
And it just so happens that's the same end zone that hosted this infamous play:
Interesting that Golden Tate was on site for each play. However, as far as can be determined, dude was nowhere near Ford's Theater or the Grassy Knoll.
Conclusion: It's more than an end zone. It's the ...
Maybe that's why the unknown forces of the universe got their own back last winter:
Clearly, there are an abundance of calls in this world that can't be believed.
Add last night's escapade to the list.