By Grabthar's Hammer...They Will be Avenged

You may be thinking to yourself: “aren’t we, like, EIGHT weeks into the American Football season? Why hasn’t Hadyn done even one post about it? I mean, that’s why he started this blog in the first place.”

Well you’d be right. I haven’t been posting about the NFL for a reason. The reason is that the New York Jets, my team since 1995, has been doing quite well (for the first second time since 1995). I thought if I wrote about it I might jinx it.

But then this Sunday the Jets lost to the Cleveland Browns (who are a bad team) in the dying seconds due to a bad officiating call. A REALLY bad call.

The Jets trailed 20-3 in the third. They came back to be down by 20-13. Last play for the Jets is a long pass on forth down to Chris Baker (who is having a great year) down the right side of the field. He catches the ball with one hand in the air and is sailing into the endzone. The defender Brodney Pool (where do they get those names?) hits Baker in his side, while he’s in the air, knocking him sideways and out of bounds. The pass is ruled incomplete.

As the ruling was a "judgement call" it is non-reviewable. Replays clearly show Baker had control of the ball (as you can see here) and was travelling into the endzone. All of Baker’s momentum before the hit was towards the endzone and parallel to the touchline. After the hit he flew out of bounds.

This is a touchdown according to the rules: If a receiver would have landed inbounds with both feet but is carried or pushed out of bounds while maintaining possession of the ball, pass is complete at the out-of-bounds spot. In this case the out-of-bounds spot is the endzone and so, a touchdown.

I know bad calls happen in sport and I know I’m just being bitter, but dammit, I’m bitter! I also know that the Jets never should have let themselves get into that position.

Had the Jets won they would now be 5-3, instead they are 4-4. The Jets have got a bye-week now and it’s never good to go into your bye-week having just lost. Especially to Cleveland.