Bombers played it right: CFL official

By: Ed Tait Posted: 2:33 PM CDT Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010

Frustrated Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans, angry over what appeared to be a mismanagement of the clock by the club’s coaching staff in the dying moments of Saturday’s loss to the Edmonton Eskimos, should direct their venom elsewhere.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/10/2010 (5453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CFL director of officiating, Tom Higgins, told The Free Press Sunday that head coach Paul LaPolice & Co. did everything right as the team marched for the game-tying field goal in the final minute and were incorrectly flagged for a time-count penalty by the officiating crew.

To recap:

With the Bombers trailing 10-7 quarterback Joey Elliott had driven the club to the Eskimo 23-yard line with 55 seconds left. On a second-and-five play he was sacked for an eight-yard loss, pushing the ball back to the Eskimo 31.

On instructions from the coaching staff, Elliott was told to stay on the field and wait for 19 seconds to tick off the clock before calling a time out. At that point Justin Palardy and the field-goal crew would trot out for the potential game-tying three.

Instead, the 20-second play clock counted down but not the time clock — the two should have been running simultaneously — and the Bombers, watching the time clock, were nailed for a time-count penalty.

It pushed the club back another 10 yards and forced Palardy to connect on a 48 yarder instead of a 38-yard attempt.

Sunday morning CFL Director of Officiating Tom Higgins spoke to LaPolice. Here’s what Higgins told The Free Press:

“Paul and his staff did everything right. What occurred was an official error that occurred on the field. The delay-of-game penalty never should have happened. The quarterback was waiting for the time clock to go and the time clock wasn’t going and when the 20-second clock expired the referee called a delay of game.

“Thankfully, it didn’t cost them anything because they kicked a field goal and there was a roughing-the-kicker penalty that moved the football closer and they kicked a field goal again with no time left. It’s nice how that worked out.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca