Walt Coleman
Encyclopedia
Walt Coleman is an American football official in the National Football League
(NFL) since the 1989 NFL season
. He wears uniform number 65.
and is a sixth-generation family operator of Coleman Dairy.
Outside of officiating, Coleman serves on many local boards and associations including the Little Rock Boys and Girls Club and Greater Little Rock YMCA
. Coleman is a former president of the Arkansas Dairy Products Association and Major Sports Association of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Coleman was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on February 23, 2009, joining his father, Buddy Coleman, a 1994 inductee.
, the governing body for high school athletics in Arkansas, for 14 years before moving up to the college level. His college officiating career included five years in the Southland Conference
(Division I-AA) and five years in the Southwest Conference (Division I). He was never promoted to referee during his college officiating career since he could not justify heading a crew with his five years experience in each conference.
Coleman served as a line judge for the first six seasons before being promoted to referee at the start of the 1995 NFL season
when Dale Hamer
was forced to sit out the 1995 NFL season after undergoing open-heart surgery.
Over his NFL career, he has worked two conference championship games (1998 and 2003), but is most notable for being the referee in the game that became known as "The Tuck Rule Game".
Coleman's 2011 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Roy Ellison, head linesman Ed Camp, line judge Mike Spanier, field judge Greg Gautreaux, side judge Rick Patterson and back judge Greg Yette.
met the San Francisco 49ers
at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on October 18, 1998. The Colts jumped to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but questionable calls by Coleman's crew allowed the 49ers to come from behind and win 34-31. In particular were two controversial holding calls that negated two end zone interceptions by Indianapolis, which eventually led to San Francisco points. After the game, Colts head coach Jim Mora
opined that "it was a horrible, horrible job by the officials", saying that there was even an argument between Coleman and another official on one of the two questionable penalties before making a final call on that particular play.
The league would later admit that both holding penalties should not have been called. Reacting to the officiating by Coleman's crew, Sports Illustrated
writer Peter King
bluntly wrote:
that had fallen during and prior to a playoff game at Foxboro Stadium
between the New England Patriots
and the Oakland Raiders
. With 1:47 left in regulation, Oakland cornerback
Charles Woodson
, knocked the ball from New England's quarterback
Tom Brady
causing a fumble that was recovered by Oakland linebacker
Greg Biekert
. However, Coleman reviewed the play and overturned the fumble call, giving the Patriots the opportunity to win the game. The rule applied in the decision was the tuck rule
, stating that "any intentional forward movement of [the thrower's] arm starts a forward pass
, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body."
Adding to the confusion during the game was that Coleman did not explain that he applied the tuck rule when he announced the replay reversal. All he said was, "The quarterback's arm ... was coming forward" before he was drowned out by the thunderous roar of the crowd. Coleman later said of the play, "It was in the last two minutes of the game, and the (instant) replay guy, buzzed me and said the play needed to be reviewed. After I went over to the monitor and looked at the play, it was obvious to me that it was a forward pass. So I changed the ruling from a fumble to an incomplete pass and, as the saying goes, 'the rest is history'."
As a result of the controversy over both the replay reversal and the first major publicized application of the Tuck rule, the contest also became known as the "Tuck rule game". And as of 2009, Coleman has never worked a game involving the Raiders due to the controversy of the questionable reversal.
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
, the Packers
came from behind to defeat the Minnesota Vikings
, 26-22, in a contest in which the league would later admit that Coleman and his crew made nine officiating errors. One of the errors included a 28-yard pass interference penalty that was called on Vikings safety Corey Chavous
, which helped the Packers to score their game-winning touchdown. The win helped keep Green Bay in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
and Indianapolis Colts
at Gillette Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
. During the contest, the Patriots defense utilized an aggressive coverage scheme, involving the excessive jamming of the Colts wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, en route to a 24-14 win. Colts players would later publicly complain that the officials did not properly call illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding penalties on the Patriots' defensive backs. The controversial non-calls included New England cornerback Ty Law
throwing Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison
out-of-bounds during a pass play, and the contact applied to tight end Marcus Pollard
during the Colts' final drive. This, and similar complaints made by other NFL teams during that season, would prompt the NFL during the 2004 offseason to instruct all of the league's officials to strictly enforce these types of fouls (the "chuck" rule) – a change that became known as the "Ty Law Rule".
and the Baltimore Ravens
at M&T Bank Stadium
in Baltimore
, a game in which the Steelers needed a win to clinch the AFC North
title. With the Ravens leading 9–6 with less than 50 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes
caught a 3-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
and was ruled down just shy of the goal line. But after reviewing the play, Coleman overturned the call, saying that Holmes caught the pass with his feet in the end zone, and therefore scored what ultimately was the game-winning touchdown. After the game, Coleman said to a pool reporter that the replay did in fact show that the ball barely broke the plane of the goal line – a fact he never mentioned on the field during the game. Nevertheless, the replay reversal was criticized by the sports media, not only for the initial explanation, but also because they felt that there was never any conclusive evidence to support the replay reversal. However, Mike Pereira
, the NFL's Supervisor of Officials, would later discuss the play on his weekly "Official Review" segment on NFL Network
's NFL Total Access
and show that there was indeed indisputable visual evidence that the ball did break the plane of the goal line when Holmes had control of the ball with both of his feet down.
himself would also later question a replay review by Coleman during a critical November 2009 mid-season contest between the Dallas Cowboys
and the Philadelphia Eagles
for first place in the NFC East
at Lincoln Financial Field
in Philadelphia. With the game tied at 13 with 11:42 left in regulation, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb
attempted a quarterback sneak
on fourth down and inches to go near the Dallas 45-yard line, but was ruled just shy of the first down marker. Philadelphia challenged the spot, but Coleman upheld the call after reviewing the play. The Cowboys would then go on to win the game, 20-16, and take a one-game lead in the NFC East. Later in the week, Pereira, on his weekly Official Review segment, criticized Coleman for not adequately using the beak of the Eagles mid-field logo as a guide to help him re-spot the ball. "I think I'd move [the ball] ... It might have made a difference," said Pereira. The Cowboys would eventually win the division, based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. This gave them homefield advantage for their first game of the 2009 Playoffs, in which they defeated the Eagles.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) since the 1989 NFL season
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
. He wears uniform number 65.
Personal
Coleman resides in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
and is a sixth-generation family operator of Coleman Dairy.
Outside of officiating, Coleman serves on many local boards and associations including the Little Rock Boys and Girls Club and Greater Little Rock YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. Coleman is a former president of the Arkansas Dairy Products Association and Major Sports Association of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Coleman was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on February 23, 2009, joining his father, Buddy Coleman, a 1994 inductee.
Officiating career
Coleman worked for the Arkansas Activities AssociationArkansas Activities Association
The Arkansas Activities Association is the primary sanctioning body for high school sports in state of Arkansas. AAA is a member association of the National Federation of State High School Associations...
, the governing body for high school athletics in Arkansas, for 14 years before moving up to the college level. His college officiating career included five years in the Southland Conference
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
(Division I-AA) and five years in the Southwest Conference (Division I). He was never promoted to referee during his college officiating career since he could not justify heading a crew with his five years experience in each conference.
Coleman served as a line judge for the first six seasons before being promoted to referee at the start of the 1995 NFL season
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
when Dale Hamer
Dale Hamer
Dale Hamer was an American football official in the National Football League from 1978 to 2001, with a break taken for health reasons during the 1995 season. During his 23 seasons in the NFL, Hamer was assigned to officiate in two Super Bowls, as a head linesman in Super Bowl XVII and in Super...
was forced to sit out the 1995 NFL season after undergoing open-heart surgery.
Over his NFL career, he has worked two conference championship games (1998 and 2003), but is most notable for being the referee in the game that became known as "The Tuck Rule Game".
Coleman's 2011 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Roy Ellison, head linesman Ed Camp, line judge Mike Spanier, field judge Greg Gautreaux, side judge Rick Patterson and back judge Greg Yette.
Controversies
Coleman has been at the center of several controversial calls during his career. Here are examples of a few of them (in chronological order):1998 Colts v. 49ers game
The Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
met the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on October 18, 1998. The Colts jumped to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but questionable calls by Coleman's crew allowed the 49ers to come from behind and win 34-31. In particular were two controversial holding calls that negated two end zone interceptions by Indianapolis, which eventually led to San Francisco points. After the game, Colts head coach Jim Mora
Jim E. Mora
James Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L...
opined that "it was a horrible, horrible job by the officials", saying that there was even an argument between Coleman and another official on one of the two questionable penalties before making a final call on that particular play.
The league would later admit that both holding penalties should not have been called. Reacting to the officiating by Coleman's crew, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
writer Peter King
Peter King (sportswriter)
Peter King is an American sportswriter. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated and its Web site, including the weekly multiple-page column Monday Morning Quarterback. He is the author of five books, most notably Inside the Helmet, as well as a TV analyst and reporter...
bluntly wrote:
The Tuck Rule Game
Coleman is most notable for the controversial instant replay call he made on January 19, 2002 during what has been deemed by many as the "Snow Bowl" because of the enormous amounts of snowSnow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
that had fallen during and prior to a playoff game at Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
between the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. With 1:47 left in regulation, Oakland cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
, knocked the ball from New England's quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
causing a fumble that was recovered by Oakland linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Greg Biekert
Greg Biekert
Greg Biekert is a former American football linebacker and current linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. Biekert attended Longs Peak Middle School and Longmont High School in Longmont, Colorado where he lettered in football. Biekert was a standout linebacker...
. However, Coleman reviewed the play and overturned the fumble call, giving the Patriots the opportunity to win the game. The rule applied in the decision was the tuck rule
Tuck rule
The tuck rule is a rule in American football, currently used only by the National Football League .Introduced in 1999, it reads:NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward...
, stating that "any intentional forward movement of [the thrower's] arm starts a forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body."
Adding to the confusion during the game was that Coleman did not explain that he applied the tuck rule when he announced the replay reversal. All he said was, "The quarterback's arm ... was coming forward" before he was drowned out by the thunderous roar of the crowd. Coleman later said of the play, "It was in the last two minutes of the game, and the (instant) replay guy, buzzed me and said the play needed to be reviewed. After I went over to the monitor and looked at the play, it was obvious to me that it was a forward pass. So I changed the ruling from a fumble to an incomplete pass and, as the saying goes, 'the rest is history'."
As a result of the controversy over both the replay reversal and the first major publicized application of the Tuck rule, the contest also became known as the "Tuck rule game". And as of 2009, Coleman has never worked a game involving the Raiders due to the controversy of the questionable reversal.
2002 Vikings v. Packers game
On December 8, 2002 at Lambeau FieldLambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, the Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
came from behind to defeat the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, 26-22, in a contest in which the league would later admit that Coleman and his crew made nine officiating errors. One of the errors included a 28-yard pass interference penalty that was called on Vikings safety Corey Chavous
Corey Chavous
Corey Lamonte Chavous is an American football safety who is currently retired. Chavous played 11 years in the NFL for three different teams, primarily as a safety but also as a cornerback. Chavous was known as one of the most instinctive safeties of his era and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2003....
, which helped the Packers to score their game-winning touchdown. The win helped keep Green Bay in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
2003 AFC Championship Game: Colts vs. Patriots (January 18, 2004)
Coleman was the head official in the controversial 2003 AFC Championship Game between the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
at Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
. During the contest, the Patriots defense utilized an aggressive coverage scheme, involving the excessive jamming of the Colts wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, en route to a 24-14 win. Colts players would later publicly complain that the officials did not properly call illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding penalties on the Patriots' defensive backs. The controversial non-calls included New England cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
throwing Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
out-of-bounds during a pass play, and the contact applied to tight end Marcus Pollard
Marcus Pollard
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...
during the Colts' final drive. This, and similar complaints made by other NFL teams during that season, would prompt the NFL during the 2004 offseason to instruct all of the league's officials to strictly enforce these types of fouls (the "chuck" rule) – a change that became known as the "Ty Law Rule".
2008 Steelers v. Ravens game
Coleman was involved in another controversial replay call near the end of regulation during a late regular season game on December 14, 2008 between the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
at M&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. Served by the Hamburg Street station of...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, a game in which the Steelers needed a win to clinch the AFC North
AFC North
The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
title. With the Ravens leading 9–6 with less than 50 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State...
caught a 3-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
and was ruled down just shy of the goal line. But after reviewing the play, Coleman overturned the call, saying that Holmes caught the pass with his feet in the end zone, and therefore scored what ultimately was the game-winning touchdown. After the game, Coleman said to a pool reporter that the replay did in fact show that the ball barely broke the plane of the goal line – a fact he never mentioned on the field during the game. Nevertheless, the replay reversal was criticized by the sports media, not only for the initial explanation, but also because they felt that there was never any conclusive evidence to support the replay reversal. However, Mike Pereira
Mike Pereira
Mike Pereira is a former Vice President of Officiating for the National Football League . He first took over the position in 2001, succeeding Jerry Seeman. He was also a game official in the NFL for two seasons as a side judge on the officiating crew headed by referee Mike Carey...
, the NFL's Supervisor of Officials, would later discuss the play on his weekly "Official Review" segment on NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
's NFL Total Access
NFL Total Access
NFL Total Access is a television news program on the NFL Network.The network treats it as the league's "show of record" and bills it as the only year-round show dedicated to the National Football League, despite the ESPN show NFL Live running year round as well.NFL Total Access is primarily hosted...
and show that there was indeed indisputable visual evidence that the ball did break the plane of the goal line when Holmes had control of the ball with both of his feet down.
2009 Cowboys v. Eagles game
Mike PereiraMike Pereira
Mike Pereira is a former Vice President of Officiating for the National Football League . He first took over the position in 2001, succeeding Jerry Seeman. He was also a game official in the NFL for two seasons as a side judge on the officiating crew headed by referee Mike Carey...
himself would also later question a replay review by Coleman during a critical November 2009 mid-season contest between the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for first place in the NFC East
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
at Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in Philadelphia. With the game tied at 13 with 11:42 left in regulation, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
attempted a quarterback sneak
Quarterback sneak
A quarterback sneak is a play in Canadian and American football in which the quarterback, upon taking the center snap, dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward...
on fourth down and inches to go near the Dallas 45-yard line, but was ruled just shy of the first down marker. Philadelphia challenged the spot, but Coleman upheld the call after reviewing the play. The Cowboys would then go on to win the game, 20-16, and take a one-game lead in the NFC East. Later in the week, Pereira, on his weekly Official Review segment, criticized Coleman for not adequately using the beak of the Eagles mid-field logo as a guide to help him re-spot the ball. "I think I'd move [the ball] ... It might have made a difference," said Pereira. The Cowboys would eventually win the division, based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. This gave them homefield advantage for their first game of the 2009 Playoffs, in which they defeated the Eagles.
External links
- http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs01/s/2002/0119/1314426.html
- http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/news/2002/0120/1314728.html
- http://www.picayune-times.com/showstory.heitml?show=t&k.number=16157&pubname=picayune&headline=NFL+official+to+speak+at+Chamber+banquet
- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2002/playoffs/news/2002/01/20/nfl_fumbleruling_ap/