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    Blowing the Whistle – Making Decisions

    As I thoroughly enjoyed watching the NY Giants defeat the Dallas Cowboys last night, a couple of plays occurred that really bothered me.  It wasn’t the plays or the players that caused me angst.  In this case, it was the referees, their use of the whistle, and how that small, but powerful, tool can dramatically effect the outcome of a game.  It caused me to start thinking about how whistling the play dead prematurely and late whistles are not only major influencers of sporting events, but can dramatically affect your personal life as well.

    Whistling the Play Dead Prematurely – In last night’s game there was a play where Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback, Tony Romo, attempted a pass to his tight-end Jason Witten.  The pass was thrown behind Witten and in his attempt to catch it, the ball bounced off his hand, down off his foot, and directly into the arms of Ny Giants’ strong safety Kenny Phillips.  Phillips could barely believe his fortune, but after quickly gathering himself, he ran the ball back the 20 something yards into the end zone for an apparent touch down.  However, the referees said that the pass was incomplete because they thought the ball had hit the ground.  The play was ultimately reviewed and video evidence clearly showed that the ball did not hit the ground and that Phillips did indeed catch the ball for an interception.  But, because the referees had PREMATURELY WHISTLED THE PLAY DEAD, Phillips was not awarded the touch down.  Instead, the Giants got the ball at the spot of the interception.  It turned out to be a moot point as the Giants threw for a 20 something yard touch down on the ensuing play.  But, as any football fan will tell you, it doesn’t always work out the way it was supposed to.

    How many times in life do you “whistle the play dead” without knowing all the facts?  Have you ever made decisions based on what you perceive only to find out later that you were wrong?  I know I have, and I know NFL referees definitely have.

    Late Whistles – With 4 seconds left in the game, the NY Giants lined up to kick a 37 yard, game winning field goal.  All the players lined up, snapped the ball, and kicked it through the uprights for the apparent game winner as time expired.  But wait, as it turns out, Dallas Cowboys head Coach, Wade Phillips, in an attempt to rattle the NY kicker, called a time-out right as they were starting the play.  In this case, the referees said that the time-out was called in time and that the kick had to be replayed.  Again, this turned out to be a moot point as the Giants lined up and kicked the field goal again to win the game.  One of my big problems with this play comes on the heels of the above mentioned play.  If the referees are saying that the sound of the whistle is the determining factor as to when a play starts and ends, then this seems to be a contradiction.  The whistle didn’t blow until the ball was already in the air.

    Is it possible in life to call a time once things have already been put into motion?  I don’t think so.  Once you have taken certain actions or said certain things, you cannot take it back or start over.  It’s already done.  There are no do-overs…

    What do you think?  What other sports rules annoy you?  What other comparisons can you make between sports and real life?

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    September 21st, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: Decision Making

    197 comments to Blowing the Whistle – Making Decisions

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