Keeler Needs A Tissue

[The Eagle's Cliff]

xbawlingxStill whining about about "The Spot" as if EWU scored a 20 point TD from it.xbawlingx

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110114/SPORTS07/101140359/1002/SPORTS&theme=SPORTSOPINION

Good to see even the Delaware media thinking he needs to get over it and blame his own offense and defense.

[T-Dog]

What a whiner. xviolinx

[JohnStOnge]

I guess the smart thing for him to have done would have been to just let it go. But the guy did not make the first down. And it is really a shame when such a big point in a championship games turns out the way it does because of error on the part of the officials and the replay crew. Even though I personally was pulling for Eastern Washington I don't blame him. His team got royally screwed at a really critical point of the game.

[BlueHenSinfonian]

The game was a shocking loss to every Hens fan. This wasn't a repeat of '07 - a game where we were blown out pretty much the whole way along. This was a game we were fully in control of, had the momentum, had the better talent, and absolutely should have won, but we didn't. I won't blame it solely on the spot, I'm sure it had something to do with it, but our offense stopped producing in the second half and our defense played it too soft and too safe letting EWU make those medium yardage plays. By the time we realized the game was actually a game, we had lost it.

Still, in sports there are always those infamous plays that live on long beyond the game in which they matter. The Holy Roller, the Immaculate Reception, the Snow Job, etc, The Spot now joins them. True, *****ing about it doesn't change anything, but as much as it hurt fans who were just watching the game, it's hard to imagine how much it rocked Keeler who had his entire season, and likely a sizeable bonus, riding on that game.

[The Eagle's Cliff]

The game was a shocking loss to every Hens fan. This wasn't a repeat of '07 - a game where we were blown out pretty much the whole way along. This was a game we were fully in control of, had the momentum, had the better talent, and absolutely should have won, but we didn't. I won't blame it solely on the spot, I'm sure it had something to do with it, but our offense stopped producing in the second half and our defense played it too soft and too safe letting EWU make those medium yardage plays. By the time we realized the game was actually a game, we had lost it.

Still, in sports there are always those infamous plays that live on long beyond the game in which they matter. The Holy Roller, the Immaculate Reception, the Snow Job, etc, The Spot now joins them. True, *****ing about it doesn't change anything, but as much as it hurt fans who were just watching the game, it's hard to imagine how much it rocked Keeler who had his entire season, and likely a sizeable bonus, riding on that game.

I could talk about fumbling in the red zone three times, crazy intentional grounding calls, and phantom pass interference calls that could be reasons Delaware was even in Texas that night, but all those things are part of the game. UD had the game won, that's a fact. Officiating didn't lose the game. Complacency and over confidence from the UD players and coaches allowed EWU to steal momentum and win the game.

[BlueHenSinfonian]

UD had the game won, that's a fact. Officiating didn't lose the game. Complacency and over confidence from the UD players and coaches allowed EWU to steal momentum and win the game.

I agree with you for the most part. I do sincerely believe that had that spot call gone the other way, UD would have won the game. However, with the lead we had we should have never allowed it to get so close that one questionable call could shift the balance. I can understand where Keeler is coming from because regardless of whatever else led to the loss, that call was a major turning point. I do think the right thing to do would be to just suck it up and move on, but I won't begrudge the man for venting a little bit about what could be taken as being served a very raw deal.

In any event, the season's over, EWU won. In eight months the whole thing starts again, and with AP running the ball, Sasek (or some mysteriously rumored but yet un-named FBS transfer) throwing it, I wouldn't be surprised to see us right back in the title game again. If nothing else it was a learning experience - no lead is unsurmountable, so I wouldn't count on the Hens getting soft before the final whistle again.

[Houndawg]

The game was a shocking loss to every Hens fan. This wasn't a repeat of '07 - a game where we were blown out pretty much the whole way along. This was a game we were fully in control of, had the momentum, had the better talent, and absolutely should have won, but we didn't. I won't blame it solely on the spot, I'm sure it had something to do with it, but our offense stopped producing in the second half and our defense played it too soft and too safe letting EWU make those medium yardage plays. By the time we realized the game was actually a game, we had lost it.

Still, in sports there are always those infamous plays that live on long beyond the game in which they matter. The Holy Roller, the Immaculate Reception, the Snow Job, etc, The Spot now joins them. True, *****ing about it doesn't change anything, but as much as it hurt fans who were just watching the game, it's hard to imagine how much it rocked Keeler who had his entire season, and likely a sizeable bonus, riding on that game.

It's karma for the '07 semi-final, bro, when SIU had The Invisible Man flagged for lineman down field on a TD pass and lost by 3.xlolx

It all works out in the end.

[Wildcat80]

At least his DC KNOWS WHY they lost......

On defense, the Hens tried everything to slow EWU's passing attack in the second half.
"We didn't make any plays," defensive coordinator Nick Rapone said. "I called every coverage I could. ...
"We couldn't stop their momentum. We couldn't make plays, and they made plays. Black and white, that's exactly what it comes down to."

[OL FU]

I guess the smart thing for him to have done would have been to just let it go. But the guy did not make the first down. And it is really a shame when such a big point in a championship games turns out the way it does because of error on the part of the officials and the replay crew. Even though I personally was pulling for Eastern Washington I don't blame him. His team got royally screwed at a really critical point of the game.

I don't know if he made it or not, but I have heard many say just the opposite that you said so it wasn't very obvious.

Either way, if Keeler is whining about it he ought to let it go.

[JohnStOnge]

I don't know if he made it or not, but I have heard many say just the opposite that you said so it wasn't very obvious.

Either way, if Keeler is whining about it he ought to let it go.

I would love to have the capability to do "frame by frame" but my belief is that as soon as the ball or the hand carrying the ball touches the ground the spot is at the forward edge of the ball. I think that as the ball came down completely it breached the yellow line then he slid forward a little more to make it clearly cross the yellow. But I don't think there was any way the forward edge of the ball had reached the edge of the yellow line at the instant at which a portion of his hand carrying the ball or the ball first touched the ground.

I'm not really ragging the officials except to say that I don't at all understand why they initially went with the spot of the guy away from the camera when the guy toward the camera obviously had a much better view and was much closer on the spot. I think where he spotted it was very close and probably would've barely been a first down. I would not expect that they would have overturned it either way. But we'll never know because they went with the spot of the guy on the other side who couldn't see the ball as it came down then they went through that debacle of moving the chains then moving them back.

As somebody who is not a fan of either team I just look at it as one more manifestation of the fact that chance things that are not under the control of either team can make the difference between winning and losing. In that case a difference in spotting the ball of a few inches made the difference. Officials are rarely going to be exactly right in spotting the ball. They're either going to be slightly off on the upfield side or slightly off on the downfield side. Most of the time it doesn't matter. That time it did.

But if I were a Delaware fan I'd be really upset looking at the replay over and over again and perceiving the forward edge of the ball as short of that yellow line at the instant of line contact. I probably couldn't sleep for a while. And I'd also be really hacked off that they did not at LEAST go with the initial spot of the official who was in better position to see the play and who was at the very least much closer to accurate on the spot than the guy away from the camera was.

Oh, I guess I should say that one reason for my focus on the yellow line is that in this case the foward chain stick was planted right on that yellow line and they used that set of chains to measure. So it's a good bet the yellow line was very close to accurate. Also, the way I look at it, if Eastern Washington hadn't done what it did they wouldn't have been close enough for luck to matter. And to me that's the key. To me there are rarely national champions that don't get some luck along the way. But if you're not good enough getting lucky here and there isn't going to do it.

Heck, I think Delaware was lucky when Georgia Southern committed a completely unforced fumble on its opening drive in the semifinals. That wasn't anything Delaware did. It was just Georgia Southern screwing up. And I think that had the potential to change the whole tenor of the game. We'll never know but it's possible.

[OL FU]

I would love to have the capability to do "frame by frame" but my belief is that as soon as the ball or the hand carrying the ball touches the ground the spot is at the forward edge of the ball. I think that as the ball came down completely it breached the yellow line then he slid forward a little more to make it clearly cross the yellow. But I don't think there was any way the forward edge of the ball had reached the edge of the yellow line at the instant at which a portion of his hand carrying the ball or the ball first touched the ground.

I'm not really ragging the officials except to say that I don't at all understand why they initially went with the spot of the guy away from the camera when the guy toward the camera obviously had a much better view and was much closer on the spot. I think where he spotted it was very close and probably would've barely been a first down. I would not expect that they would have overturned it either way. But we'll never know because they went with the spot of the guy on the other side who couldn't see the ball as it came down then they went through that debacle of moving the chains then moving them back.

As somebody who is not a fan of either team I just look at it as one more manifestation of the fact that chance things that are not under the control of either team can make the difference between winning and losing. In that case a difference in spotting the ball of a few inches made the difference. Officials are rarely going to be exactly right in spotting the ball. They're either going to be slightly off on the upfield side or slightly off on the downfield side. Most of the time it doesn't matter. That time it did.

But if I were a Delaware fan I'd be really upset looking at the replay over and over again and perceiving the forward edge of the ball as short of that yellow line at the instant of line contact. I probably couldn't sleep for a while. And I'd also be really hacked off that they did not at LEAST go with the initial spot of the official who was in better position to see the play and who was at the very least much closer to accurate on the spot than the guy away from the camera was.

Oh, I guess I should say that one reason for my focus on the yellow line is that in this case the foward chain stick was planted right on that yellow line and they used that set of chains to measure. So it's a good bet the yellow line was very close to accurate. Also, the way I look at it, if Eastern Washington hadn't done what it did they wouldn't have been close enough for luck to matter. And to me that's the key. To me there are rarely national champions that don't get some luck along the way. But if you're not good enough getting lucky here and there isn't going to do it.

Heck, I think Delaware was lucky when Georgia Southern committed a completely unforced fumble on its opening drive in the semifinals. That wasn't anything Delaware did. It was just Georgia Southern screwing up. And I think that had the potential to change the whole tenor of the game. We'll never know but it's possible.

I watched it a few times. My perspective was the yellow line on TV was not in the right spot but I will admit I didn't analyze it very much. It may not have been a first down, but there is a guy (Hawg) on FUs message board that is usually pretty good at this stuff. He says it replayed it over and over again and came to the conclusion that they made the first down. Don't really know myself.

If I were a UD fan I wouldn't be happy either but then UD fans don't get over things to easily anyway. I am sure Furman will always be a verb to most UD fans:D

[clawman]

There has been much talk of this subject, too much, but I have not heard the point of what it takes to turn a call over from the booth. My first reaction upon seeing the recorded version of the play was, he made it. What is all the fuss about. Then as we see several angles there may be doubt but no conclusive evidence he did NOT make it. That is the rule, it must be conclusive evidence that he did not make it in order to overturn the call on the field.
Aside from all of that the Hens had almost 2 1/2 minutes to get into field goal range. To be in this enviable position at the end of the NC game is a pretty good position to be in.
Lets do it again next year!!

[Big Al]

I can't tell you how much enjoyment that news article gave me.

The only thing more satisfying would be if WSU or UNI had been the teams to beat UD. As it is, knowing that that KC Keeler is twisting himself into knots over his loss is immensely satisfying.

[GannonFan]

I can't tell you how much enjoyment that news article gave me.

The only thing more satisfying would be if WSU or UNI had been the teams to beat UD. As it is, knowing that that KC Keeler is twisting himself into knots over his loss is immensely satisfying.

Well, fortunately for us, we'll never have to see how Keeler reacts when UNI finally does beat UD *cough* Lehigh *cough* at home *cough*. xwhistlex

[Big Al]

Well, fortunately for us, we'll never have to see how Keeler reacts when UNI finally does beat UD *cough* Lehigh *cough* at home *cough*. xwhistlex

Never say never, friend.

As to losing to Lehigh, I could think of worse fates. UNI overachieved during the regular season this last year and Lehigh was able to hammer on UNI's injured quarterback, who was really their only offensive threat. When they took him out of the equation, there was nobody else who could step up and carry the offense. Not ideal but it was what it was.

[JohnStOnge]

There has been much talk of this subject, too much, but I have not heard the point of what it takes to turn a call over from the booth. My first reaction upon seeing the recorded version of the play was, he made it. What is all the fuss about. Then as we see several angles there may be doubt but no conclusive evidence he did NOT make it. That is the rule, it must be conclusive evidence that he did not make it in order to overturn the call on the field.
Aside from all of that the Hens had almost 2 1/2 minutes to get into field goal range. To be in this enviable position at the end of the NC game is a pretty good position to be in.
Lets do it again next year!!

I agree that it would be hard to say there was conclusive evidence that he did not make the first down once they moved the chain. But I do think there was conclusive evidence that the spot...which was the one established by the guy away from the camera...was wrong. In fact I think they did decide that. But then they had to move the chains back. Biggest thing is that they either should've stopped the chains from moving before the review or they should've just said it was impossible to review the play with respect to whether the first down was made because the chains had already been moved.

[henfan]

This UD fan doesn't really care about Keeler's obsession with a single play or other people's obsession with Keeler's obsession.

The best team was crowned FCS champion. Time for Keeler and the rest of you to let it go and move on.

[JohnStOnge]

This UD fan doesn't really care about Keeler's obsession with a single play or other people's obsession with Keeler's obsession.

The best team was crowned FCS champion. Time for Keeler and the rest of you to let it go and move on.

Kind of a different subject but I pretty much always say that winning a championship does not prove a team is the best team. It just means they're the champion. The best team doesn't always win. In fact I think everybody would probably agree that there are plenty of instances in which the best team doesn't win. One team can win but if the two teams played again a little later the outcome could be totallly different. We saw an example of that at the NFL level yesterday when the Jets beat the Patriots. Actually the whole series this year. The Jets won 28-14 the first time they played. The next time they played the Patriots won 45-3. Then yesterday it was the Jets again 28-21.

We saw it on the FBS level when Washington beat Nebraska 19-7 in a bowl game after having been blasted by the Cornhuskers 56-21 during the season. Being a McNeese fan, I remember the Cowboys beating Western Kentucky 38-13 during the regular season then losing to the Hilltoppers 34-14 in the national championship game. Did that prove Western Kentucky was the better team? In my opinion, no. They just played better and maybe had a better game plan on that day.

In Division II Nebraska Omaha waxed Central Washington 59-21 in its last game of the 2007 regular season. Nebraska Omaha's very next game was a rematch against Central Washington in the second round of the Division II playoffs (Nebraska Omaha had a first round bye). Central Washington won the rematch 20-17.

Nope. To me winning the national championship doesn't prove the champion is the best team. Sometimes we all have a feeling that they are. But that's not the point anyway. Winning the national championship means you got it done when you had to when it counted and you're the national champion. And that, rather than being "the best team," is the goal.