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Hardly home cookin'
Clock error adds 52 seconds, aids Pats' late drive
Monday September 26, 2005 6:51PM
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A clock error added 52 seconds to
the fourth quarter of the Patriots-Steelers game Sunday. The extra
time aided the Patriots during a winning drive that ended with Adam
Vinatieri's 43-yard field goal with 1 second remaining.
The Patriots won 23-20, their fourth victory against
the Steelers in five games since 2001, including AFC championship
game victories during the 2001 and 2004 seasons.
The NFL acknowledged the mistake Monday, with director
of officiating Mike Pereira issuing a statement: "The on-field
officiating crew, which oversees the official game clock operated in
the press box, failed to recognize that the clock was improperly reset."
The mistake occurred after the second play of the
fourth quarter, a reverse by Steelers wide receiver Cedrick Wilson
for no gain on second-and-10 from the Pittsburgh 30 with the Steelers
ahead 13-10.
There were 14 minutes, 51 seconds remaining when the
play started and, by the time, a false start penalty was called on
Steelers guard Kendall Simmons, the Heinz Field clock had run down to 13:59.
But before the next play started, the clock reverted
back to 14:51 -- the time left before the Wilson run. Ben
Roethlisberger's incompletion on third-and-15 lasted 14 seconds and
Chris Gardocki's 51-yard punt took up 10 seconds, meaning the
Patriots got the ball back with 14:19 remaining in the game rather
than 13:27 if the error hadn't occurred.
According to former NFL official Chuck Heberling, who
observes the officials in a league-appointed capacity, an NFL
employee in New York spotted the error and immediately called
officials supervisor Johnny Grier. Grier was sitting with Heberling
in the press box.
"We checked it out with the statisticians and,
according to his records, everything seemed to be all right,"
Heberling said. As a result, no move was made to try to correct the error.
The mistake showed up when the officiating crew,
headed by referee Bill Carollo, reviewed the CBS game tape with Grier
and Heberling during their usual post-game meeting in a Pittsburgh hotel.
"When we ran the tape, it was obvious it [the
clock] was jumping," Heberling said.
The clock operators -- there are two, one for the game
clock and the other for the play clock -- are locally based but hired
by the league. The Steelers did not identify them, and they are not
listed with the other officials on the league's statistical report.
"It's a very unusual thing," Heberling said.
The mistake caused the final quarter to last 15
minutes, 52 seconds, extra time that proved invaluable to New England
after the Steelers tied it at 20 on Roethlisberger's 4-yard touchdown
pass to Hines Ward with 1:21 remaining.
After New England got the ball at its 38, Tom Brady
needed only 31 seconds to complete passes of 17, 14 and 6 yards to
set up Vinatieri's third field goal of the game. Forty-five seconds
ran off between the time Brady found David Givens for 6 yards to the
Steelers 25 and Vinatieri kicked the decisive field goal.
Steelers president Dan Rooney was unaware of the
mistake until being alerted Monday by reporters.
"There's nothing to say. The game's over,"
Rooney said. "It's not going to change the score." |
