The Tony Corrente Show

[Amy]

It's the playoffs. 60 minutes till we're either done, or hosting the Ravens. I hope for the latter. I'm not counting anything before it's over, though, given the Denver and Atlanta games and how tight they both were.

We do have Simms and Nantz, cause rather than do the 1 seed game, they wanted to annoy me and do the Pats. Thrill. Tony Corrente is the ref.

Texans D1: Start at the Pats 12. Great return. We saw Denver do this twice, so, it's not a worry. McCourty saved the TD

1st and 10: Foster, 3
2nd and 7: Schaub to Casey, incomplete
3rd and 7: Schaub to Johnson, well overthrown.
4th and 7: 27 yard FG good. 3-0. Good job D.

Pats D1: Start at the 19

1st and 10: Woodhead, 0. Watt with the play
2nd and 10: Brady to Welker, 8
3rd and 2: Brady to Lloyd, incomplete. Joseph was on Lloyd's back, but I think it was a good non call.
4th and 2: Punt

Texans D2: Start at the 17. Mesko had a monster punt.

1st and 10: Schaub to Daniels, 10
1st and 10: Schaub to Johnson, 10
1st and 10: Schaub to Foster on a screen, 13, missed holding call vs the Texans.
1st and 10: Foster, -1
2nd and 11: Schaub to Johnson, overthrow
3rd and 11: Schaub to Daniels, 6
4th and 5: Punt

Pats D2: Start at the 12.

1st and 10: Brady to Hernandez, 4
2nd and 6: Brady to Hernandez, 7
1st and 10: Vereen, -1. Barwin with the play.
2nd and 11: Brady to Gronk, caught oob. So close.
3rd and 11: Brady to Welker, 11!
1st and 10: Brady sacked by Watt and Reid, -9
2nd and 19: Brady to Welker, screen, 11
3rd and 8: Brady to Welker, dropped. He was wide open, huge drop.
4th and 8: Punt.

At this point, Woodhead is questionable with a thumb injury and Gronk and Barwin both were hurt this drive.

Texans D3: Start at the 20

1st and 10: Schaub to Johnson, 14
1st and 10: Foster, 2
2nd and 8: Schaub to Johnson, incomplete
3rd and 8: Schaub to Foster, Mayo defended the pass!
4th and 8: Punt

Pats D3: Start at the 35

1st and 10: Ridley, 14
1st and 10: Ridley, -2. James with the play.
2nd and 12: Brady to Ridley, 13
1st and 10: Brady to Vereen, 25. He put a sweet move on James.
1st and 10: Brady to Hernandez, 14.
1st and goal: Vereen, 1, TD! 7-3 Pats.

Texans D4: Start at the 20

1st and 10: Schaub to Johnson, 16
1st and 10: Foster, -2. Gangtackle
2nd and 12: Schaub to Foster, screen, 12.

End of the first. No penalties called yet. We lead 7-3

1st and 10: Foster, 0, Wilfork blows it up.
2nd and 10: Schaub to Daniels, way overthrown
3rd and 10: Schaub to Daniels, incomplete.
4th and 10: Punt.

Pats D4: Start at the 15, Gronk is questionable to return. Barwin is back for Houston.

1st and 10: Ridley, 2
2nd and 8: Brady to Welker, bad pass
3rd and 8: Brady to Welker, 30
1st and 10: Vereen, 22
1st and 10: Vereen, 8
2nd and 2: Brady to Welker, high, off his hands
3rd and 2: Vereen, 6. Made Barwin miss in the backfield!
1st and 10: Brady to Lloyd, low, incomplete. Lloyd called for unsportsmanlike after the play. Terrible call!
2nd and 25: Brady to Vereen, screen, 12
3rd and 13: Brady to Hernandez, incomplete
4th and 13: 37 yard FG good. 10-3 Pats

Lloyd was called for unsportsmanlike for 'throwing the ball at the game official.' Replay showed that Lloyd tossed the ball to the nearest ref, about 10 yards away. It was a terrible throw, which came in high, but it was not a penalty. Terrible call and a 15 year ref like Tony Corrente, should know that. Playoff refs cannot make mistakes like that.

Texans D5: Start at the 20

1st and 10: Schaub to Johnson, 13
1st and 10: Foster, 7
2nd and 3: Foster, -2. Ninkovitch with the play. Negated by holding on Newton.
2nd and 13: Schaub to Posey, 24
1st and 10: Schuab to Daniels, defended by Gregory
2nd and 10: Schaub to Posey, -3. Hightower with the play on a screen.
3rd and 13: Schaub to Graham, 5.
Pats Timeout 1
4th and 8: Punt

Pats D5: Start at the 20

1st and 10: Ridley, 0, Watt with the play
2nd and 10: Brady to Welker, defended by Jackson
3rd and 10: Brady to Welker, 13
1st and 10: Brady to Lloyd, 7
2nd and 3: Ridley, 5
1st and 10: Brady to Welker, 47
1st and goal: Brady to Vereen, 7, TD! 17-3 Pats

Texans D6: Start at the Pats 47 after a good return and a correct horsecollar on Gostkowski

1st and 10: Foster, 21
1st and 10: Foster, 19. Where did the D go?
1st and goal: Foster, 1
Two minute warning
2nd and goal: Foster, 5
3rd and goal: Foster, 1, TD ruled, reviwed and upheld. Bad call #2. Reverse angle clearly showed that he as not in. 17-10 Pats

Pats D6: Start at the 26.

1st and 10: Vereen, 4
2nd and 6: Brady to Hernandez, dropped
3rd and 6: Brady to Hernandez, incomplete. Watt with pressure.
4th and 6: Punt. Keo hits Mesko, and Corrente picks up the flag. Another bad call. #3

Texans D7: Start at the 37

1st and 10: Schaub to Casey, 9. Houston timeout #1
2nd and 1: Schuab to Daniels. 12? Houston timeout #2
1st and 10: Schaub to Daniels, incomplete
2nd and 10: Schaub to Daniels, 8. Houston timeout 3. You hear the whistle at 0 and Simms claims you hear at at :02.
3rd and 2: 55 yard FG good, 17-13 Pats at the half

Third downs: Pats are 4 of 8, Texans are 1 of 6.

Tony Corrente has spoken six times. Here is what they are:

1. Terrible personal foul on Lloyd.
2. Holding on Newton of Houston. We never see a replay, but holding calls on the o line are rarely wrong.
3. Horsecollar on Gostkowski, correct call.
4. Review on a Foster TD. The only angle where you can see anything shows Foster is not in. Corrente grants the TD.
5. Keo of Houston nails Mesko, flag is picked up claiming he was blocked into Mesko, replay shows he was not. That gives Houston the ball instead of a Pats 1st down.
6. He gives Houston 2 seconds on the clock for a FG at the end of the half. CBS wants to show he was right, so Simms has them play the play with no sound and 'listen for the whistle.' And you hear the whistle, at 0:00.

At this point, Tony Corrente is the MVP of the Houston Texans. He, by himself, has altered this game drastically. Refs should not do that.

Go Pats!

[darvon]

was that clock the TV clock or the stadium clock?

In the Seattle game, the two differed by about a second. I tivo'd the end of the first half and the ball was hiked about 6 frames prior to the TV clock going to 0. In the CBS replay AFTER the halftime show, the ball was still on the ground when the stadium clock went to 0.

[darvon]

I just went and watched it Tivo'd and you are right, the only whistle I hear on the broadcast starts after 00:00.

But the ref was calling catch and running to the ball at 00:02. And the ref actually had posession of the ball about 2 frames prior to going 00:00.

Perhaps the whistle we heard was an auxilary whistle from a diff ref close to a mic? What happens when a ref makes a call indicating the end of the play, but the whistle doesnt blow?

And I have no clue when Schaub called the time out.

Does the clock stop while the ref gets posession of the ball? Or while the sticks move? Anyone know the rules?

[Amy]

Pats D7: Start at the 31 after a bad kickoff

1st and 10: Brady to Lloyd, overthrown
2nd and 10: Brady to Welker, 6
3rd and 4: Brady to Hernandez, 5
1st and 10: Brady to Welker, 6, screen
2nd and 4: Brady to Hernandez, 40
1st and 10: Ridley, 4
2nd and 6: Ridley, 8, TD! 24-13 Pats. Jackson, of the Texans, hurt trying to tackle Ridley.

Texans D8: Start at the 20

1st and 10: Foster, 6
2nd and 4: Schaub to Daniels, 0. Mayo on the play. Fumble. Pats Ball intially. Corrente negates the fumble claiming forward progress ruled. Bad call again and it's not reviewable
3rd and 4: Schaub throws it away.
4th and 4: Punt

Pats D8: Start at the 35

1st and 10: Brady to Vereen, 5
2nd and 5: Brady to Welker, pass defended by Jackson, who is clearly back in the game.
3rd and 5: Brady to Vereen, low throw
4th and 5: Punt

Texans D9: Start at the 9

1st and 10: False Start, Houston
1st and 15: Schaub to Foster, screen, 28. Great play
1st and 10: Foster, 3
2nd and 7: Schuab fumbles with no contact and falls on it, -9. It's ruled a sack.
3rd and 16: Schaub to Johnson, 22. Not good
1st and 10: Foster, 7
2nd and 3: Schaub to Casey, screen, 5
1st and 10: Foster, 2
2nd and 8: Schaub to Foster, 1
3rd and 7: Ninkovitch picks Schaub!

Pats D9: Start at the 37

1st and 10: Ridley, 9
2nd and 1: Brady to Hernandez, 12
1st and 10: Brady to Lloyd, 7
2nd and 3: Ridley, 5
1st and 10: Ridley, 23
1st and goal: Brady to Lloyd, screen, 6, TD! 31-13.

Texans D10: Start at the 14

1st and 10: Schaub to Graham, 8
2nd and 2: Foster, 1
3rd and 1: Foster, 0

End of the third. Corrente Report:

#7: Corrente negates a Pats fumble recovery by claiming that forward progress had been called.
#8: False Start on Houston.
So, he's 3 of 8 on the night.

4th and 1: Foster, 1, barely. Great effort. BB challenges. It's confirmed, and I think it is the right call.
1st and 10: Schaub, 1
2nd and 9: Schaub to Foster, bad miss
3rd and 9: Schaub to Walter, 8
4th and 1: Schaub throws to 3 Pats, incomplete

Pats D10: Start at the Texans 33

1st and 10: Brady to Vereen, 34, TD, 38-13

Texans D11: Another great Manning return. Start at the Pats 37

1st and 10: Foster, 7
2nd and 3: Schaub to Posey, incomplete
3rd and 3: Foster, 2
4th and 1: Foster, 3
1st and 10: Schaub to Posey, great catch, but oob. Kubiak challenges and wins. 25 yard TD. 38-20 Pats. Darn, they get more then 14

Pats D11: Start at the 20

1st and 10: Brady to Ridley, incomplete, Smith with pressure
2nd and 10: Brady to Lloyd, 5
3rd and 5: Brady to Hernandez, 21, Negated by OPI on Hernandez, good call.
3rd and 15: Brady to Lloyd, high, incomplete. So close to a huge play.

Texans D12: Start at the 21 after a 20+ yard roll for Mesko!

1st and 10: Schaub to Johnson, 3
2nd and 7: Schaub to Daniels, 6
3rd and 1: Scahub to Walters, 5. Gregory is called for an iffy personal foul on the hit.
1st and 10: Schaub to Foster, 9
2nd and 1: Schaub to Foster, -1. Mayo with the play.
3rd and 2: Schaub to Daniels, 24
1st and 10: Schaub to Daniels, 12
1st and goal: Foster, 2
2nd and goal: Schaub to Daniels, high, incomplete
3rd and goal: Schaub, -1, but the Pats were offsides. Posey hurt and carted off
3rd and goal: Schaub to Johnson, 0! Missed hold on Walters
4th and goal: Schaub to Foster, 1, TD. 38-28 after a 2 point conversion.

Pats D12: Start at the Texans 47 after the onsides attempt, Ninkovitch gets the ball.

1st and 10: Ridley, 6
2nd and 4: Ridley, 2. Texans timeout 1. Brady feels they stopped the play too soon.
3rd and 2: Brady pass batted down, but Welker was held by Jackson! First down!
1st and 10: Ridley, 6. Texans timeout 2
2nd and 4: Ridley, 2. Texans call last timeout
3rd and 2: Brady to Lloyd, 7
1st and 10: Ridley, -2. Merciless and Watt with the play
2nd and 12: Vereen, 1
3rd and 11: Kneeldown and we call timeout at :01 on the playclock.
4th and 11: 38 yard FG: good, 41-28

Texans D13: Start at the 29

1st and 10: Schaub to Casey, incomplete, Ninkovitch with pressure
2nd and 10: Schaub to Johnson, 15
1st and 10: Schaub to Casey, 15
1st and 10: Schaub to Jean, incomplete
2nd and 10: Scahub to Daniels, 9.

Game over

We finish at 7 of 14 on 3rd. They end at 4 of 15 on 3rd and 2 of 4 on 4th.

The Corrente Show:

#9: BB challenges the spot on a Foster run. The spot is upheld. Good call. 4 of 9
#10: Kubiak challenges a TD pass is OOB. It's close, but overturned, and I'm willing to say good call. 5 of 10.
#11: OPI is called on Aaron Hernandez. Good call. 6 of 11
#12: Hit on a defenseless WR is called on Gregory. I think it was an iffy call. 6 of 12
#13: Offsides on the Pats D. Good call. 7 of 13
#14: Holding on Jackson of the Texans. Good call, Had PI been called, it would have been a bad callm because the ball was tipped. However, Welker was held, and that was what was called, so it was a good call.

Overall, Corrente was just over 50 percent, and he missed 2 holding calls, one of which came in the red zone for the Texans. He was more of a factor in the game then he should have been, considering there were not many penalties. 12 of his 14 rulings came in the 2nd and the 4th. All the Texan points were scored in the 2nd and the 4th. Food for thought.

Anyway, bring on the Ravens!

[Pruitt]

Must be nice to be a fan of a team that has an offense that is so good that it can score 40+ points seemingly effortlessly.

[wxwax]

I just went and watched it Tivo'd and you are right, the only whistle I hear on the broadcast starts after 00:00.

But the ref was calling catch and running to the ball at 00:02. And the ref actually had posession of the ball about 2 frames prior to going 00:00.

Perhaps the whistle we heard was an auxilary whistle from a diff ref close to a mic? What happens when a ref makes a call indicating the end of the play, but the whistle doesnt blow?

Did you watch the original airing of the play, or the replay when they stop to listen?

When play originally ran, I swear I heard a whistle before the clock hit 00. When they ran the replay, the whistle was not heard until 00. I think the problem was with the replay, not on the field. In fact, Schaub made a gesture indicating time remained. I believe the microphones they use are highly directional, so maybe the mic used for the replay was aimed near an official who wasn't the first to blow his whistle?

wrt to throwing the ball at the official, you'd hope an official would cut the player a break, especially in the playoffs. But in the official's defense, the player threw the ball in anger (because he'd failed to make the catch), hard and directly at the official. I understand why the flag was thrown, even though I reckon he shouldn't have.

[darvon]

I watched the original and the CBS replay. To my ear, they were the same.

[wxwax]

Huh. I coulda sworn I heard a whistle before the clock was down to 00 on the original play. Oh well.

Frankly, I thought the quicker whistle was at the end of the Atlanta game. Looked to me that there was still time on the clock when the whistled the game over.