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NEW YORK -- Redskins coach Mike Shanahan spoke Monday with the NFLs director of officiating after the league said Sunday nights crew made an error on Washingtons final drive. cheap jerseys . The league said officials should have stopped play and eliminated confusion about the down and distance at the end of the Giants 24-17 victory at Washington. "I talked to Dean earlier today, he gave me a call and just went over the scenario," Shanahan said, referring to Dean Blandino, who oversees NFL officiating. "Obviously they made a mistake and you live with it." With New York leading by seven points just after the two-minute warning, a catch by the Redskins Pierre Garcon on second-and-5 was spotted short of a first down at the Washington 45. Referee Jeff Triplette signalled third down. But the head linesman, with the Redskins in a hurry-up offence, incorrectly motioned for the crew to advance the chains, which caused the down boxes to read first down. "In this situation where there is obvious confusion as to the status of the down, that play should have been stopped prior to third down and the correct down communicated to both clubs," Blandino said Monday in a statement. "This should have occurred regardless of the fact that Washington had no timeouts and it was inside two minutes." Only the referee can rule and signal a first down. The official nearest to the down markers and chain crew, the head linesman, is required to wait for that first-down signal from the referee before moving the chains. That did not happen at FedEx Field. After Washingtons incomplete pass on the next play -- which many Redskins believed was on first down -- the chains were moved back and the down boxes correctly reset to fourth down. Blandino said instant replay review was not used on Garcons catch because the replay official determined the ball was "correctly spotted short of the line to gain for a first down." Shanahan was asked if he would be in favour of scrapping the chains and using laser technology to help spot the ball. "You talk about it at the owners meeting, kind of go through the variables, exactly how accurate it is and how it would be implemented," he said. "I think theres a lot of technology that you could possibly use, but before you do that you go through all the situations and find out if its effective and how effective." Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III said the confusion affected the play calling. "The chain said first down, and then when we came back, we think its second-and-10, and theyre yelling out its fourth down," Griffin said. "No explanation. No measurement. Didnt stop the clock to allow the chains to move back. And we just had to go ahead and call the play." Griffin did complete a 6-yard pass to Garcon on fourth-and-1, but safety Will Hill stripped the ball. The Giants then ran out the clock. "I told him I wanted a measurement because I knew it was close," Shanahan said, not specifying which official he was referring to. "It was inches. And he said, No, its a first down. And he moved the chains. And then after I saw it was fourth down, I asked him, You already told me it was first down. He didnt say anything. So that was quite disappointing." Speaking to a pool reporter Sunday night, Triplette said: "We signalled third down on the field. The stakes were moved incorrectly. After that play, we said it was still third down. We had signalled third down prior to the play starting. The stakes just got moved incorrectly." Triplette defended not stopping play, saying it would have given an "unfair advantage." But Blandino said Monday that was the wrong decision. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, who played every snap, said he was aware it was not a first down. "I remember turning to the referee and saying, Thats not a first down, " Tuck said Monday. " Obviously, theyre hurrying up, you dont really have time to argue it. "I think at the end of the day, it was actually the right call. It might not have come across in the right manner, but I think it was the right call. And when the ball is getting snapped that fast, its very tough for a referee to get all of these calls right." wholesale nfl jerseys . -- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins erupted for five goals in the third period to beat the St. wholesale jerseys . -- As expected, coach John Fox has officially ruled out Wes Welker for Denvers game against San Diego on Thursday night because of a concussion. NEW YORK -- Steve Kerr said Sunday he spoke with Phil Jackson twice over the weekend and that they will continue discussing the possibility of him becoming coach of the New York Knicks. Kerr said he had dinner with Jackson, his former coach with Chicago and the new Knicks team president, on Friday night and they talked again Saturday. Kerr is in New York to work the game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors for TNT. "Theres a lot to cover on both sides and this was the first time weve talked about the job. It just opened up last week and so weve got a lot of things to discuss," Kerr said. Jackson fired Mike Woodson and the rest of the Knicks coaching staff after a 37-45 season, and again said he wasnt interested in returning to coaching. Though Kerr has never been a coach, he has been mentioned as a candidate for the job since Jackson was hired in March. Jackson said last week he hoped to speak with Kerr soon to see gauge his desire to do the job, and it definitely interests Kerr. "How could it not?" Kerr said. "I mean, its the Knicks and its Phil Jackson, my coach. So Id be crazy not to look into it." Kerr said he has wanted to coach since stepping down as Phoenix Suns general manager in 2010. He won three titles playing for Jackson in Chicago, and agreed with his former coach that they have similar views of the game. "I know Phil last week said we share the same space, which I think is well said," Kerr said. "Wee share a lot of the same philosophies. cheap nfl jerseys. I learned a lot of my basketball from him and Tex Winter, and so I think its safe to say that we have a lot of the same ideas." Winter taught the triangle offence and was a longtime Jackson assistant when he used the system to win an NBA-record 11 championships as a coach. Jackson said he wont insist the Knicks coach run it, but has made clear his belief in it. Woodson went 109-79 with the Knicks, leading them last season to their first division championship since 1994, but was fired with a year left on his contract. He said Sunday on NBA TV that coaching the team that drafted him out of college was like a "dream come true." "And the last two years, prior to coming into this season, was a good two seasons for our ballclub and our fans. And this year things just didnt work out," Woodson said. "Sometimes in life things just dont work out according to plan. But I look at it, overall, it was a good run." Jackson said he doesnt have a timetable, though he hoped to have a coach in place by the July summer league. Kerr said it was tough to do things quickly because hes on the road so much of the spring working games. Hes been going to training camps and meeting with coaches, and wants to work with players instead of another role in a front office. "Ive been preparing for this and if its something that feels like the right fit, its something Im going to do," Kerr said. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' ' |
