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SALT LAKE CITY — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has done what few quarterbacks in the NFL will ever get to do: win the Super Bowl. However, his signal calling for special teams may need a little work.
With 4 seconds left in the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers had one last shot to win the game with a kick return. San Francisco's Ted Ginn, Jr. was set to return the ball and Flacco didn't want to see his team lose because of Ginn's return skills.
NFL Films' "Sound FX" program caught comments made by Flacco to his fellow teammates, asking for them to tackle Ginn if he broke free. At worst, he thought, the refs would call a penalty and the game would be over.
"If (Ginn) starts to break it, go tackle him," Flacco said to Dennis Pitta on the sidelines.
Penalty: For a palpably unfair act: Offender may be disqualified. The Referee, after consulting his crew, enforces any such distance penalty as they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The Referee may award a score.
–NFL Rules Manual
"Really?" Pitta responds.
Flacco then goes on to tell his "tackling plan" to other teammates.
"Hey! If he breaks this if he busts it for some reason? Tackle him! Go tackle him," Flacco said to Marshal Yanda and Matt Birk. "I don't know what the rule is on that, but "
"Why don't you?" Yanda asked.
"I'm going to!"
What Flacco didn't know is that the NFL could have awarded a touchdown to the Niners had he or any other player on the sideline intervened. According to the NFL rulebook, the move is considered a "palpably unfair act".
"A player or substitute shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair," Rule 12, Section 3, Article 3 of the NFL Rules Manual says. "Penalty: For a palpably unfair act: Offender may be disqualified. The Referee, after consulting his crew, enforces any such distance penalty as they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The Referee may award a score."
Fortunately for Flacco, Ginn never broke through and the Ravens won the Super Bowl. However, it would have been an interesting turn of events had Ginn broken through. Could we replay that last 4 seconds?
Signing day hard on mom
Wednesday was National Letter of Intent Day, with many high school and junior college football athletes indicating where they were going to play. But for one high school athlete, the day did not go as planned.
Running back Alex Collins was not able to sign his letter of intent papers because his mother, Andrea McDonald, took them. McDonald was not happy her son decided to play for Arkansas instead of choosing the University of Miami.
Collins verbally committed to Arkansas Monday, but has not been able to ink his name to formally commit to the school.
Sochi Olympic troubles
The Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia, one year from today (Thursday). But many, including those in Russia, are worried about the snow.
This week, United States slopestyle skiers were scheduled to compete in a World Cup event in Russia, but the event was cancelled because of the lack of snow, with temperatures increasing in the coming days.
As a result, Russia is looking to hoard snow. They plan is to pile up all the snow they can and cover it with a thermal blanket, according to CBC.
"Several hectares of slopes are set aside just for storage. Snow will be piled up for the next two months, then covered with thermal blankets," writes Susan Ormiston of CBC. "Sixty to 70 per cent of the mounds will stay cold enough throughout the summer months. Next February, the saved snow will be dumped on the slopes."
Here's hoping the Winter Olympics are a success in 2014.
