Strange Decisions of the Week

On second and goal from the Denver Broncos' 4-yard line midway through the third quarter, Tennessee Titans' quarterback Vince Young scrambled around left end and apparently came up just short of the goal line.

Third and goal.

Young, having trouble finding an open receiver, tried to run it in. But he was pushed out of bounds way short of the goal line. Worse still, Young appeared to be winded from the play.

Fourth down.

Or was it?

Amazingly, Young's effort and suffering were all for naught as the third down play never happened. The reason? Broncos' head coach Mike Shanahan called a timeout just before the snap, as he had brought on the wrong personnel for the play. Funny though, as the wrong personnel was able to stop Young from scoring.

Now calling a timeout just before a play starts is not uncommon in football (more on that later). But this has completely different consequences.

TV replays showed that Young's outstretched right hand had apparently brought the ball across the plane of the goal line on the second down play, and thus a touchdown, instead of third down, should have been the call. But Titans' coach Jeff Fisher, in a moment of hesitation, didn't throw his red challenge flag before the third down play started. Once the next play starts, the previous one will become unchallengeable.

Luckily, his blushes were saved by Shanahan who, by calling a timeout, had stopped the third down play from starting. Now Fisher had all the time he needed to decide whether to appeal to the officials for a review. His reward was a touchdown for his team.

Speaking of calling a timeout just before a play starts, it was Shanahan who started the ridiculous practice of "icing the kicker" in September, when he called a timeout just before the Oakland Raiders' Sebastian Janikowski kicked a game-tying field goal in the final seconds. While Janikowski nailed the first one (which didn't count), the tactic worked to perfection as he missed the second try after returning from the timeout (which counted).

Since then, way too many coaches have been following suit and some commentators said that the only way for the shenanigans to stop, would be for a kicker to miss the first try (which doesn't count) but make the second one (which counts).

And in a case of poetic justice, the tactic came back and nearly haunted Shanahan as Rob Bironas, the Titans' kicker, badly hooked a 56-yarder at the end of the first half. But the play didn't count as Shanahan called a timeout just before the snap. Given a second chance, Bironas, who set a record of making eight field goals in a game earlier this season, didn't miss it and brought the Titans to within 10 points at the end of the half.

Luckily for Shanahan, his curious decisions didn't hurt his team which eventually emerged victorious 34-20. Otherwise someone may be calling for his head, as the AFC West this year is so wide open that a single bad call may be enough to ruin a team's season.