The BOHpen

I’m just going to come out and say it. I don’t think Ray Rice actually made it to the first down marker. Not trying to hate on the Ravens of course, but just being real. The first down marker he had to reach was the 34 yard line. Rice’s knee went down at the 35 yard line with his body falling forward. The ball is tucked into his chest. The original spot they gave him was the 33 yard line, meaning the ball was six feet past the 35 where the knee touched. Like I said, ball tucked into the chest, and Rice is only 5′ 8″. So it’s impossible for the ball to have been six feet ahead of his knees.

Now, that’s why there is replay, to get these things right. The refs then decide to back it up to the “33 1/2 yard line,” I don’t think there is four and half feet between Rice’s knee and the middle of his chest. But then they spot it just in front of the 34 yard line, measure, first down.

I’m 6′ 1″, five inches taller than Ray Rice. From my knees to my chest is about 32 inches. I find it hard to believe that it would be three feet from knees to chest on him.

I don’t want to discount anything he did on that play, because any lesser player is getting tackled about 15 yards short. But the Ravens are quite lucky to have had this call go their way. Had this been a goal line play where the camera looks right down the line, the replay may have been more clear, and the spot maybe not as favorable.

Just saying. Then again, they have gotten by on luck more than once this season.

Talking about the offense and the play calling and the lack of protection from the O-line is just getting old. It’s beating a dead horse, so I figured I’d take the route of “lucky” today.

Football. It’s a game of inches.