E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

By DAVE KLEIN
It isn't productive to assume that if the officials didn't blow a few calls against the Giants Sunday night they might have beaten the Indianapolis Colts. It's much like the instructions given to those who act as official scorers at baseball games -- you cannot presuppose a double play.

But wouldn't it be nice if just once in a while they got things right?

There were at least four blown calls against the Giants, yellow flags that should not have fluttered to the ground. But there they were, and while we will not presuppose a winning field goal or a touchdown, they were at the least formidable road blocks on the way to a victory.

The most flagrant was the offensive pass interference call on wide receiver Tim Carter with just slightly more than three minutes remaining in the game and the Colts clinging to a tenuous 23-21 lead. Come on, do the math. A field goal wins that game. The Giants were on their 18-yard line. It was third and two to go. Eli Manning sent Carter down the right sideline.

It should be pointed out that the entire NFL is aware of Carter's speed, and that this information is passed on to those who might one day have to cover him (when he's healthy). So the left cornerback, Nick Harper, reacted as he should have -- he gave Carter a cushion. He ran with him, but ahead of him, because Carter's speed can eat up a field in seconds and that is never a good thing when you are holding a two-point lead.

But oh, that clever Carter. And oh, that clever Manning. Suddenly Carter pulled up and cut to the sideline. Harper was so out of position he had to hit the brakes to recover, and when he did he slipped and fell. He almost fell into Carter. But what did side judge Rick Patterson do? He presupposed, in a way. He decided that Carter couldn't have gotten to the ground on his own, that T.C. must have made contact, and that, of course, is offensive pass interference.

It didn't happen. It was a phantom call and it hurt the Giants badly, because on the next play Manning, perhaps still flustered, threw a floater instead of a line drive and it was picked off by -- guess who? -- Harper.

The turned into a field goal and a 26-21 lead, and now the Giants needed a touchdown.

Enter Questionable Penalty number two. On the final drive of the game, a flag was tossed signifying an "illegal snap" by center Shaun O'Hara.

Huh? What's an illegal snap? If he picks the ball up before snapping it, that's what it is. And there must be 500 such calls during a season (there aren't, of course) because that's how many times centers do it in order to get a better grip on the ball.

Want more? That now-famous "crack-back" block on wide receiver Plaxico Burress didn't happen, either. He didn't touch the guy illegally; it was a clean block. It came in the second quarter on a play during which running back Tiki Barber gained 17 yards to the Colts' 48. Instead, it was first and 22 from the Giants' 23.

How about the "motion" call on tight end Jeremy Shockey, the "false start" stuff made famous by tackle Luke Petitgout? It wasn't a false start, you know. It was a reaction to a neutral zone infraction by Colts' defensive end Robert Mathis. The right call should have been against the Indianapolis player, not because Shockey reacted to it.

Oh, well. Nothing good is ever easy, you know?

EXTRA POINTS -- Right guard Chris Snee has an injured ankle, and head coach Tom Coughlin isn't sure whether to call it a sprained ankle. … "There is no fracture, no ligament damage," he said. "What he has is an injured ankle." … Will the first son-in-law play next week in Philadelphia? … "I would like to say that [he will] until we know more," he said. "Until something is proven otherwise." … The only other injury of note was a sprained ankle -- actually, a re-sprained ankle -- suffered by tight end Jeremy Shockey, who first hurt it in Friday practice.

The head coach pointed out that there were at least two potential interceptions that should have been caught in the first half, one by nickel safety James Butler. … Butler's came in the end zone the play before the Colts settled for their first (of four) field goals. … "You need to catch the ball," he said. "You need to be able to see it first, and guys who don't need more work [in practice]." … The Giants did get one pick, by R.W. McQuarters, the nickel corner, and it marked the first time in three or four years that a cornerback wearing the number 25 actually caught one. … The guy immediate preceding him was, of course, the famous Will Allen (with Miami these days).

Just in case you have a strong stomach, you can see a replay of the game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on the NFL Network. … Evidently the league-sponsored network will offer camera angles that weren't available on the NBC telecast including game action you couldn't see. … This is the first time the NFL has allowed regular season games to be seen outside their live broadcast milieu. … It will be aired in a 90-minute fast-paced format without commercials or halftime ceremonies. … No, their technicians aren't good enough to edit out the bad flags. … You'll see them all over again, too.

From E-GIANTS subscriber Tom D. -- "Mike Pereira [the NFL's Vice President of Officiating] has to go. He steadfastly covers the referees no matter what. He still can't' bring himself to admit that they ruined the last Super Bowl with their ineptitude. And this practice of fining someone who dares complain is plain un-American. I now feel about NFL officials as I used to [feel] about Olympic officials. We need to have bad officials fired the day after a bad game. Why aren't they accountable like everyone else?"

Editor's Note -- Tom, you made a strong point. Just one question begging to be asked. If they did fire officials the day after a bad game, don't you think they'd reach a point where they didn't have enough on hand to work the next week's game?

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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