Sports have always been a fertile breeding ground for debate. As long as sports have been around, arguments about said sports have dominated the social discourse. Discussions regarding the relative merits of certain players, coaches and franchises are essentially the driving force behind the entirety of sports-talk media—a lucrative industry in its own right.
But during Sunday afternoon’s AFC Divisional game between the Chiefs and Browns, a particular play transpired that brought
a new topic to the forefront of the sports water-cooler; namely, rules.
Now, don’t get me wrong, people argue over rules all the time. But most of those debates stem from scenarios where existing rules have been taken off the books in favor of new ones. Most recently, Major League Baseball has dealt with blowback for instituting extra-innings speed up rules and for toying with the idea of a universal designated hitter.
But it is much rarer to watch fans of a particular sport take sides on a rule that has been around, well, forever.
For those who didn’t watch the clash between Cleveland and Kansas City, the Browns had a chance to turn a 19-3 ballgame into a one-score contest when wideout Rashard Higgins caught a pass and galloped towards the endzone. Attempting to beat Chiefs defender Danny Sorensen to the goal line, Higgins dove towards the pylon, arms outstretched, and was nailed by Sorensen, who dislodged the ball from Higgins’ hands. The ball rolled forward and then out of the side of the end zone. Instead of a first and goal on the one for the Browns, it was ruled a touchback, as per NFL rules. The Chiefs recovered possession of the ball on their own 20 yard-line, and the Browns lost their best chance to put a little pressure on the defending Super Bowl champions.
As I’ve mentioned before, an offensive fumble out of the opposing end zone has always been a loss of possession and a touchback. That’s nothing new. But for some reason, this particular call struck a nerve with athletes, fans and pundits alike.
Former Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas called the touchback rule “the worst” rule in football. CBS analyst Boomer Esiason—a former quarterback—called the punitive nature of the rule “very extreme.”
Defensive players, on the other hand, were quick to point out that the rule has been in place for a while. Patriots safety Devin McCourty took to Twitter on Saturday night to imply that Higgins should have known better than to extend his arms for the extra yard. “Every guy who played for [New England head coach] Bill [Belichick] started screaming at the tv ‘DON’T REACH IT,” he tweeted.
Nearly everyone I’ve talked to in the days since is in one camp or the other; either they believe the rule is dumb, or they maintain that Higgins should have known better. But regardless of the tumult, one thing is certain; the Browns won’t be playing for the AFC title
and Higgins will have an eternity to replay the play in his mind.
And for sports fans, as always; the debate rages on.
Follow Mike on Twitter @LiveMike_Sports
