Jerry Jones: NFL should outlaw kneel-downs

[Irving Cowboy]

Jerry Jones: NFL should outlaw kneel-downs
September, 18, 2012
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

As far as Jerry Jones is concerned, the controversy regarding the end of Sunday’s Giants-Buccaneers game never should have unfolded.

That’s because Jones thinks the NFL should outlaw the kneel-down to kill the clock at the end of games.

“I’ve always thought that that’s a wasted play for our fans, the kneel-down,” Jones said Tuesday on KRLD-FM. “[Former Kansas City Chiefs owner] Lamar Hunt tried several times to introduce a rule and have it voted on that you couldn’t kneel down. You had to run a play. Unless you were trying to advance the ball, then you got a penalty and time didn’t run off the clock. It’s not a good play.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin angrily confronted Bucs coach Greg Schiano after Tampa Bay defenders knocked Eli Manning and New York offensive linemen to the ground on a game-ending kneel-down.

Coughlin complained that it was a violation of unwritten NFL etiquette. Schiano was unapologetic, saying “there’s nothing dirty about it and nothing illegal about it,” adding that the Bucs were trying to knock the ball loose.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, whose team faces the Bucs this week and is NFC East rivals with the Giants, stayed neutral on the subject.

“That was between Tampa Bay and the Giants,” Garrett said. “Certainly there is a style of football they are trying to implement down in Tampa and they feel like that, in some ways, is indicative of how they want to play, how they’re going to handle end-of-game situations. So, we’re going to focus on our team and things we need to get better at preparing for that ballgame.”

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Jerry Jones says kneel-down is ‘not a good play’; It’s ‘a wasted play for our fans’
By Jon Machota / Special Contributor
3:14 pm on September 18, 2012

If the Cowboys have a lead and the ball in the final seconds Sunday afternoon, Jerry Jones won’t be offended if Tampa Bay tries to force a fumble during the victory formation.

The Cowboys owner and general manager said Tuesday that he’s always been against the kneel-down play.

“I don’t like it,” Jones said. “Lamar Hunt tried several times to introduce a rule to have it voted on that you couldn’t kneel down, you had to run a play. Unless you were trying to advance the ball, then you got a penalty and the time didn’t run off the clock. It’s not a good play.”

The Buccaneers brought pressure while the New York Giants were trying to run out the clock with a final kneel-down. Several Giants players were knocked down, including quarterback Eli Manning. Giants coach Tom Coughlin was visibly angered by the play and had a heated exchange with Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano during their postgame handshake.

“It was a little bit of a cheap shot,” Manning said after the 41-34 victory. “We’re taking a knee in a friendly way and they’re firing off. It’s a good way to get someone hurt.”

Regardless if it was a cheap shot or not, Jones doesn’t sound like he’s siding with the division rival Giants on this one.

“I’ve always thought that that’s a wasted play for our fans,” he said.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

 

[peplaw06]

But Lamar Hunt said it, so it must be a good idea.

 

[63echo]

Jerry, you frigging moron. I would have loved for Seattle (or whomever) to be forced to run plays, up 20, during the final seconds of the game and have Ware tear his ACL.

I don't have even the littlest problem with what Tampa did and wonder why more teams don't do that (assuming they're only down by one score).

“That was between Tampa Bay and the Giants,” Garrett said. “Certainly there is a style of football they are trying to implement down in Tampa and they feel like that, in some ways, is indicative of how they want to play, how they’re going to handle end-of-game situations. So, we’re going to focus on our team and things we need to get better at preparing for that ballgame.”

Guh, I'm getting tired of hearing these same things come out of his mouth. This whole paragraph makes no sense...just regurgitated smarm that he tried to shoehorn into the subject at hand.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Mike Golic brought up a good point this morning... what if the offense is behind, with two or three plays left, and the defense decides,
"we're just going to stand here, we don't want to risk anyone getting hurt while we run out the clock". Does the offense have an obligation to follow suit due to etiquette? If not, why not?

 

[bbgun]

Nice way to get someone hurt, or risk a turnover, unnecessarily. Hey, while we're at it, let's stop QBs from spiking the ball to stop the clock.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Nice way to get someone hurt, or risk a turnover, unnecessarily. Hey, while we're at it, let's stop QBs from spiking the ball to stop the clock.

Don't want to take the chance of getting anyone hurt? Don't play the game. Some things are inherently dangerous. Doesn't mean you stop doing them.

 

[bbgun]

Don't want to take the chance of getting anyone hurt? Don't play the game. Some things are inherently dangerous. Doesn't mean you stop doing them.

When the game is in the bag, I don't see the point. Ditto the stupidity of us passing with 30 seconds left in the Seahawks game. Red is lucky that Miles or Dez didn't tear an ACL in that garbage time situation.

 

[marionbarberthe4th]

Tom coughin and Eli are retarded pussies.


Oh, you've declared the game is over? How convenient for you

 

[cmd34]

Schiano's line of "We won't let the Giants decide when WE quit" was classic.

Garrett's line of political correctness garbage is typical Garrett pussyness.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

When the game is in the bag, I don't see the point. Ditto the stupidity of us passing with 30 seconds left in the Seahawks game. Red is lucky that Miles or Dez didn't tear an ACL in that garbage time situation.

I agree. But we aren't talking about the Cowboys-Seahawks game here.

 

[Sheik]

Every day is one day closer to this guy kicking the bucket.

Maybe a few more close games combined with some crushing losses, maybe that'll do it.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Every day is one day closer to this guy kicking the bucket.

Maybe a few more close games combined with some crushing losses, maybe that'll do it.

That's assuming that he stresses about them like we do... Which is doubtful when his balance sheet is going 16-0.

 

[NoShame]

I completely agree with Jerry.

I've always thought the kneel down was such horse shit... especially if it was a one score ball game.

A rule should be in place that 1. No kneel downs can start until after the two minute warning and 2. No kneel downs are allowed IF the game is still within one score (anything 8 points or less).

The offense should be forced to play out the game. I think its more fair that way. As mentioned earlier, when the defensive team is up in score in the game, the offensive team, no matter how much the deficit is, will always keep playing... Risking players to injury.

So what do we do now? Either create a defensive kneel down play where the offense can't do anything OR decide when there is a good point to just stop a game and declare a team the winner... Just because we're worried about injury?

Thats ridiculous. Always has been.

Get rid of this kneel down shit. Run the football. End the game the right way.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Seriously?

So what are you going to do when the new "kneel down" is to hand the ball to a RB five yards deep and have him "accidentally" stumble over his feet and fall down two yards short of the LOS? Penalize that, too?

It's very hard to legislate intent.

Naw, when you have the ball you should be able to do what you want with it. If you want to fall down and waste a down, you should be able to.

 

[Midswat]

If you don't want a team to kneel the ball, try having the lead late in the game.

 

[NoShame]

Seriously?

So what are you going to do when the new "kneel down" is to hand the ball to a RB five yards deep and have him "accidentally" stumble over his feet and fall down two yards short of the LOS? Penalize that, too?

It's very hard to legislate intent.

Naw, when you have the ball you should be able to do what you want with it. If you want to fall down and waste a down, you should be able to.

As Jerry said in the article, you would have to be advancing the ball. If the player was falling down without contact... I'm pretty sure that will be obvious and not that hard to penalize.

 

[UVAwahoos]

The Bucs will eventually use the kneel down play themselves. What's the alternative? Hand the ball off, risk a fumble and/or injury, and possibly lose the game? Schiano would be fired on the spot. That's why Coughlin had a good point.

Every team uses the kneel down, and everyone accepts it. In fact, every sport with a clock (hockey, bball, boxing, etc) has its own version of a kneel down.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

League office should take close look at aftermath of Bucs-Giants kneel-down play
Posted by Mike Florio on September 19, 2012, 3:52 PM EDT

The NFL has said that the Buccaneers’ decision to treat the kneel-down play that ended Sunday’s game against the Giants like it was fourth and goal in the Ice Bowl violates no rules. But the Giants’ reaction may have.

Lost in the threats/promises from guys like guard Chris Snee to retaliate against the Bucs in the future is the fact that the Giants already have retaliated.

When the Bucs lined up and fired off the ball, catching the Giants by surprise, Giants players started hitting and pulling and otherwise assaulting Bucs players after the play.

Zapruder-quality film of the incident shows center David Baas throwing a forearm to the head of linebacker Quincy Black after the play. Even worse, guard Kevin Boothe rolls defensive end Adrian Clayborn over and drops a knee into his chest.

Last week, Texans defensive end Antonio Smith was fined $21,000 for kicking the head of Dolphins guard Richie Incognito, whom Smith believed was doing something dirty to his leg. This week, the league office could be taking some money away from the team that believes (mistakenly) that it was victimized by the Bucs.