NFL - Thanksgiving Game Memories - Sam Baker

THANKSGIVIN GAME DAY MEMORIES

Sam Baker is the Man

The first Thanksgiving game I can recall was the 1968 game in Detroit.  A bad Eagles team visited a bad Lions team in old Tiger Stadium.  My mom was cooking in the small kitchen in our house in north Denver. It was too cold inside so I settled in front of the TV.

My memory of the game was that the field was nasty and muddy and nobody could do much except Sam Baker.  Sam Baker was the Eagles kicker and he mad four field goals.  The teams did no score any other points and the Eagles won the game 12-0.  I remember the announcers kept saying that Sam baker had played in the NFL a long time and that he was 39 years old.  When you are six, 39 is pretty ancient. How could a man that old play football? But on Thanksgiving day 1968, Sam Baker was the man.

Just a footnote.  I just finished speed watching the Lions/Texans game today that the Lions lost 34-31.  The Texans received a gift touchdown when the officials failed to whistle a player down in a Houston running play.  The running back got up and ran the rest of the way.  Replays showed the Houston back was practically napping on the ground.  Lion coach Jim Schwartz threw a challenge flag.  League rules stipulate that officials upstairs review all scoring plays.  In some twisted morass of logic, Jim Schwartz throwing the challenge flag created a 15-yard penalty and negated the automatic review of the scoring play.  The touchdown stood and Detroit got royally hosed.

Personally, I think that may be the dumbest rule of all time.  Thirty million people watching the game could see the error.  Replays are supposed to correct errors.  Yet, because a coach in a fit of angst threw a challenge flag for a play that is automatically reviewed, the league rules say the bad call can't be reviewed?  Ridiculous. Get the calls right.  It is embarrassing to let these bad calls decide games.

This is an example of the officials being to reliant on replay.  It really wasn't close.  However, since they have replays to fall back on the officials error on the side of keeping plays alive.  Why don't they error on the side of getting calls right?  Yeah, Schwartz should have know this stupid rule.  However, it should not have come to this.  The officials should have whistled the play dead because the runner was clearly down.  Can I say this again.  Total Farce.  

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-11-22/jim-schwartzs-gaffe-leads-to-texans-controversial-t