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New York Jets Fans Throw Temper Tantrum After Ref Puts Safety First

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Whenever the New York Jets lose (especially to the New England Patriots), it seems fans have to find something to blame it on other than their favorite team simply was outplayed. So on Thursday night when the Jets dropped their sixth straight game against the Patriots following a blocked field goal, the finger pointing began.

During the game-saving field goal block by the Patriots, linebacker Dont’a Hightower had stepped up to the line of scrimmage directly over the snapper as he looked to pressure the kick. Right before the snap, the ref redirected him, taking away the possibility of an illegal formation penalty, which would have allowed Nick Folk to retry the field goal.

After realizing what the ref had done, Jets fans were livid. It was simply unacceptable for him to help Hightower avoid a penalty for lining up over the snapper when he was within one yard of the line of scrimmage, right?

This is actually a common occurrence, and is used as a preventative safety measure – which is also why lining up in such a way is a penalty. However, why would the ref allow an unsafe play to occur if he was capable of avoiding it?

According to NFL rules, a player lined up within one yard of the line of scrimmage must have his entire body outside of the snapper’s shoulder pads. Because of the snapper being in what could be considered a “defenseless” position, immediate contact before he has the opportunity to bring himself upright is discouraged. Hence, the rule and moving of Hightower.

It’s not like an offsides penalty when the player’s mistake isn’t hurting anyone. If Hightower would have stayed put and hit the snapper before he had a chance to straighten up, his chances of sustaining an injury were much greater than normal. So the ref made the preventative move.

Instead of Jets fans worrying about the refs helping opposing players avoid penalties, why don’t they worry about why their team was in that position in the first place? Yes, the Jets played a solid game (compared to their previous five losses), but there were still other opportunities earlier in the game for them to seal the deal.

Next time Jets fans, take a look at the NFL rulebook and use some common sense before trying to point the finger at someone other than the team that lost the game.

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