PFWA Pool Reporter Joe Person Interview with Referee Tra Blake and NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Question: On the Adam Thielen catch-non/catch at the end of the first half, replay seemed to show him possessing the ball after the initial bobble with a knee inbounds. What did you see or not see on the review that led you to stay with the call on the field?
Butterworth: “The ruling on the field was incomplete and the officials were giving the bobble signal. We purposely stopped the game. For us to overturn, we need clear and obvious video evidence to change the ruling on the field. As we looked at available views, there was an initial bobble while the receiver was in the air. He then did get control which is the first part of the catch process. He did get a knee inbounds and as he is going to the ground, the third act would be surviving the ground. As he goes to the ground and turns over, there was no shot showing that he maintained possession throughout completing the process of the catch. On one of the angles – and there were not a lot of available angles and we didn’t have a shot to overturn it – as he is rolling over, you can see at least one hand come off the ball. So with an on-field ruling of incomplete, we would have to show that he had control to award him a touchdown.”
Question: So, if you had another angle, the knee was not in question, it was whether he survived the ground?
Butterworth: “Correct, that would be the second aspect of the catch because we need control, then two feet or a body part – which the knee counts as a body part – and then an act common to the game. Since he’s going to the ground, we want him to be able to maintain control of the ball as he is going to the ground. To complete the process of the catch, you can say it is like time, he needs time to complete the process of the catch.”
Question: And that replay did not exist?
Butterworth: “Yes, there were not as many cameras at this game. One shot that would’ve been good, the receiver ended up behind the goalpost, so we lost that angle. Other angles were coming too early or too late.”
Question: Curious as to why there weren’t as many cameras at this one?
Butterworth: “Every game has at least nine broadcast cameras. Someone from broadcasting would have to answer that.”
Question: [Referring to Umpire Carl Paganelli] Tra, I hope that your umpire is okay. Wondering the mechanics of going from a seven-man crew to a six-man crew after he left the field?
Blake: “This is something that everyone in the officiating program prepares for in the event that an official goes down. In the offseason at our clinics and also in the preseason, we practice this and we know how to handle the situation. The crew was prepared for this, and this is not the first time the crew has seen this. They went into it seamlessly and understood the mechanics of it and the expectations of those mechanics.”
Question: It looked like the back judge handled most of the ball placement but not entirely. Was it kind of who was in the best position to spot the ball and mark it ready for play?
Blake: “We will have a referee in the backfield, we will have two officials on the line of scrimmage, two officials at deep wings, and the back judge. With that mechanic, depending on where the ball is placed, where the ball is down, that determines who is going to handle the spotting. So, between myself and the back judge, we carried a lot of that responsibility, but the back judge is very mobile and he did an excellent job of coming in and helping out with those responsibilities.”
Question: [Referring to Umpire Carl Paganelli] Are you able to say how your crew member is doing?
Blake: “He is recovering. It doesn’t look like it is anything serious at this point. He is a trooper. He is a strong guy and he will be back.”
Question: Being down to six, did that impact at all the play I was asking Mark about with Thielen in the first half?
Blake: “No sir. The officials that are responsible for covering that play were in great position. Us going down to a six-man mechanic had no impact on that play whatsoever.”
