September 9, 2002
Just got back from watching the Browns' season opener at the Oregon. They should've won 39-37. They didn't.
Four seconds left, Kansas City has the ball. The quarterback drops back, and is tackled. Time expires during the play. Everyone thinks the game is over. One of the Browns players tosses his helmet in celebration.
But the game isn't over -- the quarterback lateralled the ball as he was going down. The running back ran deep into Cleveland territory before being forced out of bounds. So the game's still over, right?
Wrong. A Cleveland player removed his helmet, remember? Thanks to the "Emmitt Smith rule," removing one's helmet during the game causes a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Since the play was in progress, the penalty was called. But the game's still over, right?
Wrong. The game cannot end with the defensive team being penalized, even if that penalty has no bearing on the game itself. The Chiefs were given one more play, so they brought in their place-kicker. He made a field goal.
Browns lose, 40-39.
