Mike Carey Explanation on Watkins TD/Possible Touchback

The ball bouncing around at the 1 and not being in his hand when it hits the pylon looked good to me. Then again I do have working eyes.

 

Right...and that's why Philbin should've called a TO, to at least hope for the chance the reviewers could see the right angle that was clear. Lost opportunity.

 

Philbin is pretty awful w challenging/timeouts.

I thought it was clear that Grimes(I think) punches it just before the 1 and it's out of his hand on the very first angle they showed.

 

The call on the field was a touchdown. You need irrefutable evidence or a "smoking gun" to overturn a call. The replay video that the refs had on hand did not have sufficient evidence to over rule the call on the field or was "too close too call". The call on the field takes presedence or in other words the call on the field stands. If the call on the field was fumble and touchback on this particular play, IMO, the call would have been in Miami's favor.

 

The pylon is the endzone and part of the playing field. The ball carrier needs to have possession of the ball in order for it to be a touchdown. If he did not have possession of the ball, or in other words fumbled, while going into and out of bounds in the downfield endzone(the one Miami was defending), including the pylon, it would be a touchback.

 

SI - "If the ball reached either the front tip of the goal line or the pylon while still in Watkins' hands, the touchdown call was correct. However, if he fumbled it early, with the ball then hitting the pylon and rolling out of bounds, it should have been ruled a touchback and Miami's possession."