Watch the press conference by Joe Gibbs in RedskinTV.com
Gibbs to Send Game Tape to NFL
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
November 14, 2005
Head coach Joe Gibbs said on Monday that he would send film into the NFL of the disputed two-point conversion play that was pivotal in Tampa Bay's 36-35 victory over the Redskins on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
After reviewing the film on Monday, Gibbs said that the footage showed fullback Mike Alstott's elbow was on the ground before he crossed the goal line. Referees and replay officials ruled otherwise.
"We have a very clear film shot of the ballcarrier on the ground about six inches short," Gibbs said. "It was the same thing everybody else saw. We'll turn it in. I don't know what else you can do."
The play was one of several controversial calls during Sunday's game.
Alstott's two-point conversion was preceded by an apparent block of a PAT, but Shawn Springs was called for off-sides on the play. It was Springs who had raced around the left end and blocked the kick. Walt Harris raced around the right end in similar fashion.
Joe Gibbs
Said Gibbs: "We actually felt like we blocked it. We looked at it about 30 times with [special teams coordinator] Danny Smith. We felt like the center picked the ball up a little bit and that we kind of got off right when he picked it up. That block could have won it for us. Again, we'll turn that one in."
Asked what typically happens when he turns in film to the league for review, Gibbs replied: "It's going to come back as, '[The refs] either missed it or [the refs] didn't.' That's what they're going to say. You try to help as best you can and you turn all of that stuff in.
"We're all trying to work together. You want to have as few errors as possible. The best way to do that is to cooperate and send all of this stuff in. And hopefully the next time, it won't happen to us, it'll happen to somebody else."
With the off-sides penalty called, the Bucs had the ball on the 1-yard line for the game-tying PAT. In a gutsy move, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden decided to go for the two-point play. It worked and it proved to be the game-winning points.
On Monday, Gibbs was questioned about going for the block on the PAT.
"We had [a play] that we felt would work," he explained. "Blocking that could have been the play of the game. You take your shot. It's one of those things when it's over, you look back and say 'What if.' For me, I kind of like to go for it and be aggressive. But in this case, you could say that it bit us."
Gibbs has been a longtime supporter of the replay system. On Monday, he said he still supports it.
"If we didn't have it, I'd really be concerned," he said. "At least this way, if there's something that's obvious, you're going to get an overturn on it. I still feel good about the fact that we can review those things."
What a bunch of Zebra clowns.
