Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he expects officials in the NFL office to review the controversial play that ended his team’s hopes of winning at Seattle on Sunday.
Game officials did not penalize Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman for grabbing wide receiver Julio Jones’ right arm with the ball in the air on what turned out to be the Falcons’ final play. A pass interference penalty would have given the Falcons the ball near Seattle’s 35-yard line with 1:30 to go and one timeout. The Seahawks took over on downs and ran out the clock on their 36-34 victory.
Quinn reacted angrily to the play on the sideline, national commentators said Sherman should have been penalized and Saints coach Sean Payton said pass interference should be subject to replay reviews.
“The league will certainly look at it and will grade all of the officials, too,” Quinn said. “I was certainly ticked off as a competitor. But I will let (the league) comment on the play. But as a competitor, you saw that (reaction) on the sideline from me.
“The message I gave to the team, and I wholeheartedly believe it, it does not come down to one play. We had our opportunities in that ballgame to make game-winning plays, game statement plays earlier, and we didn’t do that. It just so happened on that one it all got magnified.”
Payton told reporters in New Orleans on Monday that he hoped pass interference calls will be subject to replay review “sooner (rather) than later.” Officials penalized Saints safety Vaccaro for pass interference in the end zone on a fourth-down play during New Orleans’ 41-38 victory over Carolina on Sunday.
Quinn said he had no opinion on whether pass interference should be included among the calls subject to replay review.
“It’s something that the league has considered in the past: which plays aren’t, which play are,” Quinn said. “I think the topic is there because the penalties are so big, at times. I’m sure it will be something the competition committee will look in to. They’ve certainly discussed it before. But as far as where we will go it will be something to discuss in the off season at the league meetings.”
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