Mr Guy: IamKaiserSoze!!!: I can't disagree with one word in this article. I was thinking the same thoughts as I watched the game last Thursday. As a life long Lions fan, they deserve better. They are the most undisciplined team in sports led by the least disciplined coach.

Nonsense, and the rule interpretation is incoherent. The refs just aren't used to dealing with the new automatic review process, and applied the rule incoherently. All rules in the NFL are applied individually, and sequentially, in a way that most benefits the team not being penalized without breaking any other rules. It should have been applied in a way that made sense:

1) Coach throws challenge flag incorrectly. Coach can not challenge, penalty applied after result of play.
2) Automatic review process takes place, review calls the touchdown back.
3) Ball spotted at the down, 15 yard penalty applied or declined, based on where the ball was spotted, either first down or automatic first down.

The coach can't benefit from throwing his flag at the time he threw it, engendering a future penalty. Once the play continued, as a seperate isolated event, the referees automatic should have started a second review, as all scoring plays are now reviewed. The refs thought of the play as "one review chance", but it wasn't. It was two seperate events, a review event started by the coach, and a later review event initiated by the referees. The rule change to an automatic review made this equivalent to a chop foul on the defense followed later by a blocking foul down the field on the offensive. Two different events.

factoryconnection: For the record, the refs blew a pretty easy call that caused the whole kerfuffle; the defense should have been playing to the whistle but they tackled the ball carrier. Schwartz just made their f*ckup un-fixable.

The refs blew it. I'm not sure what game they were watching.

scottydoesntknow: And he did know that. Last year the exact same thing happened in the 49ers-Lions game and Schwartz screamed to Harbaugh on the other side of the field "Learn the f*cking rules!"

His temper is a liability.

Mouthoy: So here's a question...

Let's say that Schwartz, in a moment of clarity, does NOT throw the challenge flag.

Since the touchdown would have (theoretically) been reversed, could Kubiak have thrown the challenge flag, to negate the review that would reverse the touchdown call? 15 yard penalty for a touchdown?

IamKaiserSoze!!!: Ok, there's two things going on here.

First, the farking rule is nonsensical and needs to be revised.

Second, Schwartz is an asshole and needs to be gone. I was a huge supporter of his three years ago, but it's become apparent that his lack of discipline has flowed down through the entire team. I've been waiting forty years for a decent football team in Detroit and now that they have the talent, they've got a shift head coach.