1975 Playoff Game: Pearson did NOT push off!

[Eli]

I know this is sacrilege in these parts, but it's time to dispel this myth.

Drew Pearson did NOT push off. I've watched the play 1000 times and Nate Wright simply overran the pass and was unable to come back to the ball. Wright leaves his feet on his own in deperation, takes an awkward swipe with his left hand at the ball that's now behind him and falls down on his own.

In the main sideline camera view of the play, an observer could be forgiven for thinking Pearson pushed Wright in the back with both hands. The view is poor, and that's one way that it could be interpreted. The long camera shot means that the view is foreshortened and the depth of field is poor, giving no sense of the space between the two players and little ability to see Pearson's hands.

But you only have to watch the endzone camera view of the play, and it's easy to see what really happened. Pearson's right hand never makes contact with Wright. In one smooth motion, you see it come from over Wright's far shoulder to behind him to snag the ball. Pearson's left hand is more difficult to see and may have made contact with Wright's side or hip, but the contact was trivial. It's not why Wright left his feet and went sprawling.

Watch both views of the play, beginning at 7:50. The second angle, in slow motion, is at about 9:00.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W-z0LtDIpA

[Demi]

You can clearly see around 9:00 the little jerk as he's pushed with Pearson's left hand...

[Eli]

You can clearly see around 9:00 the little jerk as he's pushed with Pearson's left hand...

I see that, but it's a result of Wright's attempting to stop and turn completely around and swipe at thin air. He appears to trip over his own feet as well.

[Funkytown]

I'm pretty sure I saw on TV one time (NFL Network) that he admitted to it and laughed about it...so, yes he did.

But, admittedly, it wasn't much. Still. You can see something going on there.

So, they shut him out all day until that drive? No way. The luck of the Vikings, I tell ya.

Why are you sitting around torturing yourself with these sort of videos anyway? lol

[J. Kapp 11]

Pearson pushed off.

[Mothman]

I see that, but it's a result of Wright's attempting to stop and turn completely around and swipe at thin air. He appears to trip over his own feet as well.

There's a larger version at the link below and as Demi said, you can see Wright's body react as he's pushed. It'a subtle push but you can see it in his upper body and I really don't think it's just a result of Wright attempting to stop and turn.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia ... 7da328dee6

[losperros]

I see that, but it's a result of Wright's attempting to stop and turn completely around and swipe at thin air. He appears to trip over his own feet as well.

Nope. It's a result of Pearson pushing off, at least according to Pearson it is. He admitted it later. So unless Pearson is lying, he pushed off. Case closed.

[Eli]

There's a larger version at the link below and as Demi said, you can see Wright's body react as he's pushed. It'a subtle push but you can see it in his upper body and I really don't think it's just a result of Wright attempting to stop and turn.

No, that's at the exact moment that his feet get twisted and he trips. You can see how awkwardly and how hard his steps are, jolting his head forward.

If he was touched, "subtle" would be a gross understatement. Imagine how incensed anyone would be if today that was called offensive PI? And that was almost 40 years ago, when they actually let them play football. I've seen Randy Moss make that catch coming back to the ball several dozen times, with a lot more contact involved on both sides.

Pearson did not push off.

[J. Kapp 11]

Here's my question, and it's something I never noticed until I watched the replay today ... WTF was Paul Krause doing?

Somehow, I don't think you'd ever see Harrison Smith slowing down 3 yards from the play so he could watch.

[losperros]

Here's my question, and it's something I never noticed until I watched the replay today ... WTF was Paul Krause doing?

Somehow, I don't think you'd ever see Harrison Smith slowing down 3 yards from the play so he could watch.

Good point. Krause looks as if he gave up. Maybe he could have helped break up the play.

[Just Me]

Good point. Krause looks as if he gave up. Maybe he could have helped break up the play.

Look (at my Avatar) I know I'm a little bit prejudiced but was that a "yellow leaf" that comes flying across where the Offensive PI takes place? I'm just speculating but I think maybe out of Krause's perepheral vision he saw the yellow "leaf" (or whatever it was) and thought it was a PI call. He immediately points to Pearson after he realizes it's not a flag.

[Reignman]

I wasn't a Viking fan back in 1975 so I thankfully never had to experience the pain of this game, but it doesn't look like a push off to me either. It looks like Wright dives or falls awkwardly (or perhaps their feet tangle) and in mid air realizes he misjudged the ball so you see the desperate reach back with his hand. Like the body and arm had minds of their own on that play lol.

And even if you want to believe it was a push, from a physics standpoint, there's no way Pearson generated enough force or power with that little "push" to shove Wright to the ground the way he ends up falling, even with Wrights momentum. I mean look at Pearson' arm/hand, there's no force there at all, no sudden extension of the arm. It almost looks like he went to rest his hand on Wright (the way receivers/defenders do on a jump ball) just as Wright was diving/falling so it looks like a push. I mean come on, only Joey Browner has the power to push someone to the ground with a tap xD.

But where was the double coverage on Pearson? Pearson was beating Wright like a rented mule on that drive. And where was the deep safety help on the hail mary? I mean what the heck was Krause doing on that play? Why did he give up on the play before the ball was caught? Perhaps if he kept running he could have put a lick on Pearson before he scored.

The previous sideline catch bothers me more. It looks like we've been burned twice by the old no longer existing "push-out" rule. Like in 2003 "the miracle in the desert" play at Arizona that cost us the division. The person that thought up that rule should be drawn and quartered xD.

[Mothman]

No, that's at the exact moment that his feet get twisted and he trips. You can see how awkwardly and how hard his steps are, jolting his head forward.

If he was touched, "subtle" would be a gross understatement. Imagine how incensed anyone would be if today that was called offensive PI? And that was almost 40 years ago, when they actually let them play football. I've seen Randy Moss make that catch coming back to the ball several dozen times, with a lot more contact involved on both sides.

Pearson did not push off.

You're obviously convinced of that so I see no point in arguing about it. I don't think there's definitive evidence one way or the other but I thought it was a subtle push-off when I saw it during the original broadcast back then and it still looks that way to me now.

I was always angrier over the previous completion anyway. I don't think Pearson could have caught that pass inbounds.

It's all spilled milk. No point crying about it now.

[J. Kapp 11]

Good point. Krause looks as if he gave up. Maybe he could have helped break up the play.

This will sound like sacrilege.

Paul Krause holds the NFL record with 81 interceptions. He also recovered 19 fumbles in his career. He's a Hall of Famer.

That being said, he was never one to seek out contact. It's pretty evident on this play.

[losperros]

Look (at my Avatar) I know I'm a little bit prejudiced but was that a "yellow leaf" that comes flying across where the Offensive PI takes place? I'm just speculating but I think maybe out of Krause's perepheral vision he saw the yellow "leaf" (or whatever it was) and thought it was a PI call. He immediately points to Pearson after he realizes it's not a flag.

You know, now that I look at it, it really does look like a flag. At least on the screen it does.

Whatever, Krause still seems as if he's giving up on the play, which I have to agree with Kapp is something Harrison Smith probably wouldn't do. More than likely Smith would knock Pearson into next week.