When A First Down Is Not Really A First Down

It is fortunate for the various belongings in the immediate area surrounding the couch from which I watch football games that this was not a meaningful renewal of the Browns-Steelers ‘rivalry’.  The only thing more confusing than that first sentence was how in the world this became a first down for the Steelers. 

The referee’s excuse that it was a ‘bad camera angle’ didn’t seem to make much sense either.  Especially to those of you who were listening to the game on WMMS when the Browns sideline report Andre Knott asked the guy on the chain-gang who held the marker what happened and he said it looked like it was short to him and he didn’t know why the ref ruled it a first down.

The other curious thing is how little coverage this call got.  After all, this was only a fourth-down measurement inside the redzone during a 14-7 game.  Kinda of strange to me, but I guess that’s the kind of treatment you get when you’re 1-4 and have lost 12 straight to your ‘rival’.