National Football League

Double fouls, double change of possession ... what's the call?

Published Oct. 12, 2014 4:00 p.m. ET

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A play in Sunday’s Detroit-Minnesota game on FOX was so confusing that I almost asked somebody on my crew to place a call to a neuroscientist here in the “Ice Cube” at the FOX Network Center.  

A neuroscientist, you ask? 

Well, neuroscientists have determined that drinking or eating something too cold too fast will cause a brain freeze. And though I didn’t eat or drink anything too cold, I do know cold. The temperature inside my space here has got to be in the 30s — I have my foot heater on for gosh sakes — so I might need a neuroscientist to begin a new study to determine whether just being cold can cause brain freeze. 

That’s the only explanation I can think of that could cause my brain to freeze up twice while trying to explain what transpired late in the second quarter of the Lions-Vikings game. 

Detroit had the ball, fourth-and-10 at its own 23-yard line with 1:17 left in the first half. Sam Martin punted the ball 59 yards to the Vikings’ Marcus Sherels. Sherels returned the ball 14 yards before he fumbled, and it was recovered by Tahir Whitehead at the 32. 

However, three penalties were called on the play — two against the Vikings (offensive holding and an Illegal block in the back) and one against the Lions (illegal use of hands). The penalties offset, so the ruling was no play and the Lions kicked the ball again. 

Is there any wonder I had a brain freeze? 

When I was with the NFL, before the beginning of every season I would put out a rules test for the officials and purposely would include questions to confuse them. And this play was one of them. It’s called a double foul on a double change of possession. 

What does that mean? 

Let’s start with the double change of possession. Detroit punted the ball to Minnesota … Minnesota then returned the punt and fumbled the ball … and Detroit recovered. 

Then, there were double fouls on the play, in other words, fouls on both teams. So now the question becomes does Detroit keep the ball? The answer is no. 

Confused yet? 

Here’s why. The Lions committed their foul before they got final possession of the ball. So therefore, since they didn’t get that clear recovery by the end of the play — with what we call “clean hands” — the only choice is to offset the penalties, which is what referee John Parry and his crew did. 

Complicated? Absolutely. But also, the correct enforcement by the officiating crew. 

Anybody got a blanket? 

Mike Pereira explains why the clock always remains stopped after penalties within the final 5 minutes of the game.

Mike Pereira takes a closer look at two big hits on two big quarterbacks in Week 6.

A flag on a big hit on Roddy White was picked up, and Mike Pereira thinks the crew in Atlanta got it right.

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