Upon further review, spot call overruled

Hey, guess what? Last night, the NFL sent out a link to vice president of officiating Mike Pereira's weekly discussion of controversial calls in last weekend's games. Any idea what the hot topic is this time? Why, Donovan McNabb's fourth-down sneak against the Cowboys that wasn't ruled a first down, despite a video-review challenge, even though it sure looked like one.

You'll really never guess Pereira's take on what should have happened.

"It's a tough play," Pereira concedes. "I think I'd have moved it."

Before you rend the hem of your garment in frustration, Pereira qualifies that.

"I don't know if it becomes a first down," he says.

But like many Eagles fans, Pereira thinks the Eagles' logo on the field offers enough of a marker to ascertain where McNabb's elbow landed when he slid off the pile. Placing the ball there, Pereira concludes, "ought to move it up a few inches," at least. Somehow, McNabb came up nearly a foot short, the tip of the ball farther from the marker than it had been after LeSean McCoy's third-down attempt, which also might have been a first down, but was not reviewed.

As many people have mentioned, Pereira notes that establishing markers or landmarks for changing spots on video review is really hard.

Here's the link. Feel free to send it to those special Cowboys fans in your life.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/

nfl-network-total-access/

09000d5d814206ab/Official-Review-Week-9-bonus-coverage.