January 7, 2003 5:50 AM

Yeah, we screwed up, but you're still f****d

NFL: Niners should have been flagged for interference

Being the NFL means means never having to say that you're sorry. Or correcting your mistake early enough so that it actually means something. Because of that arrogance and ineptitude, the New York Giants will be sitting at home watching the San Francisco 49ers play in Tampa Bay this weekend.

NEW YORK -- This should make dejected New York Giants fans feel even worse: The NFL said the refs botched the call on the final play, an unusual admission about an unusual game.

A pass-interference penalty should have been called against the San Francisco 49ers at the end of their wild 39-38 playoff victory, giving New York another chance to kick a game-winning field goal, said Mike Pereira, NFL director of officiating.

The refs ruled correctly that New York had an ineligible receiver downfield. But they did not throw a flag when Rich Seubert was yanked to the ground as he tried to catch a pass near the end zone after the Giants bungled the field-goal attempt.

"How they missed that, I do not know,'' Giants coach Jim Fassel said. "That is very disappointing.''

The teams would have had to replay the down with an offsetting pass-interference penalty, said Pereira, who reviewed videotape of the play. Seubert was an eligible receiver even though he is usually a guard.

"Although time had expired, a game cannot end with offsetting penalties. Thus, the game would have been extended by one untimed down,'' the league said.

The Giants blew a 24-point lead -- the second biggest in playoff history -- but still had a chance to win with the 41-yard field goal with six seconds left.

New York fumbled the snap and couldn't get the kick off. So holder Matt Allen scrambled and threw a desperation pass to Seubert, who was pulled down by 49ers defensive end Chike Okeafor at about the 4-yard line.

"There was so much commotion at the end that there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't challenge it. I couldn't do anything,'' Fassel said.

When asked Sunday night about not making the call, referee Ron Winter said: "There was no pass interference. The receiver was ineligible.'' However, it was unclear if he was referring to Seubert or Tam Hopkins, who lined up as the left guard and was illegally downfield on the pass.

Seubert lined up as an eligible receiver. He told the officiating crew before the game that he would be in that position on field goals.

Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi called the refs' mistake a "bitter pill to swallow,'' but he said his team shouldn't have been in that position.

"The officials didn't blow a 24-point lead,'' he told ESPN. "The officials didn't mess up the field goal in the first place.''

True, the Giants should never have found themselves in position to do the Keystone Kops routine at the end of the game. Even so, considering what was at stake, I think it's unconscionable that the officials made no effort to sort the mess out at the end of the game- when something actually could have been done about this fiasco. The players and fans deserved better.

Unfortunately, if you're a Giants fan, you have the cold comfort of knowing that the NFL admitted that a mistake was made. Of course, you also have to live with the knowledge that absolutely nothing will be done to correct it. Yeah, that's right, we screwed the pooch, but you'll still f****d. Better luck next year, eh?

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 7, 2003 5:50 AM.

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