Marvin Lewis blasts 'phantom call' at end of game

[GMDino]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2015/11/23/domata-peko-penalty-cincinnati-marvin-lewis/76247242/

Quote:GLENDALE, Ariz. – On television, you could see Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko waving his hand in front of his face as the Arizona Cardinals prepared for one final spike before attempting a game-winning field goal.

On the field, game officials heard Peko calling out the Cardinals’ snap count, and threw a flag after the noise made an Arizona offensive lineman jump.

Had the penalty been called as a false start, the result would have been a 10-second run-off, effectively sending the game to overtime. Instead, referee Terry McAulay called Peko for a personal foul – moving the line of scrimmage for the Cardinals’ game-winning kick 15 yards closer. Chandler Catanzaro nailed the 32-yarder with two seconds remaining.

It was a rare penalty, and one that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis angrily described after the game as a “phantom call.”

“I trust what our player said. He’s alerting a run and not anything to do with what they’re saying,” Lewis said. “I don’t see how they make that call at that point in the game like that.”

But Cardinals players said that kneel down wasn’t the only time they heard Peko calling out the Cardinals’ snap count.

“They were very loud and demonstrative with their shifts. The line shifts like that, it sounded like a cadence,” Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “I’m just glad they finally caught it later in the game.”

Palmer, who was Peko’s teammate in Cincinnati for six years, said the call was “obvious.”

“The ref was right there,” Palmer said. “They obviously said the snap count and that’s a 15-yarder.”

Well, at least it was the refs fault they lost.