The fumble that wasn’t, Cardinals get tough break on call

Kerry Rhodes called it “crazy.”

Giants QB Eli Manning said “We got a break on that one, I
think.”

In question is a fourth quarter play where Giants receiver
Victor Cruz made a catch, fell down, got back up and had
the ball stripped. The Cardinals recovered the fumble, but
the Giants maintained possession.

The play was good for 19 yards.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt challenged the ruling but
it didn’t matter.

“[The official] just told me I couldn’t challenge it,”
Whisenhunt said. “He said that he called him down, he gave
himself up.

“He told me I could not challenge it and there is not much
I can say after that.”

Like a sliding QB, if a player has given himself up the
play is dead. However, it’s not clear that was the case
here.

In fact, by most accounts it was the wrong call.

Via his Twitter, former head of NFL officiating Mike Pereira said it should have
been ruled a fumble.

Of course, that is of no consolation to the Cardinals now,
given that the very next play was the game-winning
touchdown for the Giants.

And ultimately, the Cardinals weren’t going to dwell on
the call — missed or not.

“There were a lot of calls in that game, you can’t look at
just one,” Whisenhunt said. “We had a lot of chances.”

They did, and maybe Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald
said it best.

“I don’t want to put the referees in the position where
they have to make a call for us to come out there and get
it done,” he said.

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