Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches, they're just like us. At least when it comes to complaining about the referees. Tony Dungy, a member of the 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class, didn't appreciate seeing what appeared to be a false start penalty on New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas on a play that ended up giving the G-Men a 14-7 lead on the Minnesota Vikings during Sunday's playoff game on Super Wild Card Weekend.
The NFL officiating people need to stop with this narrative that these Offensive Tackle false starts are hard to see in real time. Everyone in America watching on TV can see them. If the D-lineman is just slightly ahead of the snap they call it offside every time. But not on Off?
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) January 15, 2023
Here's the play in question, where Thomas seems to get into his pass set before the ball is snapped, to the point where Vikings linebacker Za'Darius Smith briefly paused his pass rush to ask the referees if a penalty was going to be called.
Refs miss false start on the Giants and it leads to a touchdown! #NYGvsMIN pic.twitter.com/vhJEpQQkAC
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) January 15, 2023
It appears missed calls went both ways in the Giants-Vikings game as New York linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux seemed to get held during Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins' first touchdown pass of the game, a nine-yard strike to receiver K.J. Osborn, which trimmed the Giants' lead to three, 17-14, with 45 seconds left in the first half.
Dungy spent 13 seasons as an NFL head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 54-42 in six seasons from 1996-2001 -- and the Indianapolis Colts -- 85-27 in seven seasons from 2002-2008 that included the Colts' only Super Bowl win. With the victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, Dungy became the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl. Prior to getting his first head coaching job with the Buccaneers, Dungy served as the Vikings' defensive coordinator for four seasons from 1992-1995. Keep up with our coverage of Giants-Vikings here.
