NFL Admits Referees Blew Call In Lions/Saints Game
by Sean Yuille on Jan 9, 2012 8:03 AM EST
in Detroit Lions News
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Just how bad were the officials in Saturday's game between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints? On one of the biggest plays of the game, they managed to screw over both teams by completely blowing the call. The errors were so egregious that the NFL came out on Sunday and admitted that mistakes were made.
To be specific since there were several questionable calls, I'm referring to the fumble that was forced by Willie Young in the second quarter. Drew Brees lost the ball after being hit by Young, and Justin Durant picked it up for the Lions. He would have easily scored a touchdown, except one official blew his whistle. Another ruled the play a fumble, which was the correct call. Because of the inadvertent whistle, however, the play was stopped and no return was allowed.
As it turns out, the referees not only botched the call by blowing the whistle and preventing a return, but they also applied the rule incorrectly after the initial mistake was made. Here's the explanation from the NFL (via Pro Football Talk):
"Referee Tony Corrente ruled the play was a fumble and a recovery by Detroit," the league said in a statement emailed Sunday night to PFT. "However, during the play and before Detroit recovered the fumble, another official blew the whistle believing it was an incomplete pass. Because the ruling on the field was a fumble, and the whistle came before the recovery, the play is dead because of the inadvertent whistle and the Saints should have retained possession of the ball. New Orleans would then have had the choice to put the ball in play at the spot where possession was lost or to replay the down. Inadvertent whistles are not reviewable."
This rule was correctly applied in Sunday's Steelers/Broncos game after the referees made yet another mistake, and Denver got screwed as a result. The rule itself is pretty dumb, and it's a good thing for the Lions that the referees botched the handling of it on Saturday. Had their incompetence prevented the Lions from even getting the ball, I would have blown a gasket.
Of course, it shouldn't have come to that in the first place. If not for the inadvertent whistle, the Lions likely would have had a touchdown return to go up 21-7. There's no telling how the rest of the game would have played out, but the Lions' chances of winning would have gone drastically up.
The worst part of it all is that it's not just the Lions drawing the short end of the stick with the refs. I know seemingly every week the Lions get screwed, but there were some horrendous calls in every game this past weekend. If this is the best the NFL has to offer, then there is a serious problem with the state of the referees, because they are downright awful. Until the NFL actually does something to improve the officiating, chances are there will continue to be more bad calls in key moments, and the game of football is going to suffer as a result.
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Awful, just awful
I almost wish they would not say anything after the horrible calls. It doesn’t make you feel any better.
21-7 is a whole different ball game but the way the Lions D was playing not sure it would have mattered….
"My Mama once told me don't argue with fools, cause people from a distance can't tell who is who" - Jay Z
I think it would have
because the game plan – on both sides – would’ve changed a lot.
the end result may have been the same, but the path getting there wouldn’t have been.
I disagree nuft, the Saints would not have changed a thing.
They would have continued to play aggressively and that play was in the first half so they knew they had plenty of time. It would not have changed how the Lions played either, unless you believe they would have tried to establish a run game, in which case they would have lost by even more IMO.
"I’m sorry for all the people who want us to run the ball 40 times a game, but we’re going to put the ball in No. 9’s hands and he’s going to make plays for us like he did today," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. Amen to that Jim!
North I can't tell if your saying the Lions still would of lost if going they were up by 21-7
Now both of us don’t know the outcome if they did go up 21-7 either way, and once again we did get screwed out of a TD. But I think if the Saints were down by 14 points there is a strong chance they would of forced some plays they might not if they weren’t down by 14 points. Maybe they would of punted not wanting to turn the ball over to the Lions with good field postion if they did not get it on 4th down.
Honestly I hate to say this but I hope the refs blow a major call and the end of the super bowl that completely changes the out come of the game. Where so many fans and major radio talk shows refuse to call the champs the super bowl winners because of how horrible the call was.
That might be the only way change is made, even then I highly doubt it.
we'll never know for sure
but based on how things were going to that point I think they would’ve given up on the run a bit which would’ve allowed the D to stay back in coverage. again I’m not saying the Lions would’ve dominated or anything, but up until that point they had been holding their own anyway.
as for the Lions establishing a run game, Smith wasn’t doing that bad….. would he have been enough to kill all the clock? no I don’t think so but with a 2 TD lead you can risk trying it a bit more.
Yes, we will never know the impact of that TD.
But I think it is very unlikely the Saints would have changed their game plan. They got even more aggresive when they were behind by one touchdown, I doubt a two TD differential would make them become conservative. They have a great offence and a fantastic QB who they have a lot of confidence in. They put it on that group to win the game and they did. Our offence needed to match them score for score. This game reminded me a bit of the 2010 Thanksgiving game against Brady and the Pats. We hung close for awhile but could not stop their offence and ended up losing by three TDs.
Perhaps the emotional lift to the Lions would have helped, but the fact is they made a big play and took the ball away from the Saints for the second time that half. How much inspiration do they need?
"I’m sorry for all the people who want us to run the ball 40 times a game, but we’re going to put the ball in No. 9’s hands and he’s going to make plays for us like he did today," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. Amen to that Jim!
idk There were so many bad calls & non-calls
It’s gotta be disheartening & frustrating 4 the players, when the only calls you get is when you make 20+ yard gains, so they call somje obligatory pass-int call. It’s really frustrating just bein a fan & watch virtually all the calls go against the team that’s not favored to win, mysterious & then you watch the other teams oLine practically bear huggin the d on almost every play & you wonder “what do these guys gotta do to get a penalty called on them?”. Somethin’s gotta be done about the one-sided reffing, especially since it always seems to go against the team(s) who aren’t favored in the betting line, either they need more safeguards via replay, or pay these guys more than the bookies are paying them!
that comes with winning too
winning leads to bandwagoners leads to being popular
with our offensive tandem of Stafford and Megatron this team is primed for that
let's look at it like this...
If we scored, score would be 21-7 going into the half instead of 14-10, or maybe 21-10. Saints score again, 21-17, instead of 14-17, saints score again, 21-24 instead of 14-124, we score, 28-24, they score, 28-31, we score 35-31, at that point, we can run down the clock.
While it may not have been exactly like this, where Stafford would feel like he has to play catch up, I think it could have been vastly difference. The one issue I had is that we couldn’t capitalize on turnovers, like the Saints did. You turn turnovers into points means you have a great thinking working.
If we scored on our two, +14, and stopped them on their 2, -14, us +1 TD, score goes from 35 – 31. A 21 point swing, yes this is all speculation, but it’s all a matter of pressure and perspective, we need to:
- Learn how to capitalize off turnovers.
- Stop the Run
- Pressure on Qb
- Stop leaving middle of the field open for QBs to carve out with slot passes and hooks.
- Stop blowing coverage
Hmm…a lot of that list, namely 4/5 or 80% is defense, GUNNY TAKE A HINT BRO.
by Usman 'Uzi' Altafullah on Jan 9, 2012 8:33 AM EST reply actions
vastly different*
great thing working*
Score goes to* (instead of from)
dumb spelling errors, it’s to early for me…
by Usman 'Uzi' Altafullah on Jan 9, 2012 8:35 AM EST up reply actions
Through the year this team has been very good at converting TOs to points.
And as far as your checklist on the defensive side; lets see….stop the run, stop the pass, and get more pressure on the QB. Sounds like we need a whole new defence. LOL
"I’m sorry for all the people who want us to run the ball 40 times a game, but we’re going to put the ball in No. 9’s hands and he’s going to make plays for us like he did today," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. Amen to that Jim!
damn!
you caught me! call me a heretic!
by Usman 'Uzi' Altafullah on Jan 9, 2012 9:54 AM EST up reply actions
Eh, Who cares?
Lets get to FA and the Draft.
All men are created equal. Its just that some men are more equal than others....
It's nice to be able to first say that in January instead of October.
by Brion on Jan 9, 2012 10:38 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
Its nice to be able to say that
In January instead of April when M++++ would draft yet another shitbag
Datsyukian Deke, Detroit Red Wings Blog
Follow @cnsportsblogs
And just while it's on my mind
Can we maybe get our D line to wear those high school pads like the Giants?
Hard for the offense to hold onto anything.
"My Mama once told me don't argue with fools, cause people from a distance can't tell who is who" - Jay Z
Does anyone else think
That the league had a meeting with the officials and told them to not look at holding and other penalties that slow the game down. Every game the dlines were being held. It just seemed like a terrible national representation of the NFL in general.
Yes, I also think the league believes that it is in its own best interest...
if certain teams advance (i.e. the Saints, the Pack, NE), so it is understood that those teams will tend to wind up on the favorable end of the call/no call issue.
I’m not saying the games are “fixed” but I believe the refs understand that they garner favor if they help the “teachers pets” of the NFL move forward in a close game.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson
"PUSH BACK. Zebras are NOT the Kings of the Jungle." - MusicCityDawg
by MusicCityDawg on Jan 9, 2012 10:46 AM EST up reply actions
i would rather have no holds
than have every play be called a hold. at least they were consistent with the no-calls.
what i’m sick of is the illegal block in the back on almost every punt and kickoff return.
"If guns cause crime then all of mine are defective."
They did call a hold on our guy
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"You can get a win with undisciplined jack asses, you create a winning team with discipline and poise." by Leonuro
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GROW THE F UP
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"Some people mistake the way I talk for the way I am thinking."
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Yeah Our guys didn't need to hold.
As far as the block in the backs thing goes If you want your mind blown watch any Devin Hester return especially his touchdown returns. Block in the back on everyone I’ve ever seen and they never get called.
Well...Do What The Zebras Would Do
Bet the over!
This is DBB, and this is what we do.
by V. on Jan 9, 2012 9:48 PM EST up reply actions
Good point and I agree. Lions got the share and they werent fare. But alot of teams who are not the Packers, Saints got shit on by the horrible officiating.
"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion." ....Alexander The Great
At least our guys were smart enough to ignore the whistle and grab the ball
Unlike in the Bears game.
I'm a bit confused...
Because the ruling on the field was a fumble, and the whistle came before the recovery, the play is dead because of the inadvertent whistle and the Saints should have retained possession of the ball.
I thought if they jump on the ball immediately, despite the whistle and the call is then overturned and called a fumble it’d be Detroit’s ball. At least that was my understanding coming out of the Chicago game.
Also:
If the ref never blew the whistle and Durant was allowed to score the TD, that just would’ve given the ball back to NO earlier, and since the only reason they kicked that FG to end the half instead of getting a TD was because they ran out of time, I think the half score would’ve been 21-14, not 21-10. Just saying. The only time our defense stopped NO was on the 2 TO’s, the FG where NO ran out of time, and the drive where they kneeled down to win the game.
Sorry, but though I admit that TD would’ve changed the dynamic of the game to some degree, when our defense can’t stop anything, we’re not gonna win the game. Especially when we can’t get points off of turnovers.
Seriously, NO didn’t even need to dress their punter for this game.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-Aristotle
by UndaDawg on Jan 9, 2012 11:30 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I Recked you for this comment.
NO could have scored 52 points in this game. Our defence gave up five TDs and a kneel down on our two yard line in the second half. Although it is nice to fantasize what might have happened, what did happen when our defence was on the field was pretty ugly. Our offence needed to score a couple more TDs to have a chance in this game.
I think we all knew that thirty-five points was probably the minimum needed to win this game, with a score in the forties more likely.
I also agree with your confusion regarding the fumble. The explanation in Chicago is that if one team clearly [and immediately] recovers the ball, they will get possession. Glad our guys got the ball in this case and the officials actually got the call as right as they could. Although the guy who blew the whistle should not be reffing in the playoffs anymore IMO.
"I’m sorry for all the people who want us to run the ball 40 times a game, but we’re going to put the ball in No. 9’s hands and he’s going to make plays for us like he did today," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. Amen to that Jim!
that may be true that our defense got
Run over. But, if there was no bad spot and they had to punt, and if brees’ sneak was spotted correctly, and if we get a return for a td on a fumble recovery, etc, etc etc, our defense doesn’t spend all that time on the feild. And they dont end up so gassed. And we likely dont give up 5 tds in the second half.
I have a 9" personality
by Waitingfortheroar on Jan 9, 2012 5:29 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
If anything gets me to stop caring about football in 2012
The relentless drumbeat of bad officiating at Lions games will do it.
[...]when Giants coach Steve Owen, a certified defensive genius, was asked how he planned to stop Nagurski, he said: "With a shotgun, as he’s leaving the dressing room."
After 40+ years of watching the NFL
Nothing, the 0-16 season didnt phase me except to make me sad, has shaken my confidence in and my desire to continue to watch the NFL like the obviously biased refs have.
"Common Sense, isn't" Solomon Short
So the NFL admitted a mistake here
But its not saying that the whistle shouldn’t have blown & the play (fumble recovery for a presumptive TD) allowed to happen, but rather, it said that the inadvertant whistle should have been used to kill the play, and the fumble recovery being given to the Lions was the wrong call!
So even when the NFL admits a mistake happens, it says the mistake was allowing the Lions to keep the ball, not that the whistle should never have blown!! Unreal.
That’s almost as much of a slap in the face to football fans everywhere as when the NFL came out after last season and said that the “process” rule is correct as written, and that Calvin’s TD that was taken away was ruled on properly. Even though the rule is clearly meant to be used when the player is horizontal when he catches the ball and he lands on his body, not coming down with two feet + control as Calvin did. Unreal.
by MSUDersh on Jan 9, 2012 12:10 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
+3
I have a 9" personality
by Waitingfortheroar on Jan 9, 2012 5:31 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well, If The NFL Really Cares
You won’t be seeing that crew again the rest of the playoffs.
This is DBB, and this is what we do.
by V. on Jan 9, 2012 9:50 PM EST up reply actions
Cancer as in,
He’s a cancer to the league like Charlie Villanueva is per Kevin Garnett, or is one of the refs actually sick with cancer?
And if the NFL doesn’t care, well, at least we know the NBA does:
He ref’d our last game against the saints.
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"You can get a win with undisciplined jack asses, you create a winning team with discipline and poise." by Leonuro
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GROW THE F UP
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"Some people mistake the way I talk for the way I am thinking."
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Wow that's too bad
as much as I sometimes believe in, “Players win games, coaches lose games, refs ruin games,” it’s too bad to hear that he’s out of action due to this. Thankfully it was discovered in time to be apparently treatable.
Agreed
Best of wishes to him.
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"You can get a win with undisciplined jack asses, you create a winning team with discipline and poise." by Leonuro
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GROW THE F UP
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Some people mistake the way I talk for the way I am thinking."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My opinion...
there should be an automatic review of all plays that happen in the endzone and all plays that there is a change of possession. I know, replay’s don’t involve audio, so the refs didn’t hear when the whistle happened in this one…but that’s how I feel.
LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! GO STEFAN LOGAN!
by BBlades on Jan 9, 2012 12:26 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
they definitely need to review all end zone plays
it makes no sense the way they have it now that you can overturn a called scoring play, but not overturn a called non-score that would be a score.
You put that perfectly
The technology exists to get these calls right, so why is there such momentum against using it & getting the proper outcome?
maybe they are scared of the game taking too long?
I’m not sure about that or why they don’t want to do it. I’m personally sick of those that wish to keep a human element in the game. I don’t like that at all, when there are 60 year old plus refs on the field with health problems. I will salute them and call them fucking warriors for being out there, however I would much rather have some one with who can perform the job.
Anyway, the technology is there. Shouldn’t take too long for a team up in the boxes reviewing the plays and sending word down to the officials on the field if a call they made needs to be correct.
So tired of lame press releases days or weeks after the fact.
Thanks for nothing.
That goddamn Okra and beans got you Oprah in jeans. Seems to me a little lean cuisine, wouldn't hurt much- Agh don't touch! -Obie Trice
I believe
that the NFL has just given these officials way too much to keep track of. they are all overwhelmed and miss the obvious. the best example was colstons “TD”. the fricken guy was 5 feet away from the play, but he was so concerned about the severity of the helmet contact that possession was a complete afterthought. there is no excuse for screwing that up, even if it was later corrected.
it leads to a complete lack of consistancy
and its going to get worse before it gets better. goodell needs to go.
yeah, really didn't get that call.
There was no facemask, blatant grabbing of the facemask or anything like that and it wasn’t against a QB. I don’t know the rules on that particular penalty but it seemed bogus to me. Nothing intentional about it, he was going up to block the ball from getting caught.
Another ruling that baffled me was the brees 4th and short sneak where he put the ball over the first down marker but pulled it back. Also, it looked like he wasn’t down when fairly swiped the ball out of his hands. I don’t really get that call but there wasn’t much of as stink about it but I still think it was bs.
Refs Cost Lions 24 - 28 Points Total - Consider This...
Lions got screwed twice by refs which could have been responsible for a total of a 21 point differential or more. That’s right, 21 point swing. If ref doesnt blow whistle on fumble, Lions score defensive TD (+7 for lions). If ref doesnt give Saints the first down backed into their own territory then they dont score that TD (-7 for saints) and Lions receive punt with VERY good field position and momentum and score TD (7). Also, what if bad punt, or great punt return? What if blocked punt? Huge Momentum! We will never know what SHOULD have been! Not to mention that the Lions had decent momentum until the refs took the wind out of their sail with the Way too friendly ball spot which led to the Saints TD. Do the math: 7 + 7 + 7 = 21 points. Plus add another 3 or 7 (or more?) for the stolen momentum. I’m sick of these refs ruining us. The refs were definitely the Saints 12 man in this game.
by LionsTigersGoBlue on Jan 9, 2012 1:29 PM EST reply actions
For being one of the first sports to use video replay
The NFL sure has dragged its feet in making it right. The Lions had two touchdowns taken from them the last two games, and everyone watching knows they were. The ruling on field is as good as the word of god.
The last 2 games
Made me feel like I was watching WWE and we got slapped in the back of the head with a folding chair. The officiating needs help.
The NFL needs to fix this or they will lose people (fans and players).
by GrumpyOldMan on Jan 9, 2012 1:49 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
In Monday Morning QB
King makes no bones about his man-love for the Saints. In fact, he mentions how hard it is to type with Brees’ knob in his mouth. However, he does mention the blown calls in the game. Of course he mentions the fumble and how the Saints should have gotten the ball back without saying that the Saints did actually fumble and the blown call was the whistle. More interestingly was the next one he mentions:
In another weird play, Brees, on a 4th-and-a-foot call, leaped over the line, stuck the ball out long enough to get the ball past the first-down marker, then pulled it back as he was swarmed by the Lions. Looked like he voluntarily pulled it back, which, of course, would have meant he didn’t have the forward progress for the first down. But the officials on the field gave him forward progress.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/01/08/wild.card.round/index.html#ixzz1izKTxjbR
I recall that and I didn’t realize the rule. It makes sense, like when a RB runs backwards by choice vs pushed back. Just more bad calls.
many of us noticed it right away.
it wasn’t a goal line play, you can’t just “break the plane” and pull the ball back.
thanks, glad other people caught it.
I’ve been all over pride of detroit asking about it and making as stink about it. That shit just blew my mind.
Kind of like the generous spot they got when they were backed up to their 10
The refs just were not going to let their drives stop. They might as well of just said 1st and 8.
Yeah I noticed that one too
Put something up about it on the next day thread http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2012/1/8/2691150/lions-saints-score-recap-nfl-playoffs#87987939
Bottom line is, the refs absolutely must understand the rules and how they are different on different parts of the field.
This also would have been a good time for Schwartz to use his challenge. Coach, they’re not cell phone minutes, they don’t roll over!!!
Fuck the NFL and their bogus laegue
All i have to say at this point. Fuck them.
Worst case scenario the games are fixed.
Best case scenario the officials are completely incompetent.
If they cannot get the calls correct then why not add a couple more officials for every game. Obviously there is too much going on for the refs to see as of now.
The Games Have Always Been Fixed
not just the NFL, the NBA, MLB, FIFA, Cricket, everywhere.
Some point in the next 10 years, it’s a coinflip there will be a betting scandal involving NFL refs. Just watch.
This is DBB, and this is what we do.
by V. on Jan 9, 2012 9:52 PM EST up reply actions
They are even admitting over on the Saints blog
That they go away with holding on a couple of the touchdown, they just threw our guys down. League is fixed.
by bdean on Jan 9, 2012 2:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
they don't have to admit it, the video shows it
guys were thrown down, spun around, grabbed from behind, etc multiple times.
im used to it
After all the years and lions games ive watched they never get the calls and probably never will (yes i know about the missed facemask call in the minn game) but the officials hate the lions and so does the nfl fuck it
by go lions @ go zags on Jan 9, 2012 3:14 PM EST reply actions
Honestly...
THIS is what we should be petitioning the NFL about, not who plays the halftime show on Turkey Day. Does anyone still care about that now?
It’s just a sickening feeling, what has happened the last two weeks. No one can say for certain that the officiating errors cost the Lions either game. The defense was too terrible in both of them for that. But to deny that blown calls that directly affected the score had an impact on the game is akin to sticking your head in the sand.
Even if there is no bias toward the “good teams,” no “Jordan rules” benefiting the golden boys of the NFL, these kind of horrifically bad calls still manage to create that impression. The basis of the appeal for the league is the whole “any given Sunday” idea, that any team can get hot and take down any other team. If that is taken away by a perception that the league’s representatives on the field, the refs, favor one team over another then they’ve destroyed what made this game special.
by Mogwai on Jan 9, 2012 4:27 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
We need to use the Social Network to demand a CHABGE!!!
I’m posting the following on Facebook and asking my friends to share it.
ROGER GOODELL, HIRE PROFESSIONAL OFFICIALS TO OFFICIATE NFL GAMES YOU CHEAPSKATE!!! WITH ALL THE MONEY THE NFL IS MAKING THE FANS DESERVE TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL OFFICIALS OFFICIATING THE GAMES IN THE NFL!!!!!!
What about the running clock on the last 4th down?
Ok even the Lions ran on the field to shake hands afterwards but we lost about 40 secs there. People who took the Lions line in Vegas must have been furious.
NFL claimed it wasn't a mistake
I’ll put up a post about it later
Pride of Detroit, for Lions fans | SB Nation Detroit, for Detroit-area sports fans
Everything about the game changes, had the lions scored
Every play there after would have been different…that takeaway of a potential score by bad call affected the games outcome, the extent of which is unknown but the momentum of the game shifted from that point forward.
The game became what it was, because the game was not allowed to continue its trajectory…thats a complex interference pattern, subject to open interpretation about probability.
The call was worse than bad IMO…
Grow with us, at QuantumCrops.com
agreed
As it is with every call in the game. It affects momentum and drives for both teams. And I am not really ready to rest and go into the off season quietly as the majority of lions fans seem to do. Yes, I understand there is nothing I can do about it now or any time for that matter but it just makes me sick to think what could have been if the game is called correctly. Sure, they would’ve called a facemask on us during the vikings game and etc. etc. but I can live with that. With the facemask, would we be in this position? Who knows but I can live with it.
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