It was nice to see the Hawks win on Sunday, but up until Earl Thomas picked off that last pass, I swore the play where Deion Branch was heading into the end zone and had the ball poked out and through the back of the end zone was going to decide the game for the Chargers. If not for two miraculous returns by Leon Washington, that would have been the case. It didn't help at all the way the Hawks managed the clock in the last possession before halftime, but I was sick over that play the rest of the game. I also was not particularly convinced by the "overwhelming video evidence" that the fumble occurred before the ball crossed the plane, so I thought overturning the call on the field was questionable.

The other thing that drove me nuts was listening to Dan Fouts making the call for the officials repeatedly in an excited tone of voice as the replays were shown. I understand that Fouts's rooting interests lie with his former team, but his elated, overzealous assessment of the situation seemed a bit unprofessional to me.

So what's up with the rule that a ball fumbled out the back of the end zone results in a turnover and touchback for the other team? Anywhere else on the field, the only way a fumble results in a change of possession is when a defensive player recovers the fumble in bounds. Is everybody else OK with that rule? Personally, I think the ball should be spotted at the point where it was fumbled, and the offensive team should retain possession. That would be more consistent with the way other types of fumbles that end up off the field of play are ruled.

This is not to absolve Branch of his share of the blame; knowing the rule, as close as the defenders were to him, he should have tucked that ball under both arms for the last step or two into the end zone.

On a side note, I think the Hawks, despite being far from great, are giving us a lot of reasons to be hopeful for their chances to make the post-season this year. Minus a few mistakes, they would probably be 3-0 right now. I know, I know, and if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his a$$ a-hoppin', but it seems clear they are capable of being a lot better than what they have shown so far, and they've been good enough to win two out of three as it is. Granted, if they make it, they will go down like dogs in the first round of the playoffs, but hey, playoff parties are fun, and one is better than none.