INSIDERS BLOG

Tramon Williams: I heard whistle on negated TD

Weston Hodkiewicz
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
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New York Jets receiver Jeremy Kerley (11) catches a ball in the end zone over Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams on a play that was called back because a timeout was signaled before the snap during the second half of Sunday's game at Lambeau Field.

The play may have given a scare to every Green Bay Packers fan in attendance at Lambeau Field Sunday night, but Tramon Williams wasn't alarmed.

The veteran cornerback said he heard whistles blow before New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith hit receiver Jeremy Kerley for a 36-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 31-24 victory.

If the play stood, it would have tied the game at 31 with 5 minutes, 6 seconds remaining. Instead, Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called timeout just before the ball is snapped to Smith. An assistant coach isn't supposed to be allowed to call timeout, but the side judge still awarded it.

Packers' defenders say they heard the whistles blow several times signaling the play was dead. That group included Williams, who was in coverage on Kerley's would-be touchdown.

"I heard the whistle kind of simultaneously as the play was about to get going and I kept hearing it during the play," Williams said. "But I just kept playing through it. The guy made a good catch, but I kept playing through it. I knew right away that it wasn't a touchdown, so it was good. I wasn't panicking."

In the Jets' locker room, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson told ESPN.com that he walked up to the side judge upon seeing Mornhinweg trying to call timeout, and called the timeout in his ear. Morhinweg supposedly wanted to change the play call, but instead just let the original run.

The Jets still converted on the next play with a 6-yard pass to receiver David Nelson on fourth-and-4, but Mornhinweg's error cost New York its final timeout. After Chris Ivory was stopped for two yards on first down, Smith threw three straight incompletions to turn the ball over with 3:37 remaining.

"It is frustrating," Nelson said. "It's one of those emotional punches to the gut just because it was such a great play. All drive even leading up to that in the receiving group we were telling each other that somebody had to make a play to get this team fired up and Jeremy (Kerley) did that. We're battling as hard as we can and something finally goes right and it gets you out of the rut you're in and it doesn't count."

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