Officiating (and not just the Bills game)

[Section242]

Officiating is horrible. Yesterday's Bills game was brutal. Not only were the Bills pathetic and the refs horrible; the production value was something from an intro to television class. Maybe CBS had interns running the boards but it was bad.

[Boatdrinks]

I disagree about the hit on R Woods. Definitely NOT a penalty. The DB (Revis ?) hit him with a shoulder, and was nowhere near his head. Woods caught the ball and took a step or two upfield. Man's game, don't fumble.( It was a fumble IMO, not an INT. Regardless, if that was a penalty you may as well make the NFL a flag football league. It was within the rules, even by today's incredibly wussified standards. The officiating has been poor, especially late in games involving New England, but after yesterdays debacle they've now won more games than they've lost due to these calls.

[Meark]

I disagree about the hit on R Woods. Definitely NOT a penalty. The DB (Revis ?) hit him with a shoulder, and was nowhere near his head. Woods caught the ball and took a step or two upfield. Man's game, don't fumble.( It was a fumble IMO, not an INT. Regardless, if that was a penalty you may as well make the NFL a flag football league. It was within the rules, even by today's incredibly wussified standards. The officiating has been poor, especially late in games involving New England, but after yesterdays debacle they've now won more games than they've lost due to these calls.

 

I disagree.. They actually reversed the call and said it was an interception not a fumble. He was a defenseless receiver.. regardless of whether it was his shoulder or his helmet. If they are going to have the rule they should call it regardless of how you feel about the wussified standards.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I disagree about the hit on R Woods. Definitely NOT a penalty. The DB (Revis ?) hit him with a shoulder, and was nowhere near his head. Woods caught the ball and took a step or two upfield. Man's game, don't fumble.( It was a fumble IMO, not an INT. Regardless, if that was a penalty you may as well make the NFL a flag football league. It was within the rules, even by today's incredibly wussified standards. The officiating has been poor, especially late in games involving New England, but after yesterdays debacle they've now won more games than they've lost due to these calls.

 

I totally disagree, but maybe I should go back and look at the replay.

 

As I recall it, he turned his head, and Revis came in with a shoulder to the helmet.

 

If they hadn't changed the rules, it would have been a great play. But the rules have changed. It's no different than the penalty on the Falcons player who hit Woods.

[valle7878]

The league still has Ed Hoculi in it he is absolutely the worst ref in sports

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

They were just mentioning in the Monday Night game officials earn between $150 to $200k per year. They could spend time training, however doing nothing for five months and getting paid $150k doesn't sound that bad for most people. They could sell lemonade and be fine. And for those would wouldn't be fine maybe they need a better occupation.

 

 

What would they do between February and July? Wish there was a system like baseball has with minor leagues. Have to earn your way up.....

[BUNCH OF MULARKEY]

The caliber of officiating has declined noticably this year over the recent past. Can't put a finger on it as to why. Too many over officiated calls and too many missed. The Byrd tackle on Glennon almost put me into launch mode, but the Robey PI call last week did that. Damn near busted out the monitor on that one and I had too put myself on cool down.

 

It is going to be difficult to find playoff crews that grade out high enough to make the cut.

That one made me throw my hat. I haven't thrown my hat in years.

[TSOL]

I think the pats have had two games this season that they have had zero penalties called against them. How does that even happen? That alone removes all credability to officiating in the nfl

[Nitro]

Ever since the ref look out and their return, the quality of officiating has gone down hill. Too much individual interpretation of the rules. 2 primary areas are hits on the QB and pass interference. It is to the point where you can only hit the QB is from the waist to just below the shoulders. PI is maddening. Some refs let them play while others strictly enforce the rule and many are in between. Make I simple..no hand fighting, arm bars or pushing off (either player). Reduce it back to a 15 yard penalty. The refs are ruining too many games and it is making the games a pain to watch.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

maybe this years blunders will bring in full time refs

 

I think the pats have had two games this season that they have had zero penalties called against them. How does that even happen? That alone removes all credability to officiating in the nfl

they are on their payroll thats how

[John in Jax]

the NFL is getting to be unwatchable because of the horrendous officiating.. in addition, having to endure the bills just makes sundays not what they used to be.

 

Agree with this 100%. The inconsistency and outright horrible calls certainly makes one wonder about the notion that the games are being "fixed." I also agree, and am amazed, that sometimes an official is right there, in the perfect position to see the play, he's looking right at it, and he still blows the call! And then often times, they have to go to the replay to get it right (getting both feet down, fumble or no fumble, hit to the head or not, etc.).

[Coach Tuesday]

I have ZERO evidence to support this - it's PURE paranoid speculation - but I am just waiting for the FBI to announce a sting nabbing NFL officials for purposely titling calls to favor betting rings. There is just too much money at stake at the books these days - I mean billions of dollars - and these part-time officials make teachers' salaries. The calls have been so bad, and so often one-sided, that I can't help but think that some of them are on the take. I know it's near-lunacy, but that's just my opinion.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

I have ZERO evidence to support this - it's PURE paranoid speculation - but I am just waiting for the FBI to announce a sting nabbing NFL officials for purposely titling calls to favor betting rings. There is just too much money at stake at the books these days - I mean billions of dollars - and these part-time officials make teachers' salaries. The calls have been so bad, and so often one-sided, that I can't help but think that some of them are on the take. I know it's near-lunacy, but that's just my opinion.

didn't a ref have to sit out a game because he declared his favoritism?

[DC Tom]

I was discussing this both yesterday and today: the officiating in the NFL is the worst it has ever been. You left out the biggest blunder I've ever seen as well:

 

I'd describe it, but Peter King does a perfect job himself...

 

http://mmqb.si.com/2...ng-quarterback/

(video included)

 

4. At Cincinnati, late in the first half, the Bengals were up 7-0 when BenJarvus Green-Ellis dove for the goal line and appeared to be stopped short. In the last two minutes of the half, replays are initiated by the replay assistant upstairs, and that’s what happened here. The ruling on the field was that Green-Ellis was down by contact, from Indy nose tackle Josh Chapman touching Green-Ellis’ leg and causing him to fall short of the goal line. Triplette went under the hood. At NBC we watched the replay three or four times. Nothing there. The play would stand. Check out the video above. Almost certainly Chapman flicked Green-Ellis’ leg, causing him to fall forward, and his knees and thighs were down before he reached the goal line. Triplette overturned the call. He ruled a touchdown, saying Green-Ellis clearly had not been touched and could then reach the ball across the plane because he had not been touched down. We gasped in the room at NBC. Incredible. Jeff Triplette, for the second week in a row, made the kind of decision that makes the American public distrust, if not altogether hate, the officials who work these games. Triplette made a mockery of of the term “indisputable visual evidence.” Later in this column I’ll explain why the league may go to centralized replay review. This call should be Exhibit A for it.

 

Jeff Triplette is a phenom of incompetence. The only reason he's not the most incompetent official in football is because Phil Luckett is still alive.

[Fan in San Diego]

Pat Kirwan on the NFL radio network was talking about bad officiating yesterday. The NFL headquarters has a war room setup and watches every call made in every game already! They can make an override decision in 15 seconds and call the officials on the field with the correct call. They are going to talk about changing how officiating is handled at the competition committee this off season. It's coming and thank god because I'm sick of crap calls changing the outcome of a game. The NFL knows they have to correct this to prevent a loss of integrity with the game.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Pat Kirwan on the NFL radio network was talking about bad officiating yesterday. The NFL headquarters has a war room setup and watches every call made in every game already! They can make an override decision in 15 seconds and call the officials on the field with the correct call. They are going to talk about changing how officiating is handled at the competition committee this off season. It's coming and thank god because I'm sick of crap calls changing the outcome of a game. The NFL knows they have to correct this to prevent a loss of integrity with the game.

it may already be too late.

[wnysteel]

the nfl reached out to Leslie Frazier yesterday to discuss officiating. (usually its the other way around). lots of chatter around other message boards on this topic. so its definitely getting attention.

[BuffaloBud]

why not get some ex-players as officials?

[fridge]

 

This man (Carl Paganelli), and his two old brothers have somehow been officials for years and I never understood it. Are we to believe that three very old brothers happen to be the most qualified people to be back judges?

[judman]

The refs at the browns-pats* game are sure to get some kind of downgrade/punishment. The fact that the browns almost won that game is inexcusable...