American Football: Atrocious Officiating & Its Effect on the NFL

I am now watching the end of the 1st half of the Denver-New England game. It's been a hellacious game, although the Pats probable got jobbed on a big non-call early on. But that's ok. It's a playoff game, and if the penalty call isn't clear, I can live with it.

HOWEVER, I just watched the worst defensive pass interference call I have EVER seen in a football game. It obviously should have been an offensive P.I. call--and I mean obviously--and it was a huge one (in the endzone). It appears to have totally turned this game around. Much worse, there was a zebra standing RIGHT THERE who didn't throw a flag, so some dumb@ss much further away decided he should, just for funsies, or perhaps just to have his 15 minutes of fame.

I wait all year for these games. I DON'T want them decided by abominable officiating which can only be the result of: (1) blindness; (2) unfathomable ineptitude; or (3) corruption. Since they're not literally blind, and since I sure don't want to believe it's (3), these guys have to be unfathomably inept--even worse than the clowns in the baseball Division Series and LCS last fall, and that's saying a hell of a lot.

All I know is, regardless of the outcome, they have profoundly affected the course of this first half, and thus the game, and as a result, they have pretty much ruined it for me.

I'm all for unions, but can't these guys be fired? And can't they be fined their game check, if not more, for this kind of garbage? It's the worst thing I've seen in football since that laughable defensive P.I. call handed Ohio State the national title game (and b.t.w., I wanted them to win that game--just not like THAT).

B.H.N.

the nfl is i believe the only major sports league that does not have full time officials, most of those guys work other jobs during the week then do the games on the weekends, maybe it's time for the NFL to change this policy

As a Dolphin fan, I've seen WORSE pass interference calls. Tonight's was just a drop in the bucket. The league has done NOTHING to address this problem.

Toejam, I agree with you 100%, and have felt that way for at least 25 years--as I'm sure you have.

Redwolf: The Dolphins may have been victimized by one or two even more horrendous P.I. calls--though they'd have to be almost made by Stevie Wonder to be worse--but this was in a playoff game which had a really exciting "ebb and flow" (sorry for the Cosellism) and had been thrilling to watch until then. And it just destroyed the game, even though the Pats committed plenty of blunders in the second half.

I try to watch all playoff games, but, unlike with baseball playoff games, I don't try and commit them to memory by watching them like a hawk, poring over the stats, continuing to study them through the years, etc. Have the Dolphins been screwed like that in a playoff game with a "here, have a touchdown on us" type defensive P.I. call against them? If so, I don't recall it. (But I offer condolences, because we all saw yesterday what it can do.)

B.H.N.

Well, well, well, more pass interfence gaffs and another instant review debacle.

I've seen Dolphin DBs about to make interceptions in the endzone and get tackled by the receiver. The DBs were flagged not the receivers.

That was a terrible call, I was watching that going "are you kidding me". And I was rooting for Denver. I was at a party when it happened and the lone "true Broncos fan" in the room was getting reamed for not agreeing with everyone else's opinion that it was a horrible call. There is no way an official should be the deciding factor in a game. I realize judgement calls cannot be reviewed, but someone in the booth should be able to say, "wait, that was the wrong call". The element of human error has always been part of sports and if they want to change that it should be for all circumstances. Otherwise go back to the way it was when what the zebra said is what it was no ifs, ands, or buts.

The idea that officiating errors are "the human factor" in a sport, and thus a legitimate "part of the game," has always been absurd. But when the call is laughable, atrocious and flat-out abominable, it's not a "human" factor. Human beings make errors, but in general, human beings are not blind as bats.

There is simply no question about that play. It SHOULD have been called offensive P.I., but I can respect that official's decision not to throw his flag, because it was not brazen offensive PI and I can see how he didn't want to inject himself into the PLAYERS' game. But for that other a.h., standing HOW MANY YARDS AWAY (?), to then disregard the offensive P.I., which he surely saw from that position, and flag the defensive P.I.?!?

As I said before, I refuse to believe it was a matter of corruption. I see SO much hideousness in my work, and until I see very clear proof of dirtiness, I won't believe in it at this level. Plus, I've seen so much mind-boggling ineptitude by the zebras in the 30 years I've watched the NFL, I've long since forgotten about the idea of corruption. They're just terrible, that's all; they're not on the take.

But the only conclusion that leaves is that that s.o.b. is not fit to officiate. As Toejam points out, these clowns are high school principles, real estate agents, investment agents and, yes, lawyers in real life, and they ruin football games as a hobby on weekends. And THAT is the fault of the cheap fools in the multi-billion-dollar biz that is the N.F.L.

It's incredible, really. They set themselves up for cr@p like the ruining of yesterday's game, the notorious Denver-Oakland playoff game in the 1970's, the notorious screwing of New England at Oakland in a playoff game the year Oakland won its first Super Bowl (phatom offensive PI call), etc.

But all those others are history. And Red Wolf, I don't in any way mean to chide you, but you still haven't told me if any of the Dolphins' outrageous screwings on those defensive PI calls have been in the playoffs. All I know right now is, I was watching a very taut game with a great pace to it yesterday, and some blind dunderhead completely turned the game around.

Yeah, the Pats repeatedly fell on their swords in the second half, but football IS a game of momentum, and THAT game's whole momentum changed radically on that one preposterous (the kindest word one can use for it) call.

I rooted for Indi all morning long today, because I was sure they would obliterate Denver. But I was glad in the end to see Bettis get off what would have been a hook fit for a whale. (He should pay Big Ben about $100,000 for that tremendous tackle.)

But now Denver is at home next week and a 3.5 point favorite. Think about that one, because it should tell you how good the books think they are: A #2 seed, at home, playing a #SIX seed, in a stadium where home field is huge, and they're only favored by 3.5!!! The home field is worth at least 3.5 in that game.

I guess the computer saw the same thing I did.

B.H.N.

Interesting article today on MSNBC titled Refs aren't corrupt, just incompetent. Looks like your thoughts are shared BHN...

MSNBC