Oh this just keeps on getting better and better!

I blame Henne.

 

I'm way over the Saint's loss last year
we lost to the Steelers......

Can we move on?

 

So what?
I just watched the show on NFL Network and Carl Johnson said that the replay call was correct. We lost we because we can't score TD's, not because the officials called it correctly.

 

You blame the loss based on percentages, IMO. The referees do not deserve full blame for our loss, but certainly a percentage. They should be held accountable regardless.

 

agreed.5 field goals may get us a win over the 49ers but thats about it.heck even detroit could probly give us a good run.who did we beat?a depleted green-bay in ot,a team in dissaray in minnesota and the buffalo highschool varsity squad.

 

Being a ex-official, I tend to see things a little different then most. I understand both sides. I'm not talking about officiating 5 year old, I'm worked pro games and have tapes here at my home and even some tapes from games I worked on ESPN.

I just see the game different.

 

So what you're saying is...bet the farm on the Steelers to win the Superbowl?

 

you were on an officiating staff in the NFL?
Please tell me more.

 

Then how come your grammar sucks so bad?

 

I'm trying to type on my damn IPhone. LOL

 

Sorry man! that was funny

 

After the steelers game, do you really think refs are smart?

j/k steveincolrado

 

Not the NFL, but I worked in 3 professional soccer leagues. I've got around 12 years work of games in before I was cut from the good ranks. Even though it was soccer, we worked with guys from the NFL, NHL, NBA and even with MLB. Even though I don't I don't know the NFL's rulebook by heart, I clearly see what goes through a officials mind when working games. I see mistakes, but I also see a lot of goof things. You would be surprised just how much they do on one single play.

 

Quick, give us most messed up, ridiculous, outrageous red card moment...

 

It was in a college game. I just quit drinking and and a player didn't like a call I made and told me to go have another beer. I (funny now, but not then), told him to F-off and get the F-out.

 

Sweeet!

 

I learned from some very good people to learn to take what the players say, as long as the two of us are next to eachother and nobody could hear or that it wasn't personal. If you were standing next to me, you could call me F-Ahole, but remember that if you dish it out, I will tell you to F-off. I won't scream it, but you'll hear It.

I had one player (pro game) tell me that I can't talked to him like that, I told him that he if doesn't like it, then don't talk to me like that. It's a two way street. I'll give you all the respect in the world, but you have to respect me also, doesn't mean you have to like my calls, just respect me.

 

Interesting...Fair game in the world of officiating.

One last question.

What sport (besides soccer, of course) do you deem to be the most difficult to referee?

My guess would be NBA...

 

I understand the replay call was correct, but was the on-the-field call correct? I am not talking about the fumble being called a touchdown, I am talking about what ensued after. Were the officials supposed to dig through the pile of players to determine possession, was the digging optional, or were they spot on with everything with an exception of the touchdown call?

 

The refs acted on protocol, they failed to use their intuition...They'll get better.

We all will...

 

Ohhh blame the iPhone now!

 

In the 4 major sports in this country, I would say the NFL would be the one that has the most pressure on the officials. Just because you have a split second to make your call, but we on here have 15 different camera angles and pictures in the upcoming week, (N.O.), last year.

 

People fail to understand that despite our redzone inefficiency, the defense and Henne played well enough to get a W.

The blown call put the Steelers over the top and thus, was the difference in the game.

 

I blame Bush.....surprised you didnt either.....

 

I'd say the opposite is true. Protocol tells them not to call something they didn't actually see and blow the play dead as a result of said judgement. Protocol tells them that when possession in the endzone cannot be determined for either team (wasn't really the case but nonetheless), then the appropriate action is to declare a touchback and the ball is then spotted 80 yards away.

Intuition was the culprit here.

 

Pressure yes but when you're backed up by replay, you have no excuses.

 

If we couldn't score TD's then neither could the Steelers. We scored more points than they did if you don't count the 3 points the refs gave them.

And yes, AFTER the horrible TD call they did the proper thing IF they couldn't tell who had the ball. However, the ref who called the TD called it when it was clear he couldn't even see the ball and then I'm not sure how they couldn't tell who came up with the ball after the play.

 

I saw the same broadcast and the first impression I take away is that ole Carl comes off as an absolute moron. First, how does a man who can't command the English language become VP of Officiating for the NFL? Wow. I'm supposed to have faith in an explanation of why we got screwed on a critical game decisive call with all the complexities that it had from a guy who "dem guys and dose guys" his way through a conversation?

And to make matters worse he essentially sticks his head in the sand and chants "NANANANANANA" as the host first questions how a fumble comes out before crossing the goal line, a miami player is the first to jump on it, and said Maimi player is the one who comes out of the scrum with the ball, but its still not a TD....and the answer we get from the VP of the NFL? They didn't recover within a reasonable amount of time! WTF is that? A reasonable amount of time? Maybe your refs should have given the play and your back judges a reasonable amount of time to decide whether or not the Dolphins recovered a fumble before you called it a TD? Maybe that would have been a good idea? Ya think?

And to polish things off, after hearing the "reasonable amount of time argument", the host asks if maybe, just maybe the NFL should tell its referees, upon witnessing a ball bouncing around after a play shouldnt be so quick to call a TD (which was the real problem in this case) and just eat the whistle for a few seconds to figure out what went on? The answer: Nope, I want them to keep blowing the whistle and use their judgement. Basically defending the referee who jumped the gun on the TD call to begin with...and did it with a straight face.

Unfreakingbelievable. Seriously? Didn't we already go through this with the Ed Hocculi call a couple of years ago? Didn't the NFL instruct its referees to do exactly what is being suggested and eat the damn whistle long enough to see if in fact possesion has changed hands before throwing the arms up? They've made the same mistake and for some reason insist on claiming they didn't screw it up. You know, I've never been a conspiracy believer, but when a team gets cheated (first Lions now Dolphins) due to a bad call (and yes it will happen due to human error), and every football fan in the known universe can look at the play and say "yeah, they got it wrong", but the governing authority (in this case the NFL) looks you straight in the face and says "we got it right", you gotta start wandering what the hell is going on. It just doesn't add up.

And can someone please explain to me what, in the name of all that is Holy and true, is going to suffer if the refs do in fact delay a TD call until they see the guy who carried the ball into or near the endzone literally get up with the ball and hand it back to the ref? What's going to happen if teams have to wait for a couple of seconds before they are awarded 6 points? Does the outcome of the play change? No . Can they not still go back and call it a TD after a play review if the coach challenges a "no TD" call? Sure they can. Amy I missing something?

 

Not true in this case. The linesman didn't HAVE to make that call right away. If BR did score, it will be on the tape and can always be proven correct with a review. He could have said "hey wait a minute, I see the ball bouncing around, we should probably see who has it before I kill the play dead with a TD call". Its' just that simple.

 

because it was called a touchdown on the live play, they're not suppose to figure out who comes up with the ball. the whistle was blown and some players probably quit fighting for the ball because of that. it sucks, but that's the way it goes. i think they should make a rule where if there's any doubt that its a fumble they shouldn't blow the whistle until they see who comes up with the ball, then they wouldn't have to look for the fumble recovery on the replay. but that will probably never happen.

 

Sorry dude, but you don't know or understand the rule.

 

IMO, that was the ONLY mistake made. IMO, the HL should have waited a split second to call it a TD. This has nothing to do with what Gene did. Gene went by the rule book and was correct in the replay call. We don't have to like it or agree with it, but it is what the rule is.

 

If you believe that was the correct call on the field then...let's just say I'd consider you a questionable official.

No offense.

It was CLEARLY a fumble, should have been called a fumble from the start, and Miami clearly recovered the ball.

To say the officials got it right is just dumb.

(edited: I didn't mean to make that seem ridiculously insulting)

 

Nah, protocol says once the official signals TD, the play is over. I agree with everything else you wrote, especially the touchback scenario(80 yards away is just silly). I just categorize that under intuition. As in "the refs must have their intuitive faculties in place to be aware of those situations and possible outcomes in order to follow the play to the end."

BTW-How come no one is talking about the way Steratore was scratching his arms like Tyrone Biggums when making that call. Then the same nervous ticks were on display when Jeff Darlington interviewed him?

 

For years the officials have been told to allow fumbles to play out so that they can determine who recovered the ball, before they blow the play dead or in this case signal a touchdown. It's the entire reason fumbles were moved from unreviewable to reviewable.

 

Yeah, that's why I brought up the nervous ticks...

 

I dunno. It sure looked like 5 field goals were about to get us a win against the Steelers but for the blown call.

Yes, I know, anything could happen in that last two minutes. But the fact remains, 5 field goals had us up on the Steelers, with less than two minutes, and the ball.

 

Yeah, and the only mistake the captain of the Titanic made was ignoring iceberg warnings...and it cost him. One mistake is all that's needed.

 

This. The NFL is a f***ing joke. The refs obviously knew that regardless of the outcome, after signaling touchdown nothing good could have come out of it for Miami. This guy Jerry Bergman is a real piece of ****. He signals touchdown after having the sideline view of Ben's back on the play. I swear to God if they miss the playoffs by one game I am going to take affirmative action.