NFL officiating has to change.

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Both of tonight's play off games had obvious bad calls. Calls that may very well have led to the wrong teams playing in the Superbowl.

A non pass interference call.
&
A bad roughing the passer call.

Both situations had consequences that may have or did alter the outcome of the game.
On top of that the CONSTANT game delays caused by "ref" conferences as well as a broken replay system that takes way to damn long to look at what is usually an obvious decision after seeing it in slow motion for just a few seconds.

Then you have the ridiculous overtime rules that boil down to the luck of a coin toss giving one team a massive unearned advantage over the other.

This isn't sour grapes it is just glaringly obvious that the refs are in need of training or reform or something.
Its obviously not possible to be perfect but there needs to be a better system of checks and balances on the people we trust to be fair to both teams.

 

[MarathonMike]

Totally agree. "Clear and Obvious" means if you have to look at the play 20 times in ultra-slow motion it isn't "Clear and Obvious". IMO There should be an additional challenge for the second half only for Clear and Obvious non calls like the obvious pass interference/targeting penalty by the RAMs. I had no favorites in the playoffs but refs shouldn't decide who goes to the Superbowl.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Both of tonight's play off games had obvious bad calls. Calls that may very well have led to the wrong teams playing in the Superbowl.

A non pass interference call.
&
A bad roughing the passer call.

Both situations had consequences that may have or did alter the outcome of the game.
On top of that the CONSTANT game delays caused by "ref" conferences as well as a broken replay system that takes way to damn long to look at what is usually an obvious decision after seeing it in slow motion for just a few seconds.

Then you have the ridiculous overtime rules that boil down to the luck of a coin toss giving one team a massive unearned advantage over the other.

This isn't sour grapes it is just glaringly obvious that the refs are in need of training or reform or something.
Its obviously not possible to be perfect but there needs to be a better system of checks and balances on the people we trust to be fair to both teams.

In the NE case refs made up for it by not calling rampant pass interference by the Chiefs....as for New Orleans they got plenty of non-calls in their assassination attempt of Favre to get to Super Bowl they won...no tears here

 

[candycorn]

Both of tonight's play off games had obvious bad calls. Calls that may very well have led to the wrong teams playing in the Superbowl.

A non pass interference call.
&
A bad roughing the passer call.

Both situations had consequences that may have or did alter the outcome of the game.
On top of that the CONSTANT game delays caused by "ref" conferences as well as a broken replay system that takes way to damn long to look at what is usually an obvious decision after seeing it in slow motion for just a few seconds.

Then you have the ridiculous overtime rules that boil down to the luck of a coin toss giving one team a massive unearned advantage over the other.

This isn't sour grapes it is just glaringly obvious that the refs are in need of training or reform or something.
Its obviously not possible to be perfect but there needs to be a better system of checks and balances on the people we trust to be fair to both teams.

Either make penalties reviewable or get rid of reviews. OT needs to be a fifth quarter.

Ridiculous

 

[mudwhistle]

Totally agree. "Clear and Obvious" means if you have to look at the play 20 times in ultra-slow motion it isn't "Clear and Obvious". IMO There should be an additional challenge for the second half only for Clear and Obvious non calls like the obvious pass interference/targeting penalty by the RAMs. I had no favorites in the playoffs but refs shouldn't decide who goes to the Superbowl.

They tried to help KC and Terrible Tom fucked em.

 

[Borillar]

Both of tonight's play off games had obvious bad calls. Calls that may very well have led to the wrong teams playing in the Superbowl.

A non pass interference call.
&
A bad roughing the passer call.

Both situations had consequences that may have or did alter the outcome of the game.
On top of that the CONSTANT game delays caused by "ref" conferences as well as a broken replay system that takes way to damn long to look at what is usually an obvious decision after seeing it in slow motion for just a few seconds.

Then you have the ridiculous overtime rules that boil down to the luck of a coin toss giving one team a massive unearned advantage over the other.

This isn't sour grapes it is just glaringly obvious that the refs are in need of training or reform or something.
Its obviously not possible to be perfect but there needs to be a better system of checks and balances on the people we trust to be fair to both teams.

In the NE case refs made up for it by not calling rampant pass interference by the Chiefs....as for New Orleans they got plenty of non-calls in their assassination attempt of Favre to get to Super Bowl they won...no tears here

Yeah, it was nice seeing the Saints with another soul crushing loss in the playoffs. I did want the Chefs to win, but their mediocre defense couldn't make a stop when it counted. So the Rams vs the Pats. Hopefully its a swan song for Brady. Getting tired of seeing them in the SB every freaking year.

 

[Lumpy 1]

It's so much easier when you just watch the highlights and could care less who wins..

Sharks win the Stanley Cup...

 

[Oddball]

In the NE case refs made up for it by not calling rampant pass interference by the Chiefs....as for New Orleans they got plenty of non-calls in their assassination attempt of Favre to get to Super Bowl they won...no tears here

As egregious as the Favre incident was, Sean Payton ate a suspension for it..Shouldn't carry over a decade later.

 

[toobfreak]

THE GOOD NEWS:

Both games were a slobber-knocker right down to the last second. Any of these four teams were deserving of a Champion title and it is a shame only two will go to the SuperBowl. That said:

THE SAINTS WERE ROBBED. You could see the frustration in the eyes of their coach though he knows better than to admit as much on camera.

Late in the NFC game I said that the Rams could go home with no shame because they had played a marvelous game! I can accept missed calls and even mistakes made, but it is a travesty of errors when you can have FLAGRANT, TEXTBOOK pass interference where the defender is all over the receiver, pushing him out of bounds, pushing him off his feet before the ball is even in the same camera shot, never even turns around and wasn't playing the ball at all but the man, and the ref not only doesn't call it, but decides that in HIS view, both men got to the ball at the same time! That even in a Championship game like this, there is no replay of the video when protested by the coach.

If not for that flagrant pass interference, the Saints catch the ball on the doorstep of the end zone, then with four downs, run the clock down to near zero and kick or score the winning points and go home NFC Champions with no possibility of LA to come back or the game to go into overtime. And that really left a sour note on my tongue as I don't like to see a team win (or lose) such an important, season-determining game on such circumstances. If I were the Rams, it would really taint my feeling of legitimacy.

Some people say well, you just have to play well enough to overcome such mistakes as part of the game, but such mistakes turn games 90° and after that, it raises such emotion in the team, such anger and frustration, that invariably, you see the team lose focus, make big mistakes, suddenly change their luck and things always go badly for them after that while the other team, vanquished, recovers hugely. Almost makes me wonder the people who said the NFL really wanted the Rams to win because they wanted the LA market.

The AFC game was far better balanced, and both gave it their all. Sadly, the Chiefs actually had the game won had it not been for a foolish off sides that nullified the game ending key play of the game, which then put matters into the hands of a coin flip, and in this case, the Pats won it and giving Brady one more chance was something not even the Chiefs could survive.

But at least the Pats winning and the Chiefs losing was an honest one, bad roughing the passer aside which refs ought not call unless they actually SEE it instead of THINKING they see it luck of the draw as things go. At least I could UNDERSTAND the referee being mistaken.

I predict the Pats will beat LA in the SB and it would be a shame now if the Rams went on to win, beaten by the Saints, all because of some blind as a bat idiot referee who should be heavily fined and thrown from ever refereeing again.

 

[Borillar]

In the NE case refs made up for it by not calling rampant pass interference by the Chiefs....as for New Orleans they got plenty of non-calls in their assassination attempt of Favre to get to Super Bowl they won...no tears here

As egregious as the Favre incident was, Sean Payton ate a suspension for it..Shouldn't carry over a decade later.

Hey, I was semi-happy that the Chefs lost because they beat my Vikes in SB IV. That was nearly 50 years ago.

 

[Markle]

Both of tonight's play off games had obvious bad calls. Calls that may very well have led to the wrong teams playing in the Superbowl.

A non pass interference call.
&
A bad roughing the passer call.

Both situations had consequences that may have or did alter the outcome of the game.
On top of that the CONSTANT game delays caused by "ref" conferences as well as a broken replay system that takes way to damn long to look at what is usually an obvious decision after seeing it in slow motion for just a few seconds.

Then you have the ridiculous overtime rules that boil down to the luck of a coin toss giving one team a massive unearned advantage over the other.

This isn't sour grapes it is just glaringly obvious that the refs are in need of training or reform or something.
Its obviously not possible to be perfect but there needs to be a better system of checks and balances on the people we trust to be fair to both teams.

Yep, at least one really bad call that people will talk about for decades! Yep, changed the outcome of that game.

What is your solution?

 

[Markle]

Either make penalties reviewable or get rid of reviews. OT needs to be a fifth quarter.

Ridiculous

Adopt the overtime rule used in college football.

 

[toobfreak]

In the NE case refs made up for it by not calling rampant pass interference by the Chiefs....as for New Orleans they got plenty of non-calls in their assassination attempt of Favre to get to Super Bowl they won...no tears here

As egregious as the Favre incident was, Sean Payton ate a suspension for it..Shouldn't carry over a decade later.

Hey, I was semi-happy that the Chefs lost because they beat my Vikes in SB IV. That was nearly 50 years ago.

They did pretty well considering that not one of them had ever been in a Championship game before. 36 of the Patriots have been in at least one or more. Pretty stark contrast.

 

[toobfreak]

Yep, at least one really bad call that people will talk about for decades! Yep, changed the outcome of that game. What is your solution?

An entire season of epic bad calls punctuated by some of the worst ever. We need full time coaches and more leeway on challenging bad calls in potentially game-changing and season-changing calls like these.



Clearly, with all this technology and camera angles, critical game-changing split-second calls in doubt hotly contested need to be confirmed on review to be sure they get them right.

 

[candycorn]

Either make penalties reviewable or get rid of reviews. OT needs to be a fifth quarter.

Ridiculous

Adopt the overtime rule used in college football.

Much worse.

Again, what is wrong with just playing a fifth quarter of 10 minutes?

 

[SmokeALib]

Either make penalties reviewable or get rid of reviews. OT needs to be a fifth quarter.

Ridiculous

Adopt the overtime rule used in college football.

Much worse.

Again, what is wrong with just playing a fifth quarter of 10 minutes?

Then the problem becomes - what if the game is still tied after that?

 

[candycorn]

Either make penalties reviewable or get rid of reviews. OT needs to be a fifth quarter.

Ridiculous

Adopt the overtime rule used in college football.

Much worse.

Again, what is wrong with just playing a fifth quarter of 10 minutes?

Then the problem becomes - what if the game is still tied after that?

Then you declare a tie unless it’s the playoffs. We had many ties this year. The current system doesn’t eliminate ties. If fatigue is a factor, take 20 minutes or so off between the 5th quarter and 6th quarter.

 

[SmokeALib]

Either make penalties reviewable or get rid of reviews. OT needs to be a fifth quarter.

Ridiculous

Adopt the overtime rule used in college football.

Much worse.

Again, what is wrong with just playing a fifth quarter of 10 minutes?

Then the problem becomes - what if the game is still tied after that?

Then you declare a tie unless it’s the playoffs. We had many ties this year. The current system doesn’t eliminate ties. If fatigue is a factor, take 20 minutes or so off between the 5th quarter and 6th quarter.

Ok I was just referring to playoffs.

 

[Paulie]

There were 4 big penalties not called on the saints in that game. Whether you think that makes up for the non-call at the end or not is up to you.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

There were 4 big penalties not called on the saints in that game. Whether you think that makes up for the non-call at the end or not is up to you.

Either way the current system is broken.

When I can watch 3 seconds of a slomo replay and instantly know the proper call how can it take refs & "New York" 10 damn minutes? It is a game and momentum killer.

They need to have dedicated crews who do nothing but watch replays of every play as it happens if this is the system they are going to insist on using.
Those crews need to have the authority to override any call as it happens.
Changes must happen in the playoffs for all future games otherwise an already badly damaged credibility issue is going to get even worse.