Another blown call Sunday in NFC game with big implications - I see or hear nothing

[Captain Crunch]

Haven't seen or heard to much about the running into the SF punter that should have been correctly called as roughing and given SF a first down. Instead Seattle gets a 5 yard penalty and the ball and goes on to score. He hit the plant leg of the punter while his other leg in the air, rules says it's roughing and 15 yards, 1st down, end of story. Even Mike Pereira admitted they blew it. In todays NFL every mistake a team makes is magnified... the refs need to get it right. The BS officiating this year that had major implications on playoff seeding and during the playoffs was just sickening. Their were also some plays in the Denver-Cheatriot game where receivers were getting absolutely mugged and no calls were made. Besides having no consistency among the officiating crews it seems that they don't really know or understand all the rules.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

$$$$$
Funny how you hear very little in the media about the blown calls in the SF/Seattle game, but we hear so much about Richard Sherman's postgame "rant" and about Wes Welker supposedly trying to take out a NE receiver in the Denver/NE game...

[Sugar]

The officiating and discipline have both been extremely inconsistent this year. It's bad enough when they just suck. It's even worse when they are inconsistent.

[steelblood]

Seattle got more than one ridiculous call to win a close game. It wouldn't bother me as much if those fans didnt make such a big deal of the SB XL calls (of which, several were fortunate but no one egregious). Idiots let Madden and the media shape their opinions.

[skyhawk]

Seattle got more than one ridiculous call to win a close game. It wouldn't bother me as much if those fans didnt make such a big deal of the SB XL calls (of which, several were fortunate but no one egregious). Idiots let Madden and the media shape their opinions.

You are spot on with regards to madden! A known steeler hater.

And i found it ironic that pereira was commentating on the calls. He is the one who agreed and confirmed every call except one (hasselbeck block) in sb xl.

I live in seattle and their fans heckel me constantly. Still.

[skyhawk]

Btw. Hawks fans have already started the excuses. This one that they will get screwed bc manning will want his last hurrah much like the nfl wanted bettis winning his in his hometown.

[squidkid]

we can blame the official all we want but nothing is going to make them better. the players are getting bigger and faster while the majority of refs are getting older, fatter and slower. Full time refs wont solve this problem. People are gonna make mistakes and miss things. everyone of us do it every day with our jobs. these refs make 95% or greater correct calls and get lambasted for the small percentage of the ones they miss. how many of us would want to get raked over the coals for doing our jobs almost perfect every day? Im no referee apologist. i get just as pissed as the next guy when i see these bad calls. the problem is we get to see every single play at 10 different angles in super slow motion repeatedly. we get to hear head of officials scrutinize bad calls immediately.
the league needs to either do away with all these tv angles they show us or get a review process that can correct ALL ****ty calls or non calls. the technology is there.

[feltdizz]

Haven't seen or heard to much about the running into the SF punter that should have been correctly called as roughing and given SF a first down. Instead Seattle gets a 5 yard penalty and the ball and goes on to score. He hit the plant leg of the punter while his other leg in the air, rules says it's roughing and 15 yards, 1st down, end of story. Even Mike Pereira admitted they blew it. In todays NFL every mistake a team makes is magnified... the refs need to get it right. The BS officiating this year that had major implications on playoff seeding and during the playoffs was just sickening. Their were also some plays in the Denver-Cheatriot game where receivers were getting absolutely mugged and no calls were made. Besides having no consistency among the officiating crews it seems that they don't really know or understand all the rules.

Do you really hear nothing if they have Pereira admitting the mistake during the replay?

[feltdizz]

we can blame the official all we want but nothing is going to make them better. the players are getting bigger and faster while the majority of refs are getting older, fatter and slower. Full time refs wont solve this problem. People are gonna make mistakes and miss things. everyone of us do it every day with our jobs. these refs make 95% or greater correct calls and get lambasted for the small percentage of the ones they miss. how many of us would want to get raked over the coals for doing our jobs almost perfect every day? Im no referee apologist. i get just as pissed as the next guy when i see these bad calls. the problem is we get to see every single play at 10 different angles in super slow motion repeatedly. we get to hear head of officials scrutinize bad calls immediately.
the league needs to either do away with all these tv angles they show us or get a review process that can correct ALL ****ty calls or non calls. the technology is there.

I think the problem is the blown calls that Periera points out DURING the replay. If he can do it why can't the NFL get it right during the replay?

I have no problem with a few MISSED calls but when they have replay and ref meetings during the call how the hell are they still getting them wrong?

[skyhawk]

we can blame the official all we want but nothing is going to make them better. the players are getting bigger and faster while the majority of refs are getting older, fatter and slower. Full time refs wont solve this problem. People are gonna make mistakes and miss things. everyone of us do it every day with our jobs. these refs make 95% or greater correct calls and get lambasted for the small percentage of the ones they miss. how many of us would want to get raked over the coals for doing our jobs almost perfect every day? Im no referee apologist. i get just as pissed as the next guy when i see these bad calls. the problem is we get to see every single play at 10 different angles in super slow motion repeatedly. we get to hear head of officials scrutinize bad calls immediately.
the league needs to either do away with all these tv angles they show us or get a review process that can correct ALL ****ty calls or non calls. the technology is there.

Just what is a full time ref?? What does that even mean? Football is only 4-5 months a year or 16-18 weekends, etc.

The NFL refs are as full time as you can get.

Great post btw. It's almost impossible to please anyone these days in regards to refs.. A totally thankless profession.

[feltdizz]

Just what is a full time ref?? What does that even mean? Football is only 4-5 months a year or 16-18 weekends, etc.

The NFL refs are as full time as you can get.

NFL starts in June/July with camps and ends in January.. the other 5 to 6 months should be used for conditioning and getting familiar with rule changes.

IMO it has nothing to do with being full time... it has to do with the spread. CONSPIRACY!!!

[RuthlessBurgher]

Even worse was not being able to challenge the play in which Bowman clearly recovered the goalline fumble and maintained possession going to the ground in spite of his knee being torn up gruesomely. That has to change. They aren't talking about that one because of football god karma which resulted in Lynch mishandling the handoff attempt on the next play.

They should go with the Belichick suggestion that every damn thing is reviewable (including judgment calls like pass interference...most of the time it is crystal clear on replay if it was P.I. or not, and if you are giving teams a spot foul which may be a 50+ yard penalty, then coaches should be able to challenge something like that).

And all reviews should be made from central league HQ in New York like the NHL does with his war room in Toronto. Put guys in there who are extremely knowledgeable, but whose bodies are not able to get it done on the field anymore.

[Jigawatts]

Even worse was not being able to challenge the play in which Bowman clearly recovered the goalline fumble and maintained possession going to the ground in spite of his knee being torn up gruesomely. That has to change. They aren't talking about that one because of football god karma which resulted in Lynch mishandling the handoff attempt on the next play.

They should go with the Belichick suggestion that every damn thing is reviewable (including judgment calls like pass interference...most of the time it is crystal clear on replay if it was P.I. or not, and if you are giving teams a spot foul which may be a 50+ yard penalty, then coaches should be able to challenge something like that).

And all reviews should be made from central league HQ in New York like the NHL does with his war room in Toronto. Put guys in there who are extremely knowledgeable, but whose bodies are not able to get it done on the field anymore.

Agreed on all points. I'm not sure why Goodell and his goons can't figure out what I think are common sense solutions.

And I never understood the pass interference spot foul. It should be 15 yard penalty.

[feltdizz]

Agreed on all points. I'm not sure why Goodell and his goons can't figure out what I think are common sense solutions.

And I never understood the pass interference spot foul. It should be 15 yard penalty.

if the Pass INT was 15 yards DB's would commit some of the most atrocious fouls known to man...

I agree on reviewing every play/call.

[Jigawatts]

if the Pass INT was 15 yards DB's would commit some of the most atrocious fouls known to man...

Defenders have every right to the football as the receiver does. I guess it would make more sense to me if it was a flagrant foul, say if the defender tackles the receiver before the ball arrives. But if the defender and receiver are battling for position and there's some inadvertent contact, no way should the offense gain 45 yards, have the ball placed on the 1, and have four chances to punch it in. Joe Flacco makes his $120 million living this way.

I know it's an offensive league and fantasy nerds want to see more points, but I think it would be fair for the referee to differentiate between the two. Then again, that's one more thing they'll get wrong unless it was under review.