OK, here goes the thing we don't talk about, it's time everything gets exposed.
The old referee justification of, "we blew a call, so we'll even it out with a non-call or a equal call" has got to go.
1
I have seen a couple of different photos, perfectly from the end zone, angled with an official on the sideline apparently looking right at the play as it happened.
The "didn't see it, can't call it" defense doesn't apply here.
1
BTW, it also irks me when teams blame the entire outcome on the call. The Raiders has time and opportunity to stop the Pats. The Saints had opportunity to stop the Rams. Not fair, but play the game. (Although at time of Snowball no fan In football didn’t know that once the arm goes forward it’s incomplete. That’s just Raider victimization and stewing resentment for Brady and Pats.)
1
I may be wrong, but in MLB umps can huddle to review a call at their own discretion. It would be a good option, down the stretch, that other refs could acknowledge a possible mistake and rectify it. I think that is the new expectation vs the purist view, “Well, bad calls are just part of the game.”
1
I am a soccer referee of 24 years. In any sport, officials make two types of calls: judgment calls (like fouls) and “geometry” calls (did the ball cross the line? Did the knee touch before the fumble?). Rightly, leagues allow replay for geometry, but not judgment. Otherwise, NFL refs could review for holding or pass interference on every play.
Here’s a thought: Give each team four “open challenges” per season, where a coach could contest any call. Maximum one per game. This would keep replaymania in check, but provide a safety valve when a call is truly blown at a key moment.
Any game that’s played and officiated by human beings is going to have errors, mistakes, blown calls, poor judgment, etc., and some are going to really whoppers. That’s the way it goes. The worst officiating is in the NBA. I’ve never seen so many uncalled-for fouls in forty years I’ve been watching the game. Both the NBA and NFL have made the decision that more offense helps ratings and that has resulted, it seems, in more fouls and penalties called by intrusive refs than ever before on defenses. That naturally makes referees a target of fans’ ire. It’s ironic that the latest controversy is over a non-call. That said, make sure the training for officiating is top notch, the best are on the field during playoff games, and they’re given a reasonable amount of latitude to make the best possible calls.
@AlNewman
Says, "that's the way it goes."
Al, no, we improve.
1. Fire referees Patrick Turner and Gary Cavaletto.
2. Allow "no call" challenges and reviews.
3. Fines for referees.
4. Review and revise referee "system."
5. Playoff, conference and super bowl games should not be called by referees who have close association with either team (Turner and Cavaletto both graduated from California universities and live in the Los Angeles area).
2
This is outrageous. This non-call of 2 fouls, so blatantly shown before millions of people all over the country reminds me of boxing in the 1970's. It is the "appearance of impropriety" that is terrible for the league.
I am simply glad I don't invest that much emotion in team sports anymore. 25 years ago, I would be like the guy I saw on the CBS Nightly News who threw his wide screen TV into his swimming pool.
There are fans down here in Louisiana who swear they aren't watching games anymore, cancelling season tickets, etc. Sadly, it is probably many player's last chance at a Super Bowl; specifically, Drew Brees. That official is going to be like Bill Buckner in Boston after the 1986 World Series. Buckner not only beat himself up, he was a multiple Golden Glove winner when the Mets Mookie Wilson hit a weak grounder "between his legs" (aka "through the wickets"). Buckner had to move to another state.
People make mistakes, but this was too much. It is fishy.
1
The penalty no one is talking about is the devastating hit on Tom Brady!!
This brutal hit was penalized. After all it was TOM BRADY.
Slapped on the shoulder pads while the ball was still in his hand.
BRUTAL!! and wrong.
The NFL should institute a video review after each and every incomplete pass to check for holding or pass interference.
Heck. They should do a video review of line play after EVERY SINGLE play to search for missed holding calls.
Protect the shield.
Anyone who watched the game, and/or saw the replays, knows the officials missed a big one, and the Rams were the beneficiaries of that mistake. And yes, their enrichment, by way of going to Super Bowl, is a bit unjust. However, I don't feel too sorry for the fans, or Saint team members who urged the crown louder, because the din they created really crossed into the land of the ridiculous.
Sure, a different replay rule would probably have given the Saints the victory. And while it may not quite as certain, a noise threshold rule that had referees stop play at a certain decibel level might have evened the play scales a bit. I mean, at what point does it get ridiculous? I'd say that the over 100 decibel levels that were being measured would cross any such line.
Heck, if someone clears their throat when a pro golfer is putting, they're practically strung up. So why is unlimited noise allowed to tip the scales in football? In the good old days I remember home-team players working to quiet the crowd a bit when it got stupid, not have them take it up to jet-engine levels. The TV coverage showed levels over 108 decibels. That's just nuts to have to play through, unless the other team does as well.
What if an opposing team brought an oversized PA system into the stadium and placed it on their sidelines? And what if they blasted crowd noise through that system at the same level as the home team's crowd raised it in the stadium when the home team has the ball? Now that's fair. Go Rams
1
Just curious, was Gayle Benson the owner of the Saints during the 2009 NFC championship game when the Saints had a bounty out to destroy Brett Farve AND they benefitted from a very dubious PI call in overtime to get them in field goal range? AND the Vikings didn’t have a chance to answer that field goal? I ultimately blame the Vikings for that loss but seems like the Saints and their fans have a short memory.
2
I would just like to add.. it wasn't just this call. I saw highlights and there was a ridiculous roughing the passer penalty called on a player that just touched Brady's arm, while being blocked. That kept the drive & momentum going.
2
Between this and the alleged "...Roughing the Passer..." call in Brady's favor it kinda-sorta looks like the NFL just might/maybe have wanted a Superbowl between LA and Boston rather than one between New Orleans and Kansas City.
Just sayin'.
4
The NFL is a gigantic, overblown corporation. Its only goal is to increase revenue, which translates to viewership.
There is no corporate concern for player well being, for the effect the on-field brutality has on players, viewers or young impressionable would-be players. Fairness, decency, "sportsmanship" - you have to be kidding. Getting the billionaire owners' big fat fists out of the public taxpayers' pockets? Not while they can still breathe. Exploit women? Yes, all day long, professionally and domestically. Lie, cheat and cover up grievous harm? Sure, why not?
To think that the NFL cares about "the right thing" is absurdly naive. What they care about is money and viewers.
Los Angeles has a lot more of both than does New Orleans.
That is why that no-call happened, why "the powers that be" didn't contest it and why the rule won't be changed.
Grow up.
2
Forget about Mike Holmgren's quip about "50 guys in a bar" rule that if 50 guys think it's a bad call, it's a bad call. 50 million viewers would all agree it was a bad call. More than anyone I am sure that poor Gary Cavaletto wished that the command center in New York or Northern New Jersey had intervened to rule on either pass interference or targeting.
Where were they at such crucial time?
The Canadian Football League may not be perfect but they allow coaches to challenge both offensive and defensive pass interference. Time has come to employ the same rule change next season but as far as the Rams and Saints Game goes a little common sense should have ruled the day and at the very least the command center should have made the obvious call even if Vinovich's crew missed it in real time.
End of story, end of heartache for the Saints, the NFL, the fans and sadly for both Gary Cavaletto and Bill Vinovich who
will never live down one second that negatively changed their lives forever.
1
There were multiple head to heads in this game.
2
Man, I thought that the hiding our heads in bags days were over with for us saints' fans..
1
Instant replay. What a bunch of nonsense.
This falls firmly into the 98/2 Rule, which says you spend 2% of your effort getting 98% of things right, and 98% of your effort trying, and rarely succeeding, to get the remaining 2% right. There is only one solution to make instant replay the perfect pacifier for all the It's-Not-Fair whiners; total review by a committee 9 of every single play on every single down, examining the actions of every player. Nothing else will ever solve the problem of officials blowing the call.
Speaking of which, Sean Payton has no place issuing a quote like "They blew the call", not after that ridiculous set of calls he made at the end of regulation, not when he blew it even worse with his clock management. And, of course there was all the brilliant coaching in the 1st quarter when, instead of scoring 2 touchdowns, the 'Aints came away with 6 points. Let's see, quick math calculation here.... hmm, with even just 1 touchdown they win outright. No mention of "blowing" that, eh Sean?
Get rid of instant replay, learn to live and die with the calls human officials make, with all their human frailties, faults and failures. In the end, no honest official has ever, in the history of any game in any sport, cost a team the game.
2
there was no call to review. what are you going to do? review every play with no call to see if a lineman was holding so that a running back had a hole or to see if a lineman was holding so that a quarterback had time to throw? you do that and i, for one will stop watching the games. enough is enough.
all this review business is to help the gamblers and to give more down times for the advertisers.
are we going to review all the games played in the past ten years to see if some team got the short end of the stick on one play?
were the Rams the victim on any earlier calls or non calls? i think they were.
It's a fairly silly concept for NO to want the game replayed. The Saints early in the first quarter had an interference flag picked up that would have given the Rams an early 1st down. Then the next drive the play clock ran out and Suh was waiving his arms. No call. On a play that almost resulted in an interception in the first quarter Thomas rips off the defenders helmet, No call. Cooks caught a long pass and an obvious face mask was on that play, no call. There was a chop block call where the Rams clearly fell down didn't hit the Saint below the waist and it was nowhere near a chop block. Face mask on Goff on critical 3rd down. No call. The penalties on NO were numerous. Payton implored the fans to use whistles and be louder. Payton got so upset that he couldn't rally his team when winning 23-20 and a little over a minute to play. it seemed like Payton and the Saints were looking for something other than their performance to win this game. I wouldn't want to see the Saints in the Super Bowl they were terrible with this wishing all the elements would win it for them. Now cry babying to replay the game. Just pathetic.
While it's certainly true that the missed PI call was egregious, I take offense at New Orleans placing all the blame on the side judge. It's like, find a way to win. Their subsequent play-calling was very poor, they couldn't stop anyone in the 4th quarter or overtime, and promptly turned it over after getting the ball first in OT. All this after blowing a 13-point lead. While I was rooting for New Orleans to win, their crying about this non-call is getting annoying.
How cool would it be if Payton or Benson were to instead say 'we had every chance to win and didn't get it done'? Don't they ask players to be accountable? How about modeling that yourself, Coach?
Can we please do away with officials on the field in any sport? The officials need to be in a booth with every camera angle at their disposal, and make their calls based on the best available evidence. It is ridiculous in this day and age to rely on flawed visual perspectives. The fans can see clearly everything officials cannot. Why are we calling strikes and balls by eye, when the camera can tell with perfect precision whether it was a ball or strike? Why should officials make obviously mistaken calls before the eyes of millions of viewers, which decisively alter the fair course of a game, when they have a far better chance of accuracy using cameras? The commenters in the booth always see the correct call before the officials do, and it’s embarrassing to everyone when the arrogance of officials prevails in a wrong call. We are sentimentally attached to the archaic tradition of having sharp-eyed umpires and officials on a field or court, but it no longer serves sports in a muti billion dollar industry.
1
"It appeared to cost the Saints an advantage that could have led to them winning the game". The key words here are "appeared" and "could have". No one knows for sure if the Saints would have won the game.
THIS WEEK!! The geniuses on Park Avenue, (NFL corporate headquarters) need to fix their replay procedures THIS WEEK!, before an officiating crew can corrupt this year's Super Bowl just like they did the Conference Championship games. The league is in no position to surrender this season's modest but desperately needed ratings rebound to further proof of corporate incompetence. The urgent need to protect their credibility can be quickly accomplished without any need to develop instruction programs for players & coaches. The solution is solely in the hands of the officiating & replay officials. It can be covered with the staffing for just one game! The rest of the league can be addressed & the permanent revisions adjusted "pending further review" after Super Bowl LIII (53) in this off-season. The game's world-class production values and the incredible athleticism of the NFL's players demand that the officiating be elevated to a comparable level.
I, for one, would loose a great deal of the enjoyment that NFL playoff football has provided in years past. If there is any further indication that gambling interests or the NFL's marketing objectives are allowed to corrupt the game, America's most lucrative spectator sport will likely see the acceleration of its ratings & revenue declines.
There is plenty of time, (10 days) to develop the interim procedures that will prevent a repetition of last Sunday's disasters The additional delays in game play might just help save the sport!
2
what about the phantom roughing the passer call in Patriots' favor. Equally heinous.
1. They should re-install reviews on playoff games after the 2nd half when deficit is less than 2 touchdowns. 2. With today's technology, is just ridiculous the amount of time it takes to do reviews. They got to call New York and Wake Up the reviewers? Common, how ridiculous is this.
the problem may not be the viewing or the NFL rules, but it sure is the Commissioner. Goodel, the most overpaid empty suit known, had the power to step in and act (if he was watching), but as usual did nothing.
1
"The most important guy was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and nobody could do anything about it."
Why is the referee's call final? The players play the game, if one gains advantage from an unfair call and knows it, one can concede the next play on purpose to correct the bad call. But that would have been a bigger scandal in today's society, being naive and doing the honorable thing. One plays to win at all cost, even if won unfairly. It's society that decided as a whole that once the referee makes a call, it's considered final. It's just a way to justify to oneself that the cheating and unfair play was ok because the referee didn't rule against it. Kids grow up learning this, and decide as long as their team is winning according to the "rules", everything is ok. The loser is just a whiner. The same also applies to one's political affiliation, which is why politics is so dysfunctional as well.
1
It seems interesting to me the NFL itself is not commenting on this, which tells me they are hoping the whole thing just drys up in a couple of days. Of course if it doesn’t they have a major public relations issue on their hands. The call becomes the conversation rather than the SB, their biggest and maybe the biggest event of the year. The media continues to talk about it, the Rams players have to answer how they feel about not really being the team that belongs there, etc. Already bill boards are going up in Atlanta, and law suits are being taken out. What’s next, vocal protests in Atlanta for SB week. And, if that happens, there is a real possibility the NFL does something short sighted. It’s pretty simple, its likely a non fixable situation. If so, seriously consider what steps will be taken or not and then come out and say it’s a non fixable situation and either what will be done or the fact that nothing will be done. If it is a fixable situation, fix it.
2
There have been many calls and non-calls over the years. The Tuck Rule and the Immaculate Reception are debatable. The issue here is the obviousness of the infraction, even in real time, and the implication. With the call, the Saints could run the clock down to around 15 seconds risk free then kick a 25 yard field goal with a very high probability of success implying the wrong team is in the Super Bowl.
Furthermore, Edelman's review of whether he touched the ball, in the same game, was applied with a CSI-like procedure over several minutes whereas this call was obvious in seconds.
With sports gambling now legal, reviews should be mandatory on everything. There is no other alternative.
1
You didn't need an HD TV and 50 angles to see what happened. That call wasn't close. This wasn't a case of millimeters. It wasn't whether a toe was on the edge of the line. It was blatant and intentional.
It's this kind officiating (and players who are criminals off the field) that has put me off the NFL, more than demonstrations and concussions, even more than the 2 hours and 45 minutes of standing around. The integrity of the game is in question. It has exceeded MLB in becoming a corporate juggernaut first and a sport second, and that's saying something.
2
I'm find with adding pass interference to the list of reviewable plays, as long as it counts towards a team's challenge limit.
The side judge was in perfect position to make the call. The interference was obvious, as was the intent of the official to NOT make the call. This is about more than video replay.
4
I remain totally unconvinced that the NFL isn't itself behind this. After all, I imagine a California and New England market for the Super Bowl is far more lucrative for them than a Middle America or - god forbid - poor, Southern market.
4
Everything is a conspiracy, never discovered powerful people pulling levers everywhere...
The evil elephant in the NFL front office is this: the NFL does not want to fix their horrible officiating mess because it makes them money. If it didn't, the NFL, like all major sports, would do what ever was necessary to ensure their officials were in-shape, athletic, highly-trained, highly-experienced, highly-competent, highly-paid, full time officials. Not part time elderly lawyers and bank executives and the sons of ex-NFL officials.
The NFL is obviously OK with some of the best athletes and coaches in the world, working most of a year, playing 16 games and playoff games to reach the championship game, and the championship in the AFC and NFC title games being decided by some part time 60-something insurance salesman.
The NFL is just fine knowing because of the errors of these two "championship" officiating crews, the losers in both games are going to the Super Bowl.
The officiating mess in the NFL is what the owners want because it allows them to control who wins and who loses, and thus they control the media narrative. If the NFL wants Tom Brady and New England in the Super Bowl, they will do what it takes, through the officials, to make it happen. Just look how those crucial officiating calls all went the Patriots way when they needed it the most in the second half. As they say - "it is what it is". No wonder Brady hugs the game officials before and after the game.
3
@Van Owen
I'm curious as to what you do for a career? exactly how often do you lie and cheat at what you do? don't tell me never, since you are accusing someone, and even an entire league, of cheating without any proof, you must be a cheater yourself.
that's been shown. so own up, how often do you cheat at your job?
Two of the most judgemental calls in football are offensive holding and defensive pass interference. There is no place for these calls to be reviewable. All calls all season long can potentially have the same effect. As an example, a "missed" call in week 3 leads to a loss. The team goes 9-7 for the regular season, but would have made the playoffs if they had finished 10-6. And maybe a shot at the Super Bowl....
In my opinion, the main point is that the receiver was illegally "blown up", including head-to-head contact, and the defender was basically rewarded rather than penalized. So what are he and other defenders going to do next time? The nonsense of the ref "swallowing the whistle" near the end of a close game has to stop. And by the way, the NFL could consider penalizing the player after the game, as the NHL already does. That is something obvious that could be done right away, and would go a long way to ending cheap shots, since the punishment does not have to occur in "real time". If the player knew he might be suspended and miss the Super Bowl, that would be a big deterrent.
Others have already commented on the need to maintain the integrity of the game, as well as the reputation for the integrity of the game, in the face of serious error. This has already been repeatedly tarnished. and probably the best and most practical way to correct this is to have a video replay official.
3
Given that the refereeing will never be completely accurate (just like the players) and that games can get prolonged by too many reviews, I would propose the following:
Proposal:
Make penalty situations reviewable during the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half. Those are the same time parameters that stop the clock with an out-of-bounds. At the end of the first half all reviews are "booth reviews", as are any other potential challenges. At the end of the second half, the coach can challenge during the three minutes before the two-minute warning, then they become booth reviews. And to do this, remove at least one commercial break during each half. If the network needs to sell commercials, sell them during halftime.
1
As a player in high school and college and a high school coach for over 25 years, I have this to say regarding the hoopla over the bad call in the Saints vs Rams game... First of all reviewing judgment calls will create chaos and add a level of sterilization to the game. How much contact is too much contact? Did he really bump into him or kind of bump into him? Bad calls happen and are part of the game; they extend both ways. If I was the coach I would tell my players that referees are a part of the game, just like a soggy field, or bad weather are. Put your hat back on, get in the huddle and find another way to win.
20
@Grategar That is not a good answer at all. This is professional football with much higher stakes than the college and high school variety. Everyone in the world who saw the play knew the non call was egregious, even the Rams players were shocked. I predict that for playoff games their will be a referee or a panel of them watching in NY (the best view of the game is on tv in many cases apparently) with a button they can push for an immediate review in cases such as this. The NFL must keep the game clean and legitimate.
12
That approach won’t work in today’s game. Given all the money coming into football, particularly through legal gambling, bad calls like this one will inevitably produce accusations of referees on the take, fixing games.
Once the fans start to doubt the integrity of the game, it will be curtains for the NFL.
9
@Grategar Spot on. You'll be replacing one official's judgment with another's. Yes, this was obvious, but now where will the line be drawn? And, in the last 2 minutes, and in overtime, only booth reviews are allowed (currently). The booth official will have to use their judgment even to halt the game for a review.
If only Payton had called a run on 1st down...
Why didn't "Command Centre" step in? They typically spot minor infractions and impose their judgement. This blown call was serious, New York saw the same replays we did. there is no excuse. If the entire crew missed the call the entire crew should be fired along with command centre officials.
The season started off with three inane roughing the passer calls against Green Bay's Clay Matthews. The rules and their enforcement are shaky and inconsistent. I've had it, I'm digusted with the NFL officials. New Orleans was cheated out of a victory and a potential Super Bowl win.
The officials were guilty of poor calls in the second game as well. I'm not watching the Super Bowl. We should all boycott the game. In reality it's not a game anymore, it's just skit put on by the officials and announcers.
21
@Tom actually tom brady should not have been permitted to play in his game because he was involved in "deflate gate".
the Saints should not be permitted to play because they had some coaches and players involved in trying to permanently injure opposing players for money rewards.
@john boeger
Those issues have been addressed. Maybe not to everyone's satisfaction, but we're long past them.
Move on.
This is not that.
2
Jaw dropping no-call with two ref's right there, looking right at it! Still hurts my brain when I contemplate on how that happened and its ok.
19
I was always against video review in football. I'm still against it. The video review is a bottomless pit of do-overs, conspiracy theories, pure sports sophistry, and more precise examination into something that loses what little meaning it has the closer one looks at it. It slows the game and just proves that demanding perfection is a fool's game. Good enough is just going to have to be good enough. Finally, we should limit amount of effort spent on something that is so completely meaningless. Sports is entertainment; it is not life and death.
10
Fact is, this stuff is NOT good enough, and I don’t agree with you that we just have to put up with it. If there is something rotten here, my young Hamlet, we oughta face up to it and dig it out.
1
@Phil
You Sir, are spot on.
What boggles my mind is that the play consisted of not just one but two flagrant fouls by the same defensive player on the same offensive player.
Miss one, maybe, But to miss both?
Playoff officials are supposed to be the crème de la crème...
2
Your article is reluctant to even consider the idea, but surely these calls are so bad as to be suspicious. Do officials get leant on ? Does big gambling money engineer results ? Does the League itself pressure refs to get the teams it wants in the Super Bowl ? I remember the Jaguars getting similarly stiffed against the Patriots. This stuff erodes ones interest in the game.
1
The official closest to the controversial non call in the Saints-Rams game was NOT out of position. He had a good enough view of the pass interference to call it. I am not a conspiracy theorist. He made a mistake. The play should have been reviewable. Therefore, the fault also lies with the NFL rules committee.
2
Travesty is the first word to come to mind.
-ref misses the call
- defensive player says "I got away with one"
-NFL pretends to apologize and says we can work on fixing this
Saints are kept out of the Super Bowl and the defensive player skates free.
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would say this is one of the greatest manipulations of a sporting event of all time.
3
While reviewing calls is not a great idea, it's time to consider coach's challenges for non-calls. This would have solved Sunday's problem. Face it, people are not infallible.
5
In most things in life recognizing and correcting one’s mistakes is admired and expected — but not in the NFL.
I will not watch this year’s Super Bowl because one of the teams in it is there by correctable error and the game is therefore fraudulent.
Will all the gamblers who lost on that call sure the NFL ? They should.
4
I watched a local broadcast from the sidelines showing the “missed” call and official no. 60 waving away official no. 13, who was walking up to consult about whether or not there was a call to review. No. 60 wasn’t interested in his input in regard to making the call, which anyone who watches football knew was a game changer. That smacks of a predetermined outcome, the league’s desire to have the Super Bowl be between big-market, large-city teams, especially one that is building a very expensive new stadium.
The Saints symbolize so much for fans from New Orleans. After the federal government botched construction of our levees so that they collapsed under 20% of their design load, leaving over 300,000 in the city homeless, Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and the Saints were there to serve as our champions, our knights carrying our black-and-gold colors, fighting our battles for us. But in order to make that emotional investment, fans have to believe that games are fair. Over 600,000 fans have signed a petition demanding redress. When the playoff game calls and “errors” are always in favor of big-city teams, we stop believing that NFL playoff stadiums are level playing fields.
Sorry; this has convinced me that the NFL doesn’t play by the rules. I’m giving up on NFL games. Letting players who sacrifice their health and their minds to play this sport give all that they do, when the NFL steers its ship toward where its pocketbook wants it to go, is more than I can stomach.
7
Strange no one is commenting on the Face mask grab on LA Rams quarterback, Goff.
Rams could have been at the 1 and 4 downs to score a touchdown instead of the field goal they scored because on the non-call.
2
An old joke. The new ump says, "I call 'em as I see 'em." His partner with more experience says, "I've learned how to call 'em right, at least almost always." The old guy spits and says, "They ain't nuthin' until I call 'em!" Those were the days.
1
Coin Flip...
Really?
Super Bowl LIE.
2
According to the title of this article, fans can see every angle but officials can’t and asks why not. The same could be asked about the Times. With the only justification that he was “near the play,” side judge Gary Caveletto is blamed for his “non-call” when--as shown in photos the Times chose not to use, as well as video--down judge Patrick Turner made the call. Video shows Caveletto then approach Turner, who mouths “bang bang.” Turner is not mentioned in this piece. Why not?
4
Not a football fan. But how about the fix was in? Plain & simple.
2
Some friends of mine who are a husband and wife team of professional gamblers who are denizens of Las Vegas said, "The NFL wants an east coast-west coast game." A referee call in this situation would have ensured that the NFL did not get it's big money game.
3
TWO CALLS DELIBERATELY MISSED: PASS INTERFERENCE AND HELMET-TO-HELMET. Aside from Gary Cavaletto being from Cali, "The other official near the play, Patrick Turner is described as a resident of a Los Angeles suburb. Back judge Todd Prukop is from a community just south of L.A." Tell me these guys can be completely fair and impartial?! First thing that MUST happen: fire ALL OF THESE OFFICIALS -- ban them completely. Somebody's head must roll! Secondly, an official CAN NOT be from the same state of the teams that are playing, and thirdly, change the rules to allow reviewing pass interference calls, particularly in playoff games! In a matter of seconds, an entire season was wiped out, the soul of the city stomped on and millions of dollars in revenue wiped out! NO SUPERBOWL HERE!
2
The Constitution states that a Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate on the same slate cannot be residents of the same state. Richard Bruce Cheney was in every way a resident of Texas when he declared himself to be Bush's running mate. He quickly pretended that he was really a resident of Wyoming though he had left there nine years earlier, and nobody said boo. The consequences for the nation were much higher than the result of some football game.
@Chuck Burton. ahh.....there's one on every forum
A good point I heard on a talk show — refs do not work as teams but constantly get shuffled about for each game. So, no skill and teamwork develops. Typical NFL management by not really understanding the game. Goodell is a stooge.
it's all about the money folks. billions are at stake. sports betting has made it all corrupt.
plus the media and the owners are responsible. who does fox want to play the chiefs vs the saints or rams vs the patriots?
personally i don't pay attention, except to comment on articles like this. there is a whole lot more to life than sports.
but is does keep millions distracted from reality.
fun article. pure eye candy. or as the bard noted: much ado about nothing.
1
People who have a bet on the game see it differently than the fans: they see dollar signs on a "blown" call. The same sort of calls were endemic in the NBA, until a few years ago when the betting boys were outed and ousted.
Clean up the NFL officiating.
1
Teams that encourage their fans to be as loud as possible to rattle their opponents are learning that enduring such a din for an entire game can rattle an officiating crew as well.
2
Who's to say that if they had made the call, the next play would have been an interception... or they scored no points whatsoever.
Just take your lumps and move on. Life is not perfect and neither is football.
2
@Freebeau: You obviously don't know football. There would have been no passes. The Saints would have called 3 running plays, and wound the clock down to 4 or 5 seconds then kicked an easy field goal to win. The only thing the Rams could have done was let the Saints score on the first play and hope they could score a TD with the time remaining on the clock. Odds would be against them.
1
I cut the TV off after that blown call. I figured anything that blatant that was allowed to stand was proof positive that the fix was in. Who want's to watch a game light that. The NFL is a joke! I wouldn't buy a ticket to game for 20 bucks.
2
Terrible all around. The best we can do now is root for the defeat of the Patriots.
I know it can be done!
1
Going through the comments, I see four themes; 1.) the sport is rigged; 2.) its all about “money;” 3.) games are getting too “litigious” with all the challenges and play reviews; 4.) the games are getting too long and drawn-out, largely because of #3 above. In the interest of honesty and fair play, I think that it is important that officials “get it right” the first time, all the time. But, most would agree that this is not possible. Risking a “Duh” moment, here, there is a need to find a way to review disputed plays in a timely and efficient manner so that the honesty and integrity of the sport is not questioned. Bad calls, or “No calls” will always happen, but what is most troubling to me is that they contribute to the idea that the games are rigged because of the vast sums of money involved. In my opinion, this hurts the players, the sport, and in the long run, society, itself.
2
I googled "Actual playing time in an NFL game" It gave me 11 minutes of play out of an average 3 hr 12 min game. Oh, and let us not forget the 100+ commercials. I turned on the Pats game for a while the other day. Penalty, review Commercial. Catch, review, commercial. Play, commercial, commercial, commercial. I watched longer than anticipated due to Tony Romo's excellent QB reads. I guess it will go to reviewing the reviews and then to automated reviews and officiating. Soon you will need only one human ref to spot the ball. Foolish game!
2
The solution to all this mess is to require that any video review take place in "real time", not slowed down so you can see a hummingbird's wings in flight. If the call looks ok in real time review, then it is "ok".
1
This missed call was not the only travesty on Sunday.
Brady and Mahomes were trading blows the entire fourth quarter, but the Chiefs don't get a chance to respond to the Pats' touchdown in overtime because they lost the coin toss?
Come on man.
4
One play? We was robbed!!!!! Grow up sports fans. Bad calls are still part of the game. More video reviews? When will they get to play ball? - Scott-unit
"The most important guy was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and nobody could do anything about it."
Fine and good. But tell me, how is it that NOT ONE official was listening to Sean Payton? Why not review the play in New Orleans as well as in New York?
The fact that "the league declined to issue a statement about what will undoubtedly become one of the most notorious non-calls in the league’s history" is extremely telling. Instead of admitting to "missing" a key and pivotal play, the wrong team is now going to the Super Bowl. What a bunch of cowards.
4
Sorry, Saints fans, but if you want to whine about bad officiating, you first need to talk to Steelers DB Joe Haden. Haden and the Steelers were victimized twice by phantom pass interference calls during the Steelers tight loss to New Orleans a few weeks back. The Steelers would have had the ball on downs both times and could have won a game that likely would have put them in the playoffs and possibly prevented New Orleans from securing home-field advantage. So, live by the bad calls, die by the bad calls.
1
I turned the Saints-Rams game off after the missed interference call on Robey-Coleman. I turned the Chiefs-Patriots game off during the ridiculous, interminable review of Julian Edelman's muffed punt return. A glaring no-call mistake that isn't reviewable undoubtedly cost the Saints the game. Then a called muff and resulting Chiefs touchdown are reversed after microscopic examination of the replay footage, which to any unbiased TV viewer was inconclusive. Football games, especially high-stakes championships, should not turn on contradictory and inconsistent rules on what's reviewable and what's not. Either subject every play to review, preferably by officials sitting in a room off the field with the power to overrule any call, or do away with them entirely and let the original call stand, period.
24
My take on this, is that NFL is a business and its business model was to have East vs West teams in the Super Bowl. Also, the Saints' previous "bounty" payments are still hanging in their closet and LA's new stadium has to be justified. So both the Saints and the Chiefs were not "destined" to win last Sunday. My recommendation to the NFL is to institute continuing education classes for referees, so that they are taught how to make and miss calls less blatantly while still producing the desired Super Bowl contenders.
1
In addition to allowing video review of such plays, there need to be more referees on the field.
Saints were winning all day until the call... no disputing who "won" that game from that perspective. Unfortunately the winning team is not going to the Superbowl. Go figure...
4
I've seen a lot of different games since playing in marching band in High School. I've seen every team hurt and helped by calls. Usually in the same game. There is the law of averages so it works out. And, in this case, there simply is no guarantee that the Saints would have made a touchdown no matter how close they would have been if the call was caught and Robey-Coleman was there to take Lewis down or knock him out of bounds.
I can tell you that everyone "knew" that the Patriots were going to get their second touchdown in the game on Sunday with ball only inches from the goal line. Until Brady threw an interception to Ragland, ending that plan.
If you are expecting perfection I'd suggest watching chess or something more absolute than
2
@Marie - sorry about the fumbled fingered editing before I hit submit.
What I was trying to say is whether the call was made and the Saints got the ball at the point of the infraction or if Lewis caught it and Robey-Coleman tackled or knocked him out of bounds there are no guarantees that they would have scored or won. Just like there was no guarantee the Patriots were going to score from the 1 yard line. Things go wrong. Its how you react that makes the difference.
If you are expecting perfection I'd suggest watching chess or something more absolute than football. (missing word added).
2
@Marie I agree. Even if the refs had made the interference call in the Saints game, the assumption everyone makes that they would've gone on to win is just that--an assumption. Fumbles and penalties are just two of the negative possibilities.
1
@Marie
The Saints weren't going to try to make a touchdown. They were going to get a first down from that penalty (or the catch, had it occurred), then let the clock run down through three downs while they dawdled through plays, then kick a field goal when there wasn't enough time for the Rams to come back. Of course something could have gone wrong with that setup, but it was a nearly sure-fire recipe for victory. It was snatched away by an official who was looking right at the offense when it occurred. I wasn't expecting perfection; I was expecting fairness. I've learned my lesson: smaller city teams need to be twice as good as the large city teams in order to win playoff games. Unfortunately, that's pretty difficult. Roger Goodell can keep raking in dough, but since he doesn't provide a level playing field, he's no longer getting support from me.
3
A coach being able to throw a red flag for a no penalty call will probably be a huge relief for the refs that make that mistake. it would act as a buffer from the crazy fans that take things too far.
7
This happens frequently during games played by womens' national soccer leagues. I watch every game I can played by the USWNT and have seen many fouls not called by referees.
It is very disheartening, especially when the foul is against my team! (Some teams are noticeably more aggressive than others, depending on whose team you are rooting for.)
The NFL has for years operated with two different sets of rules, one for favored teams and another for all of the rest.
The play described in this story is just one of many similar pass interference no-calls in the game that benefited the Rams and disadvantaged the Saints. And lest someone suggest otherwise, I'm not a Saints fan or a Rams fan.
It is impossible to overlook the fact that the no-call also benefited the NFL, which has been struggling to increase the enthusiasm of Southern California fans. LA is a far larger television market than Louisiana.
I'm sure the latter point is just a coincidence though, right? I mean, it's not as if there was a lot of money at stake for the monopoly NFL.
8
Real football, which Americans call soccer, has solved a similar problem with VAR--Video Assisted Referee. The two most commonly used areas are disputed goals, which can be disallowed, and in "red card" penalties, which result in expulsion of a player.
The Video Referee can overturn the call on the field where there has been a "clear and obvious error".
Not calling pass interference or a helmet to helmet hit on that play was a "clear and obvious error". VAR could have reversed the call on the field.
4
I don't know. because of how long it takes for the referee to review the play, I think the Referees still let allot of important calls go. the VAR system is a a good system, I just think it needs to be used more liberally than it has been.
If this had been a college game the replay official would have been allowed by rule to initiate a review of the play and would have penalized the Rams for targeting. End of controversy, and Saints in the Super Bowl. NFL must adopt college replay rules.
8
@Blackrock41---I hope they will revisit the rule that allows both teams in overtime to have possession of the ball. We were robbed of seeing what Pat Mahomes would have done.
1
@Blackrock41 They need to be able to review the obvious, blatant pass interference too, regardless of whether targeting was involved.
After seeing this play, I am in strong support of rule changes that allow plays like this to be acceptable for review. It's ridiculous that so many other parts of the game can be challenged and something as egregious as this (with helmet to helmet contact no less) is exempt. The rules need to be amended now.
7
Coaches should be allowed to challenge one judgement call per game, such as pass interference, holding, or face-masking. A replay official should be allotted 30 seconds to make a decision. That way, the game is not slowed down excessively and if the mistake is as obvious as this one, the replay official will be able to make his or her decision within that 30 seconds. If the official cannot decide within 30 seconds, the call or non-call would stand.
8
It’s not just a game. It’s an economic juggernaut. How much money was lost in New Orleans and gained in Los Angeles with one bad call?
3
I can hardly wait for the changes to officiating. We can eliminate the officials on the field with the multitude of cameras and replays with calls being made on everything from the booth. A game made up of 60 minutes of playing time can now be increased to double its current 3-4 hour time.
1
Many of the commenters are clearly missing the point. It is not that the Saints did or did not play well enough to win the game. In full disclosure as a Drew Brees fan and with a son who is a Purdue grad we were pulling for the Saints. Indeed they appeared to be "outplayed" much of the game by a stout Rams defense and an awakened second half offense. The point is that the Saints were prevented from playing for the win by an egregiously bad non-call. Who is to say that they did not "deserve" to win by virtue of being "outplayed" which is after all subjective. How often do we see in sports a team that trails the entire game only to emerge victorious in a dramatic fashion. Did they not "deserve" the win? The 1951 Giants? The 1986 Mets? Countless baseball, basketball and football games as well as prizefights end with a stunning blow.
Had this call been properly made and the Saints had run down the clock and won with a field goal, what would the moralizers among you say now? Bill Russell always said that games are not lost on a last second make or miss at the buzzer; the seeds of a victory or loss are planted much earlier in the game. But a make or a miss pertains to an active element of play. A call or non-call can indeed decide a contest and it happened in New Orleans.
10
Poor clock management and play selection by Sean Payton and the Saints coaching staff led directly to the play with the blown call that cost the Saints the game.
The Saints had 1st and 10 from the Rams 13 yard line with 1:58 to go in a tied game. Three runs up the middle and a field goal attempt would have left the Rams with no timeouts and about a minute to drive the field to tie the game.
Instead, the Saints passed twice incomplete and didn't run the clock. The Rams ended up with 1:41 and a timeout to drive the field for the tying field goal.
Blame the refs all you want but the Saints had the game under control and then proceeded to give the Rams a chance to get back in to the game.
14
@William Jefferson
Upvote for that analysis, as I was screaming at the TV at the appalling play selection by NO following the 2-min. warning...assuming a successful FG attempt after three ultra-safe running plays - or even Brees taking three kneel-downs, that’s virtually ballgame. Sure, one can conjecture a series of rapid pass completions by LA to the sidelines, each stopping the game clock, with maybe a 60yd FG to tie it, but, c’mon...in 40 or so seconds? Astronomical odds at that.
3
The solution is very simple and non intrusive.....simply allow coaches to throw a red flag on issues like this. They will only risk that when it is a obvious situation.
1
@Alan Stephens Good point, Alan. Coaches wouldn't throw a challenge flag on fouls unless they were obviously wrong.
Terry Porter threw a flag for holding in the second overtime of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami 10 seconds after the play, from 33 yards away on the other side of the field. He then changed the call to pass interference. The referee on the side of the field where the alleged infraction took place can be seen in the replay watching the two players involved from a few feet away. He signaled an incomplete pass. The game should have been over. He saw no infraction. The Canes got robbed.
1
As a Minnesota Vikings fan, who watched the Saints constantly hit Brett Favre after he had thrown the ball in a successful attempt to injure him and thus win an NFL Championship game, I don't want to hear anything about the Saints being the victims of injustice. Same coach (Sean Payton), same team.
6
@Ann Young … I agree.
@Ann Young
It was 10 years ago, move on. Last year's "Minnesota Miracle" should have helped you move on but the Vikings wasted that opportunity.
1
People act like this is the first call a ref has blown that cost a team a win. Some people have made the statement that it was major because the Saints were playing to go to the SB. Guess what, from day one of the season, all players are playing to go to the SB. I don't feel bad about the call because it's no different than other lousy calls some refs make or don't make. I guess it just hurts worse when your team is the one that is slighted. IMO, refs should officiate for no more than 5 years. I believe they start to show bias over time and they start to show favoritism to some teams and especially QBs.
1
When a kicker misses a game-winning field goal, we commonly hear the argument from his teammates that it was not simply that play that cost them the game. The game should never have been that close, there were numerous plays preceding that one that should have been made, the defense let the team down, etc. Here also the same rationalizations should apply. It was one call - a crucial call - but the Saints, playing at home where the crowd noise is deafening and Brees is unbeatable, should never have let the Rams creep back into the game after taking a 13-0 lead in the first quarter.
10
@HC45701 I hate this kind of reasoning. Forget the shoulda(s) from earlier in the game. The game had progressed to a crucial point and what happened at that point is at issue, that and nothing else.
1
@HC45701
The opportunity to overcome those mistakes was taken away from them.
1
I don't watch football anymore, primarily because I got sick of the constant string of injuries; watching Bowman's leg a few years ago was the beginning of the end.
But my other big issue with the game these days is the time commitment. What was a 2.5 hour game in my youth is now a 4+ hour ordeal. If the league put instant replay on every foul, it would only bump the TV time up - without giving any more action to the watchers.
Yes, it stinks that refs botch calls and/or throw games (who knows, right?). But c'est la football - and wouldn't people rather watch football than constant rules debates?
2
"“It was simple: They blew the call,” Payton said after the game."
It's this simple - get over it! It's a game! And really, were there no other missed calls or bad calls - including going in favor of the Saints throughout the game? People are going crazy over this one because it happened in the closing minute, but what if an earlier missed call cost the Rams a touchdown? Does that not matter?
5
@Chrissy It may a game to you but perhaps not just a game to the players. And no, because it is mere assumption, it doesn't matter.
@Chrissy
There are players on both teams that benefit from the bonuses they get from making it to the Super Bowl. I'm not talking about Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and those guys, try the ones that are making $200,000/year. That money was stolen from them.
1
The reason for multiple officials is to ensure play is fully monitored. Great solution for 1950, but obsolete with modern technology.
The NFL should put officials in a booth with access to the same tech as the networks who are empowered to make calls rather the ref on the field
4
@Paul
Or put more officials on the field. There's certainly enough money for that!
I've heard that one should not ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence. Still, I have a hard time accepting that a well-trained and experienced NFL referee can honestly make such a blatant error. That non-call really shook my confidence in the NFL and the integrity of the game. It was one of the single biggest plays of the 2019 Playoffs, and the NFL Refs allowed the Rams to profit from cheating.
I was so disturbed by what had happened, that I didn't watch the second the game of the day. In fact, I'm done with the NFL for this season. I'm sure I'll be back next season when the Texans are playing again, but my faith has been shaken.
15
This case is a bit tricky. If any official on the field sees a penalty, or what they think is a penalty, they'll throw a flag. The clock stops, and there's a discussion, and sometimes that flag is picked up after other officials weigh in. But there's no clock stoppage if no one throws the flag, so no discussion, and no change of the non-call. Either make this something the coach can challenge, or empower a replay official to throw a "virtual" penalty flag.
3
Fact# 1. The Saints take a 23-20 lead with 1:40 left in the game. The Saints defense subsequently allows the Rams (in 90 seconds) to march down the field and kick a game-tying field goal.
Fact# 2. Sudden Death Overtime. The Saints fail to capitalize on winning the coin-toss as QB Drew Brees throws interception. Saints defense subsequently allows Rams to kick game-winning field goal.
Sorry folks, but the Saints loss has Zero to do with a no-call. It has everything to do with a team that Failed to stop the Rams offense in the final 90 seconds…and Failed to capitalize on winning the coin-toss in overtime (see Patriots in AFC Championship to see how this is done).
Blaming the Saints loss on a no-call pass interference play is Absurdity On Steroids. The Saints have only themselves to blame for losing the game.
18
@rfmd1 Is it okay with you that the Saints probably would have won the game anyway if the call had been made?
1
@rfmd1. Amen! Finally some who chooses to see the game as it played out. The Saints, their coach & the fans have no one to blame but themselves!
1
@JL
But the call wasn't made.
What "probably" might have happened is pure speculation. The Saints "might" have fumbled the ball, perhaps Brees throughs an interception, perhaps the field goal attempt is blocked, perhaps the kicker missies the field goal. Speculation is an effort in futility.
A Super-Bowl-Worthy team would have persevered and defended their 3 point lead.
Or failing on the above task.....A Super-Bowl-Worthy team would have persevered and won the game in Sudden-Death Overtime. The Saints did neither of the above.
It was the Rams who rose to the occasion on the Saints home field and tied the game in the waning minute of regulation...and it was the Rams who won the game in overtime after losing the coin-flip.
The crying by the Saints, sports pundits and fans and playing the "victim of a no-call" is disgusting and childish.
You do not need cameras, instant replays, increased video technology or weeks of post-game argument to judge whether the outcome of a game is dependant on ONE PLAY. It is not.
1. The game in question was 60 minutes long - not one play determined the outcome- all the plays did.
2. There were many referee calls - a number of them were wrong or questionable.
3. If the referee is unbiased (most believe they are), half of the bad calls will go to one team and half to the other.
4. There is no need for replays or technology to determine if a call is correct.
P.S. Of much greater concern for both games over the weekend was the attempt by pass defenders to "decapitate receivers" with no penalties in most cases. These are extremely dangerous plays and should be treated as such.
13
@Paul Robillard Again, this philosophy is completely flawed. If this call had happened in the first quarter, you would be completely correct. But the closer an event occurs to the end of a given timeframe, the easier it is to predict the final outcome. Had the right call been made, the Saints would have been able to run the clock down to zero and kick a field goal. Saints win, end of story.
Take the Vikings play last year that beat the saints. If that happens the first play of the game, with what level of certainty can you say that the Vikings will end up winning the game? Not much. Now after the play actually happened there was zeroes on the clock and we could say with 100% certainty that the Vikings would win. It's a continuous scale from zero to 100%. Had the refs made the right call this past Sunday, the Saints would've had nearly 100% chance of winning that game. Thus, One play absolutely determined that game.
3
@Paul Robillard
P.S. Of much greater concern for both games over the weekend was the attempt by pass defenders to "decapitate receivers" with no penalties in most cases. These are extremely dangerous plays and should be treated as such.
Isn't this EXACTLY what everyone is talking about?
1
The NFL Team Owners, i.e. the people who control the NFL, have no choice but to change the rules and let technology take a front seat. Let's put it this way: If they don't permit the correct application of technology to assist the referees in making decisions, then the NFL will become less relevant in American life.
Aside from the fact that the technology to correct the issue exists, a referee "error" shifts many millions of dollars in the pockets of those who bet on games... and who is to say that a referee cannot be corrupt?
Fix this, NFL owners. If you don't, then we might as well be watching a "professional" wrestling match.
Several photos show an official within a few yards of the play looking right at it. He sees it live, right in front of him. Surely he has a better view than people watching tv, which gives a compressed telephoto image in one dimension. What the game does not need is more challenges, and more standing around waiting for tv replay decisions which are usually disagreed with by one side or the other. The game is already too slow with too many interruptions; at best a gambling and commercial vehicle.
2
In the Canadian Football League since 2014, the head coaches are allowed to chalenge penalty and non penalty calls. I understand that penalties are very often judgement call. But lets face it, the NFL is the greatest and the best football league in the world. This fact alone is one reason why the rule should be changed. A great game finished in a debacle and to make thing worse, it was a playoff game. Referees are human, they do mistakes. We have the technologies to correct it. Let's used it also, for penalty calls and non penalty calls. And that specific case not only the game is at stake but also the safety of the players.
3
The real problem is that technology around the game has increased rapidly while the reffing is still very much based on the model it has used for years. With teams having full access to what goes on the field streamed to tables, with jumbotrons and hundreds of camera angles and HD tv's at home, the seams are showing.
The most reasonable solution is to allow challenges on penalties (keep in mind they still have limited challenges), but even more reasonable is to add a ref to the team who is in the booth watching the field as another member of the team. Ever notice when a ref throws a flag then we get the 'no foul' ruling? That is because another member of the reffing team saw the play, and said there was no penalty....so why not have a video ref who can be part of the team? In reality, they would be there for the big things, not because an offensive player sneezed, or offsides, but big things, like missed calls, or where they call roughing and it is obvious on video the hands didn't hit the face. The nice part is with todays technology it won't cost game time, this ref is real time, not review, if he/she doesn't see it in 10 seconds, that is for review.
The other thing, as much as people hate the idea, is with AI and given how complicated NFL rules are, and AI system can read a hundred video feeds and process what it sees quickly, maybe the AI system would be the last member of the team, set up only for major things.
1
I think the nation will survive.
It’s a bit depressing, though, that a guy on the street would probably have a more furious opinion about a ref’s bad call, than about any one of the pressing crises threatening the globe.
Antibiotics are running out, climate change is intensifying, nuclear weapons abound, Islamic terrorism thrives, old alliances falter, and China’s meteoric rise poses serious challenges. Why not spend millions to broadcast that?
3
@Arnav
The crisis you list are the exact reasons we need to have something like the NFL referee imperfections to focus on. Without diversions we will lose our minds that much quicker.
7
In a 60 minute game, there are many factors that contribute to the final score: missed tackles, missed catches, poor play-calling, missed or made field goals, great plays, etc.
But at the end of the game, if the score is tight, fans react to the last minute play as having determined the outcome: the missed field goal, the non-call, etc.
This is a misperception. It only looks like the last play determined the game because the game is on the line at that moment. In reality, any number of other plays, from the second the game started were equally determinative in the final outcome.
While I can empathize with Saints fans, their team had many chances to win the game and did not prevail. The non-call was a factor, but only one factor in the final outcome. Like all games, in this one the Saints simply could not win a 60-minute game with a myriad of chances to score and to stop the Rams from scoring.
Plan and simple: they could have won and did not.
13
@Space needle Your examples are not controversial. They are events that occur in every football game. What few controversial calls occur are such to varying degrees. When one like this happens at the end of the game it tends to be more important because there is no time for the beleaguered team to recover. And no one is necessarily claiming that the call determined the outcome of the game. That we will never know. But let's at least get the call right so we can see what happens. Plain and simple.
4
I had a high school basketball coach who told us that when we played a perfect game, then we could criticize the referees when they missed a call. Bottom line is that both the players and the referees are human. They make mistakes. While the referee's call in question came at a critical time, there were no doubt dozens of mistakes by the players, each by themselves, that also would have changed the outcome. There is a reason why it is called a game.
9
There were several important missed calls. There were a missed facemask on Gurley call that had it been called the Saints may not have been in that close game situation at the end. Some of their coaches play calling are highly questionable as well. So the refs are human and stuff happens. The Saints had their chances and simply blew it. Get over it. Us Falcons fans had to get over a missed last minutes fast mask on Matt Ryan by the Patriots that would have given us a first down and Super Bowl win. That was tough to swallow. But we took the embarrassing lost. So I feel nothing for those Saints. Game Over
8
Just give each of the officials on the field an iPad and let them see all the angles that are already available to viewers at home. We don’t need another layer of officiating, we just need to utilize easy accessible existing technology.
MLB, same goes for you.
1
From the Wikipedia page on Pass Interference. Looks like the work of a Saints' fan
"It is totally fine for the defender to body slam the receiver before the ball gets near either player as demonstrated in the 2019 NFC championship game between the Saints and the Rams.
2
@Neighbor2
laugh of the day.
The problem with the main argument of the article -- i.e., that the side judge has but one angle and no benefit of replay -- is that he has essentially the same exact view as the Saints' head coach standing behind him (see AP photo), to whom the non-call is more-than-obvious. The referee seems to be watching the play intently but maybe he was thinking about what gift to get for his friends' upcoming wedding.
1
@Tom Supposedly according to press reports, the side judge thought the ball had been tipped.
One of the problems is the present rule on pass interference. For example, what does impending a players ability to catch the ball really mean?
Receivers say they are impeded every play. some amount of hand checking and pushing is allowed. But how much is allowable and how much is too much?
The Rams Saints play is clear and would have been pass interference twenty years ago. But in today's pass happy game replay won't define how much contact will be allowed.
3
Another thought I had regarding even more complexity in trying to perfect the "fairness equality" of a game by the officials is the notion of offsetting penalties. I'm not an expert by any means so feel free to correct me, but on occasion I've seen an official announce (equal?) offenses by both teams that result in no penalty. Given that my imagination went to a booth of many other NFL sanctioned "officials" watching everything on the field from all angles who might have at some point in the play found an "equal" offense by the Saints to the Rams pass interference somewhere on the field. Where does one draw the line?
The rules are complex. A play usually lasts 7 seconds at most. There are 22 players fighting 11 battles at high speed on a field of 57,600 square feet. Easy pushing the limits of the rules for an advantage. There are multiple penalties committed on each play that aren’t noticed by the 7 officials on the field.
An NFL game lasts 3.5 hours. About 11 minutes of that time is spent playing football. The remainder of that 3.5 hours is replay, talk, and mostly commercials. My point is that watching televised football is already a waste of time. The game needs to be simplified, not weighted down with more delays in play. Start with capping player substitution.
5
@Bill
"An NFL game lasts 3.5 hours. About 11 minutes of that time is spent playing football. The remainder of that 3.5 hours is replay, talk, and mostly commercials. "
Try recording the first hour of the game before watching so you can ff through the commercials. Technology is wonderful.
"Infuriated Saints fans, who have long insisted that the N.F.L. remains biased against them because its coaches were found to have rewarded injuring opponents..." got the benefit of missed personal foul calls to get to their only Super Bowl.
The missed call helping prevent the Saints from getting to the next Super Bowl is partial justice.
3
Football is turning into an interminable game of courtroom drama, with endless video re-plays and analysis. Officials make mistakes, players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes. Just let them play and let us be entertained.
10
While I was optimistic to see the Chiefs play the Saints February 3rd, such was not the case. I sincerely hope none of the officials chosen for the Rams/Saints game will NOT used for the Super Bowl.
3
@Marge Keller A double negative: you want them to be used?
1
@Bill
Oh dang, thanks so much for catching my error. I meant to write that I hope none of these guys will be used in the Super Bowl.
1
NFL football is supposed to be an exciting ACTION game, a game of controlled chaos, where the outcome is determined by the actions of the players on the field. Television and instant replay have significantly slowed down the action, and are turning football into an exercise of semantics, where the actions of the players are becoming secondary to the endless and interminable review by non-players.
Instant replay is ruining NFL football!
Here's an idea: Eliminate televised replay during the game.
Here's another idea: Decisions of officials on the field are FINAL! PERIOD!
Like all human endeavors, there will be occasional bad plays, and there will even be bad officiating. But everyone is there to PLAY THE GAME, not to argue about the details. Make the call and get on with it -- PLAY FOOTBALL!
It's up to the coaches and management to deal with bad players and bad plays. It's up to the league to deal with bad officiating. All of which should transpire AFTER the game. While the clock is ticking, the game should be being played, and not being argued about.
11
@Michael B
That was the most blatant non call I have ever seen.
I’ve been watching football for over 60 years and have never seen a more obvious call on a defender. It cost the Saints the game. I hope Brady takes the Rams apart!
4
@Michael B
"Here's an idea: Eliminate televised replay during the game. "
Here's an idea: let's go back to black and white TV!
How about each team getting one challenge per game for penalty calls and non-calls. Clear and convincing video evidence would be required to change the on-the-field ruling, and if the challenged penalty/non-penalty is overturned, the challenger gets to keep its challenge for later in the game. Seldom would it be used for holding and hand-checking interference calls, as those are usually judgment calls that can be justified either way. Obvious interference or offsides calls or non-calls on a crucial play could be corrected, and the delay of the game would be minimal and at a time when interest in the outcome on the challenge would be most intense.
15
A no-call, even a flagrant one, is not reviewable "by league rules". Owner Benson "will aggressively pursue changes...".
This sport has been played for many years by many teams, with many incidents of no-calls. Why haven't they fixed this problem a long time ago?
It seems that either a) The teams including the owners haven't bothered trying, or b) They've considered and discussed, but for some reason felt it wasn't fixable, or c) they decided it wasn't worth doing.
If it's (a), they don't have much basis for griping about it at this point, despite what a difference it made in a very important game.
If (b), then it's probably not fixable now.
If (c), maybe this will cause a change, but before anyone gets too upset about this incident in this game, see (a).
Officiating a game played by 22 of the fastest strongest athletes is always going to be challenging. There are always going to be some bad calls. You can only trust that over a 60 minute game, they will balance out. There certainly are opportunities for both teams to overcome a few bad calls. Frankly, the Saints should already have been up 14 points, but they played poorly, especially Brees.
The fact is that the Saints had 2 solid opportunities to win the game after this non-call happened, but they failed. They failed to stop the Rams from tying the game up. Worse, Brees threw a desperate, ill-considered pass high into the air and into the waiting arms of a Rams defensive back in overtime.
He choked. Saints lose. Better luck next year.
If the 'fix' for Sunday's result is to make judgment calls reviewable, I'll pass. The replays that already exist are making the game exceedingly long already.
24
Because NFL outcomes are so obviously subject to too many variables to manage, I cannot believe that people continue to bet on it. And, if I saw the infraction sitting on my couch at home, I'm sure it was possible for the call on the field to be reversed. And Goodell will still be paid millions to run a sloppy shop. What a country!
9
Look here is the deal. Follow the money. The NFL put the Rams in LA. They want them in the Super Bowl. With the four teams left Sunday morning the best financial match up for the Super Bowl is Rams Patriots. The financial nightmare for the Super Bowl would be Saints Chiefs. After the call in the Saints Rams game I told my friend that I felt bad for the Chiefs because the NFL wants the east coast west coast matchup so there is no way the Chiefs will win. Then in the Chiefs Patriots game, bingo the roughing the passer call.
I'm a born a raiser NYC Italian guy. I'm a Giants fan. I've been watching the NFL, if not outright fix certainly influence the outcome of games for the best financial outcome for years. Yes, I watched the NFL allow, not necessarily in this order, the Cowboys, Eagles, 49ers, Saints and a host of other teams hold Lawrence Taylor for thirteen years. For the fifth year no Super Bowl for me.
14
Coach Belichick is right. Let a coach challenge any ruling, loose a timeout if he's overruled, and move on. The coaches will decide whether the call is that important and the game won't be slowed significantly.
46
@Greg H.
In this case there wasn't a ruling. Nothing to challenge.
I hope we aren't getting to the whining challenge where coaches will challenge any play they don't like.
@Marie The ruling was an incomplete pass. You challenge that because of the obvious interference.
1
For the last five years, they have allowed pass interference to be challengeable call by the coaches in the CFL. It works, for the most part, but it is not a clear cut case that the CFL rules should be adopted, as there are time practicalities also.
The difficulty with interference is that it is not so blatant, most times (yes, I know the Saints got robbed). Coaches seem to use it for interference calls at moments where the team really needs a lift. Often you end up saying, but "if that was interference, what about this." There is a lot of debatable interference on many plays.
The CFL does try to limit challenge calls, i.e. if you lose a challenge, you lose the right to challenge for the remainder of the game. As well, I seem to recall that all plays are reviewable in the last few minutes (something along that line).
Surely this missed call was especially egregious (either interference or helmet-on-helmet), and something should be done, especially for games of such importance as time is expiring. It clearly cost the Saints the game, and I was rooting for the Rams.
6
Last week I was looking forward to the Superbowl even though 'my team' wouldn't be in it.
Now I've lost all desire to watch it.
22
Even though the hit Tommylee Lewis took from Nickell Robey-Coleman was viewed by millions up front and close by many on the sidelines coupled with a plethora of camera angles, this was not the only penalty "missed" by the officials. From early on, the officials "missed" many a penalty from various Rams players.
What I feel in my heart is that if this game used the officials in the Patriots/Chiefs game, New Orleans would be in this year's Super Bowl and not L.A. The Rams will never be accused of stealing this victory for those officials clearly handed it to them with multiply blind eyes.
11
@Marge Keller
Not so fast, Marge. In the part of the Patriots-Chiefs game that I watched, I saw Patriots get a "roughing the passer" advantage, even though the Chief rushing was separated from Brady by a blocker and had not yet thrown the ball. This continued the Patriots drive leading to a touchdown.
I saw a fumble called back even though the video showed to me the punt receiver touched the ball with is left index finger, certainly enough to let the call on the field stand. Subtract one Chiefs score.
There were other bogus/missed calls.
Pro football is controlled by already rich white men who change rules every year to maximize their profits. They spend millions of dollars buying and selling human beings for their own profit, and couldn't care less for the players' health other than profit.
Referees could also easily be a part of the team assets.
Boycott pro football.
1
@Chris
Your opening paragraphs were spot on and I do sit corrected. Thank you for pointing out the other to my one-side argument. Not completely in agreement with your closing paragraphs but I do understand your perspective. Not there yet regarding a boycotting of football. I still enjoy the game too much. Watching the Patriots and the Chiefs is a major reason why. As much as I detest Tom Brady, he and his team were so dang incredible in those closing moments. I truly understand why they deserve to be in yet another Super Bowl.
Sincere thanks for sharing your thoughts.
1
Years ago I used to joke with friends who were NFL Football fans and say 'there's no difference between Football & Professional Wrestling. And now there isn't... It's fixed.... At least they used to try and hide it. Now it's blatant. They like high scoring games. They like there to be at least one coastal big market team in the Super Bowl. Preferably two. They like overtime games. They like it when the score is close at the end. They also will rig it so the underdog is up at halftime.
Football is the easiest to do. Pass interference. Holding. All kind of judgment things. When I used to watch many years ago I saw plays that changed a teams' whole season that were obviously wrong. When I say they I mean the money men. The people that control gambling & TV. I think all sports are fixed nowadays. Just not as all the time like football. How is it that a team that has not lost all season, all of a sudden loses to a team that has not won all season. That happens once or twice each year. The bookies make billions on games like that. In New Jersey they legalized sports betting and in just a few months it is over a billion dollar business. They tell the refs what they want and they get it done. I am also sure there are some players that are compromised as well. It's really a shame because these players are in top condition and go out there and 'kill' each other each week. They do get paid well, but ..
It's fixed .. The obvious answer is usually the right one
19
@Doctor Woo, while I agree with most of your points and share the same conspiracy theory, I don't think it is possible to create a system that guarantees a win for any team given the unpredictable nature of the ball and the athleticism involved in the game. I think the fact that the NFL owners profit share makes your argument easier to swallow, but I don't think it is as easy to "fix" a game as you suggest. Maybe, it is just a means to put a team in a better position to win. As a coach for over 25 years, I can tell you that I have been knocked off my perch by a team with no wins, and have returned the favor to teams who were expected to crush us. Who knows..I'm a JETS fan and I wish there was a plan to get us some wins!
Before its audience is subjected to a repeat of the stress & frustration imposed by its incompetent officiating and pointlessly constrained replay policies, the NFL should rewrite the rule book regarding penalties & replays, this week. Anticipating a Super Bowl that my be similarly corrupted by replay rules that place the game's outcome in the hands of the officials, instead of the players and coaches, risks permanent damage to the sport.
Unlike most rulebook modifications, there is no need to communicate change in players' technique to over a 1000 athletes. Replay procedures rest solely in the hands of game & league officials. An interim rules adjustment, subject to "further review" during the off-season, might spare the NFL damage that would compound the alienation already epidemic amongst fans.
2
The NFL has to better tailor the technical resourese available to them as officiating tools. We need both more openness to look at a widening variety of field plays and judgmnnt calls, as well as the ability to make faster determinations on those calls.
The idea that it's up to opposing coaches to throw a flag so a play may be seen is impractical. Such matters should not be in their hands at all. Barring that change, their ability to make a claim similarly needs be slightly extended as well as widened. An added bonus in enhanced scrutiny of any kind. would be a positive impact player safety.
If this takes slightly longer with even more fficient delayed judgment, we can always cut back on commercials, vastly extended over the years.
Right? :)
1
The worst part of this whole episode, in my opinion, is that Robey-Coleman has not suffered any consequences for his actions.
10
What consequence do you envision? He committed an infraction. The officials blew the call. I have news for you. There is not a single football play where players do not commit infractions. The officials do not and should not penalize behaviors that do not influence the result of a play, absent something blatantly malicious. Or perhaps something that today is being called a process crime, such as illegal motion or too many men on the field. All that occurred here was human error by the officials. The player drove fifteen miles over the speed limit and didn't get caught. Happens millions of times a day.
Even as a Rams fan for 50 years, I hate to see them in the Super Bowl because of a blown call. Clearly, the Saints have a right to be disgusted.
That said, weren't those the same Saints who exhorted their fans to scream as loudly as possible during each Rams HUDDLE so to interfere with the visiting team's ability to communicate with each other? Oh, and this article mentioned that they were the team who rewarded players for intentionally hurting opposing players, right?
While the Rams MAY not have won the game without that terrible missed call, maybe the Saints didn't deserve to win it either. They couldn't put enough points on the board with that huge home-field advantage to forestall a regulation tie by field goal.
It looks to me like the better team won, though in an unfortunate way.
11
So the league has no comment?! They seem more interested in bathing in their millions of non-profit $. Showing one part of the game (replays / evidence) to the paying audiense and fans while ignoring these when making a ruling makes it unfair play - of course fans get upset
If the referees are not allowed to see the replays neither should the spectators.
7
@Steen We can't loose sight of what NFL football is all about -- MONEY! It's not about athletics, it's not about virtuosity, it's not about exciting action; all those things are secondary to MONEY!
Whatever put more money in the pockets of the billionaire owners is what's going to happen. ALWAYS!
3
There's a lot to like about the NFL. The game can be wildly entertaining, with its clever misdirection plays, acrobatic pass catches, thrilling open-field running, and tactics and strategy. That's why we millions overlook the sport's excesses and bombast.
There's a lot to dislike about the NFL. Team owners (save for Green Bay, of course) are by and large greedy billionaires who routinely extort tax money from struggling communities to fund their stadiums. There are too many players who have grown up insulated from the consequences of their acts who have grown up big and strong and behave like spoiled and often violent children. Then there's the sport itself, brutal and militaristic at its core, leaving many players brain damaged and crippled in retirement.
You'd think they'd figure out how to run a game. Apparently not. The interference non-call in the Saints-Rams game is inexplicable, indefensible, and wrong.
The word is that the league admitted it blew the call. Were there no other referees on the field? Could no one else have stuck up his hand and said, “I think that was an infraction?” Was it impossible for one of the oracles in New York to call up and ask someone to throw a flag? I assume they were watching; it was the only game being played. The referee's incompetence and the decision to adhere to a dumb rule (interference calls cannot be reviewed) rather than correct an obvious mistake has convinced me the NFL is no longer worth my time.
You're dead to me NFL.
24
I have also sworn off the NFL for the reasons you outline, only to find myself watching after a short period of denial.
The NFL is like a lot of things that are not good for us: junk food, social media, hanging out in bars.
But like those other vices, its attraction usually wins out, and we find ourselves in the bar, eating cheese nachos, texting our friends, and watching an NFL game. The sport has created an addictive product that few can avoid once its pleasures have been tasted.
1
Any and every call should be challengeable under the existing procedure, at any time of the game. If the replay clearly shows it, the mistake can be fixed, and If it doesn't, you lose your timeout or whatever other consequence applies. Trying to decide in advance which wrong calls should be correctable is silly.
3
I would like to gently remind the NYT's and it's presumably IQ enhanced readers: it's just a game.
Very sad when games are the band aids for the masses to make life somehow seem more enjoyable...says a great deal about society in general, both on a macro and micro level.
6
Maybe it is time to give this job to AI
@FilmMD, possibly. But I can hear it now... "There will be a delay of approximately 11 minutes while we reboot the system."
1
Should we be surprised that a sport that promotes brain injury - from young children to professionals whose lives are cut short - has stupid rules?
5
Worst call in the history of the N.F.L. Look at the replay. The back judge is standing 20 yards away looking directly at the play, and he did not throw a flag. Sheer incompetence.
23
@paul
Or, a convenient favor to someone? Or even a payback for some slight or insult?
1
@paul
I don't brush this off to sure incompetence. He was simply a Rams fan, thus allowing them entry into the Super Bowl.
2
@paul When someone is "looking directly" at something but it does not register, his mind is probably wandering. Happens in all kinds of situations, even in the middle of a play.
Of course it's not "sport" anymore. It's money. The love of money is the root of all evil? It certainly has rotted much of America. Where money is not the god, the fallibility of referees is taken for granted: you win some, you lose some--what may be at stake is ego. But millions of dollars? Want another hint? All those games colleges where they reach some academic subjects!
The blown call was unfortunate. The failure of the NFL to correct an obvious error is inexcusable!! The game was decided by the officials instead of the players and that's not right.
I cannot support a sport that allows their championship game to be decided by incompetent officials. I will boycott the Super Bowl unless this blatant error is corrected.
People in this country put up with enough unfairness and obvious rule breaking, must we also put up with it in our sports!!
4
Let’s be serious about this. The NFL wanted the LA team in the Superbowl—a major market now with multiple teams.
This is no different than the NBA. It got to be a joke in the playoffs, what they would go through to get Shaq and Kobe in the final. Anyone who saw the series with Sacramento will never believe anything else.
17
@Jerryg
I'm not sure I agree with your conspiracy theory, but you're right about one thing - playoff caliber officials just don't miss calls this badly. There was something going on yet explained.
1
Because it is both entertainment and religion.
The fix is in. Period.
13
What a farce!
Cheating or rule infractions don’t matter as long as you get to the final......or the WH!
3
Every play should be reviewed by an officiating crew in a central location with access to all cameras . If the conclusion they reach is different from the call on the field, play should be stopped and the correct call enforced. Come on, man.
4
Your cure is worse than the disease. It would render many games into five hour yawners that no one would care to watch. Or better we could just replace the players and officials with androids who never make errors.
5
Just accept that the game will not be fair. The officiating is human and flawed. I don't want the game slowed down for more officiating.
Sure there could be another official "in the booth", and added "booth reviews". But really, the game is so much inaction and that seems like that just grinds it even slower.
Some calls will be missed.
26
There was also a "face mask" infraction on the Rams QB that was missed. Had the refs caught it the Rams would be close to the end zone and could have scored a TD.
4
must be nice for the ref to choose to "not grant an interview" when players and coaches must appear before the media or risk being fined and/or suspended. Same should go for officials in all sports.
29
@Jason
Sounds creative and responsible to me Jason, and how about a more public overall evaluation score for each offical as well.
Defenders run into receivers all the time. It's not always a penalty situation, however. This is why throwing a flag is considered to be a judgment call. Players can get their feet tangled- no one is deemed to be at fault. A ball can sail far overhead, or out of bounds, and be ruled "uncatchable." Hence no penalty will be called. A defender can rush to a spot on the field to catch an underthrown ball. Here, he in essence becomes a receiver with equal rights to try to reach the ball. Any incidental contact with the intended receiver is rarely called as interference. Think the Patriot's Malcolm Butler intercepting a Seattle pass in the end-zone in the Super Bowl.
So now, because of this obvious missed call, which cannot be reviewed because it is a "judgment call" as outlined above, disappointed fans want a rule change. A change to presumably enable a review of all non-calls by the officials. Why wasn't that offensive hold called? Why was that face-mask grab not called? Why wasn't knocking the quarterback to the ground called roughing the passer? Why wasn't an illegal pick called on two receivers blocking a defensive back? And on and on and on.
Be careful what you wish for.
28
One possibility is that the official was momentarily distracted or his mind wondered. I know it seems hard to believe that it could happen during a play, but that is what humans do.
2
I am not a New Orleans Saints fan but what happened at the end of that game is unacceptable, either a sport league has rules to make games fair and make sure they are being respected by all including referees or the game itself loses its credibility.
What is the point of having video footage review but only for some plays and not for one like that one that could have changed the entire result.
What is amazing is that on the video replay we can see a referee watching the play and having a great view of the pass interference.
I really don’t believe in that a playoff game could be rigged but the New Orleans players shouldn’t suffer the consequences of other people not doing their jobs properly
25
@Gwenael It would be worse to have games with more time between plays. The game is too slow as it is.
The most perfect officiating outcome would be 100's of cameras, and a 2-hour review of each in slow-motion. Then the next play could happen. The NFL needs to speed up the time between activity, not slow it down.
The officiating crew will make mistakes. In close games, that may determine who wins. I think that is acceptable.
No one innocent should ever suffer, in a truly just world. But this is not that world. And the NFL is not an exception with perfect officials.
5
The Super Dome game was not played on a "level" field.
The Saints head coach instructed fans to use the acoustics of the domed arena to disrupt the game. And they did that to an extent that made the contest unfair. The Saints were able to use audible play calling at the line of scrimmage and the other was not.
The officials should have been calling unsportsmanlike penalties for that reason.
10
@rich : It's called home field advantage. That's what you play for in the regular season. What do you want to do, silence the fans?
15
@paul
Yes, to the extent that a domed home field advantage is different than other stadiums. There is no logical reason for a New Orleans home field advantage to be more of a factor than that of any another team.
4
Disagree about unsportsmanlike penalties for making noise....however, at the Pats/KC game, KC fans were blowing whistles during the Pats plays--according to what Jim Nantz said. Now that kind of behavior is worthy of a penalty.
That non-call was crucial, but it didn't lose the game for the saints, IMO. They lost because of lousy clock management by Payton, Brees and the offense couldn't convert two red zone possessions into touchdowns, and Brees stunk in OT.
1
The best way to make no errors, have no rules that are judgment based, period. Facts can be contested, opinions cannot be.
As long as players are not trying to hurt another, everything goes. Cannot hit with helmet, cannot grab it, cover it, or hit on the helmet. That should take the player out for the quarter and next; and a penalty awarded.
My two cents!
@Phil
Big problem there: trying to determine/prove "intent" of trying to hurt another, but making another so dangerously vulnerable - intended or not - being more heavily penalized is quite solid.
A simple solution I've heard, but not seen in print, is to have one referee in the booth calling, confirming, or overturning calls based upon the big HD screen in front of him or her. So simple, immediate, and practical! Then that person would be confirming what the "50 guys in the bar" all agree on.
80
Let's be honest, football is a contact sport. Could it be that this type of play is not subject to video replay because the league knows it occurs all the time and including it will result in games lasting forever. That said, with so much on the line, for any team to lose a championship game in this manner I cannot imagine how horrible the Saints players must feel. Conversely, the Rams' victory rings is hollow.
4
@Alan Schlossberg
There will always be a "human error" element in sports is a mantra for a previous time. The new one need be, we can always lessen the potential for human error through orderly and efficient use of growing technology.
@Ben Brice
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you. And in this instance even without technology the error was glaring to all.
The calls made in the chiefs/patriots game seemed correct to me. Instant replays for the television audience confirmed the calls made after review by the officials.
But that missed call of interference by the rams defensive end is mind-boggling....especially with so many photos showing the side judge Gary Cavaletto looking right at the play.
Maybe Cavaletto didn't want to make a call so crucial to the game because he's following the 'all bets are off' informal rule that no penalties get called in the final key moments of a game...
But still....that penalty was so obvious and severe....
Rules changes are required, now, to allow review of these penalties...
53
@Ed The Patriots / Chiefs game was called correctly for the most part, with the exception of the roughing-the-passer penalty that was called against the Chiefs. It may or may not have made a difference, but it was clear that the Chiefs defensive player didn't touch Tom Brady. There was a pretty severe consequence - 15 yards and a first down - for a non-event.
24
@Ed You might want to talk to Dee Ford of the Chiefs about your "all bets are off" observations regarding refs swallowing their whistles in the last minute(s) of a crucial game.
9
@Ed
The Chiefs took the lead with a pick-play touchdown in the final minutes of the game. That play is offensive pass interference. It was at least as blatant and important a non-call as the defensive pass interference in the Saint/Rams game. If offenses can run pick plays like that, games would end 92-85 every week. That was horrible.
The difference between the two situations is that the Patriots got back to the business of winning the game - which they did - while the Saints proceeded to give up the tying field goal to the Rams, and then Brees threw a horrible pass in overtime to give the ball to Rams offense.
2
The trick with dealing with blown calls is not to be in a situation where they make a difference. Baseball deals with this all the time. How many mis-called pitches have made a difference in close games? Quite a few. Sure that blown pass interference call changed the game. But so did a bunch of dropped passes, missed blocks, and blown coverages. It's a game.
28
@Daedalus I think you are correct in generalizing about the whole game and the various missed opportunities but the blatancy of the missed call was painful, just the same.
21
My father and I used to officiate high school and small college football and basketball many years ago in US. My Dad taught me you do NOT throw the flag or blow the whistle unless you are certain. Balls and strikes is a much different and more difficult situation. Dad did baseball, but I ididn't have the nerve to keep my eyes open behind the plate.
3