The refs suck

[Connorbear]

First the call the fake punt catch by Peterson and then the no call on the absolute mugging of Olson at the end of the game. Glad we won but this game should have never gone to overtime.

 

Peace

[Wesson44]

First the call the fake punt catch by Peterson and then the no call on the absolute mugging of Olson at the end of the game. Glad we won but this game should have never gone to overtime.

 

Peace

Yes that was a very bad call on Olsen in the end zone

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

The make-up call was the penalty against NO on Hester in OT. It was an awful call but I'll take it.

[kyyle23]

The make-up call was the penalty against NO on Hester in OT. It was an awful call but I'll take it.

 

Harper made contact with Hester without trying to make a play on the ball, thats the way the rules roll

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Harper made contact with Hester without trying to make a play on the ball, thats the way the rules roll

It's OT in a game that decides both teams' seasons. You're really going to make that call because Roman Harper put his pinky on Hester's back?

[nfoligno]

I thought the call was a bit iffy, as the DB did turn his head around and contact was made due to Hester coming back to the ball, but I think a key was the DB also making contact by kicking out w/ his leg. If you watch the previews, not only is there contact, but the DB seems to also try to kick Hester. IMHO, if he didn't try to kick Hester, then the call would have been far more questionable.

 

Regardless, it made up for the no-call on Olsen, which likely would have been a game ender. If that call is made, we get the ball at the one yard line, and despite the past, I believe we would have scored, which would have given us a win and not a tie.

 

It's OT in a game that decides both teams' seasons. You're really going to make that call because Roman Harper put his pinky on Hester's back?

[madlithuanian]

Agreed.

 

I have a freind who's been swearing conspiracy theory all year with officiating... I've shot him down all year, and oddly, now , I'm startging to buy into it!

 

First the call the fake punt catch by Peterson and then the no call on the absolute mugging of Olson at the end of the game. Glad we won but this game should have never gone to overtime.

 

Peace

[nfoligno]

Not me. Fans always complain about calls, but IMHO, it usually washes. I thought the AP drop and replay was BS, but Collinsworth was saying all along it would be ruled an incomplete pass, and explained why. He even said fans would be disgusted, but explained why the NFL rules would consider it so.

 

Olsen was mugged in the endzone, but we also got a bit of a questionable PI call go our way in over time. There were a few calls that went our way, or were simply not called, that I thought could have gone Minnys way too. On Thomas' long run, for example, whoever the DB chasing him was, put on a late hit about 8 yards into the endzone. That easily could have been a personnal foul, but there was no call. There were other times we could have been flagged, but were not.

 

Sure, there were times I saw our guys held w/o a call, but that is my point. The refs mess up. I just don't buy into the idea of conspiracy theories.

 

Agreed.

 

I have a freind who's been swearing conspiracy theory all year with officiating... I've shot him down all year, and oddly, now , I'm startging to buy into it!

[madlithuanian]

Very true!

 

Logically, it is what it is...but when it hits your team, all of a sudden, conspiracy sounds good!

 

Not me. Fans always complain about calls, but IMHO, it usually washes. I thought the AP drop and replay was BS, but Collinsworth was saying all along it would be ruled an incomplete pass, and explained why. He even said fans would be disgusted, but explained why the NFL rules would consider it so.

 

Olsen was mugged in the endzone, but we also got a bit of a questionable PI call go our way in over time. There were a few calls that went our way, or were simply not called, that I thought could have gone Minnys way too. On Thomas' long run, for example, whoever the DB chasing him was, put on a late hit about 8 yards into the endzone. That easily could have been a personnal foul, but there was no call. There were other times we could have been flagged, but were not.

 

Sure, there were times I saw our guys held w/o a call, but that is my point. The refs mess up. I just don't buy into the idea of conspiracy theories.

[DaBearSox]

I agree they sucked...but they equally sucked for both teams so it was a wash

[madlithuanian]

Hmmm. I don't recall mugging a receiver in the end zone... Care to elaborate?

 

I agree they sucked...but they equally sucked for both teams so it was a wash

[kyyle23]

I also thought the PI call against Graham in the first quarter that negated the sack was an iffy call.

[nfoligno]

I'll throw a couple out there.

 

PI in overtime which was a bit questionable. On the Thomas long TD run, we had a player (I think a DB) knock him down about 8 yards deep in the endzone. Easily could have been a personnal foul, which would have killed us on ensuing field position. Another play, I have to go off what I heard Collinsworth say, as I missed it, but per him, after Brees passed the ball, Urlacher (I believe) knocked him down. No roughing call, but Collinsworth pointed it out saying a flag could have been thrown.

 

This is off the top of my head. Point is, as bear fans, we may feel like it more often goes against us, but I think it most often washes out in the end.

 

Hmmm. I don't recall mugging a receiver in the end zone... Care to elaborate?

[BearFan2000]

Officiating this year in general has sucked. I don't buy the conspiracy against the Bears

 

You can watch any game and there are atrocious calls being made or missed that have huge impact on the game. I realize they are only human and are capable of mistakes but the sloppy officiating this year seems like it's been especially bad and most importantly has been inconsistent from game to game, week to week. As a player it's got to be even more frustrating to not know where that line is what will be call PI this this play, quarter, half, game, week, etc, may not be called PI the next play, quarter, half, game, week etc. I think it's a bigger issue that there seems to be no continuity or consistency to the way games are called. It's frustrating to watch a play where your D-Line gets held blatantly in the backfield and then your DB gets called for a questionable PI on the same play. Often it is a wash as it's bad both ways usually, but as fans of a particular team we tend to only notice when they miss a call or make a "bad" call that hurts our team. I know I can get sucked into that thinking when I watch a game.

[LT2_3]

First the call the fake punt catch by Peterson

 

That was an incomplete pass. I think some folks are getting confused because they think he was "down" before the ball came out. The defense hitting him is irrelevent to whether the pass was completed or not.

 

Think of it this way: If a player bobbles the ball making a diving catch and it comes loose when he hits the ground without being touched by the defense, it's an incomplete pass.

 

In watching all the replays, he DID get 2 feet down, but I couldn't tell when he stopped bobbling the ball in that sequence. If he had snatched the ball out of the air and immediatetly tucked the ball away, it would've been a catch. If he'd held on to the ball when he landed, it would've been a catch. But those two things made it incomplete.

[jason]

As the only official on the board (that I know of), I think that there is only one unforgiveable call: The Olsen Mugging.

 

The PI that some of you are calling iffy wasn't even close. It was textbook PI. The DB's left arm went out, hindering the WRs ability to go for the football. At that point it was a PI, regardless of the fact that he turned his head shortly thereafter.

 

I will say, however, that nfo has the call in the endzone right. I couldn't believe the Bears didn't get a dead-ball personal foul on the Thomas TD. I think it was Tillman, but whoever it was, someone hit Thomas VERY late. The only difference is, the lack of a call in the most crucial part of the game was heartless and cowardice. That's what this guy is getting paid for. Unfortunately, it's an unofficial rule that I've heard spoken several times amongst fellow officials: You don't make a call like that late in the game. Several fellow officials have come right out and said that they are pretty much going to put their whistles in their pockets when it's under a minute. I don't agree with this, but it happens.

 

All the other calls are a wash - this happens in every game - but the lack of a PI was pathetic. The difference is, all the other plays in the game can be made up, with a loose, albeit accidental balance being established. It happens in basketball too. The only thing is, just like in basketball, the refs choke on the whistle in the last seconds, and it's just not right. There are no other calls that can make up for that call. It has to be called when it's that obvious, because no other balance can be established throughout the "rest" of the game.

 

Thank goodness the Bears won in OT; otherwise, it would have been downright criminal.

[selection7]

The difference is, all the other plays in the game can be made up, with a loose, albeit accidental balance being established. It happens in basketball too. The only thing is, just like in basketball, the refs choke on the whistle in the last seconds, and it's just not right.

That's really interesting to hear. It seems many refs are basing their inaction on a sort of psychological fallacy. By not calling it, they avoid deciding that Team A wins on that play, true, but they are still deciding that Team B does not lose on that play. It's as if they don't realize that either way, they are still deciding the game (just not in the most final manner), so why not get it right? Especially since regardless of whether that's a pressure situation for a ref, it's still THEIR JOB.

 

The thing that pissed me off about Collingsworth is he kept saying that bit about needing to hold onto the ball throughout hitting the ground (to prove that the WR had enough control that simply the initial shock from hitting the ground isn't all it takes to knock the ball out), but it was as if he couldn't wrap his head around the idea that there is a vague line that decides where "throughout" lies. What if the Bears receiver had held on to the ball (while on the ground) for another 0.5 seconds? another 1 second? another 4 seconds? Where is the point where you say "OK, he caught the ball, held onto it as he was going down, hit the ground, still had the ball controlled for a period, and only then lost it...so it's a catch." If the NFL wanted the rule to be "You have to be able to flip it to the ref afterward" they should have worded the rule that way. In my mind, Collingsworth was contradicting himself because the Bears receiver clearly hit the ground and was laying there with FULL possession. It was only when the Bear receiver's thigh pads rolled up...that the ball was physically knocked out by the thighpads after he was already laying on the ground on his back with full possession for well more than an instant. Simply put, in that moment where the Bear reciever hit the ground and layed there with ball control, the player was down and the play was dead. Thighpads should have never entered the equation.

 

I feel the same way about pass interference as I do holding onto the ball throughout hitting the ground, you don't get silly about it. If the DB didn't actually do anything to hinder the WR, then it's not interference, regardless of whether he did something that looks similar to what guys do when they are hindering the WR...if you can nevertheless tell that the WR was not hindered, the non-call should be made. It's a distinciton many refs don't seem to get.

 

I'm amazed at how well NFL refs do considering the difficulty, so you'll almost never hear me yell about how the refs suck. But when you're looking at instant reply in slomo with 2 minutes to chat about it, is there any excuse?

[Connorbear]

As the only official on the board (that I know of), I think that there is only one unforgiveable call: The Olsen Mugging.

Jason - just curious, what level do you officiate at?

 

Peace

[jason]

Jason - just curious, what level do you officiate at?

 

Peace

 

I work primarily with high schoolers, from varsity to middle school. I typically work three or four games a week while in season. I have worked, however, as far down as pee-wee, and as far up as a semi-pro game.

 

The tendencies I have spoken of are pervasive throughout all levels.

[Connorbear]

I work primarily with high schoolers, from varsity to middle school. I typically work three or four games a week while in season. I have worked, however, as far down as pee-wee, and as far up as a semi-pro game.

 

The tendencies I have spoken of are pervasive throughout all levels.

Cool - thanks for the observations.

 

Peace