NFL OFFICIATING: Another SeaChickens Crybaby, Or Does Sherman Have A Point?

[Maxie the Taxi]

umm, I don't think fans like you are going anywhere, dear.


I agree that there are too many flags for the good of the game. But the problem is that players are doing too much grabbing.

Your boybood days with Boyd got me to thinking. How about making holding and interfence called by the offended player? The old honor system might just work better. Review every call in the booth - but only to eject rats making phantom accusations.

This might actually work.

Still too much official oversight. I say let the players take an eye for an eye. That might work too. After everyone is blinded, the game might become more genteel.

[George Cumby]

Add poor/excessive/muddled officiating to the laundry list of why the NFL's bubble has burst.

[pbmax]

Get rid of instant replay.

Its all or nothing. When its introduced, you keep hearing people (MLB, NFL especially) say it will only be used for homers or coaches challenges. But the pressure begins to immediately build to use it for all questionable calls.

The only actual choices are centralize it and put in under one person at the game or remove it. The in between stuff is just slow and causing an argument.

[Pugger]

I don't mind instant replay when it doesn't take forever. Don't we want it called right? If we had instant replay back in 1999 SF wouldn't have won (Jerry Rice did fumble) and we would have gone on to the divisional round that season.

[texaspackerbacker]

i don't have a problem with it. if a player commits a penalty...call it! sherman crying about pass int and illegal contact is hilarious. the sea backfield has been the most notorious outfit in the league over the past several years for the over the top coverage. their philosophy is hold, grab, whatever it takes to keep teams from completing passes and to give their front 7 time to get to the qb. if they get the occasional penalty so be it. they know the refs won't call it on every play so it's to their advantage. that crap never used to be happen. i think the refs should go ahead and call it every play and see how they react.

GIVE ME MORE PENALTIES!

My first reaction was to kinda agree with Sherman, but this post rings true too.

My big gripe is with all the stupid shit about safety. If they can do things with equipment, fine, but so much disruptive regulatory crap messes up the game IMO. Bottom line is that for the extreme millions these guys are paid, they can assume the risk - or not if they want to go all Chris Borland. Do away with the concussion protocol and similar shit.

The pass interference thing is just fine tuning. The players can and should adjust to the rules. The worse thing there is the inconsistency of how different officials interpret those rules. One of Sherman's gripes, the automatic first down, seems valid though. Make PI a spot foul with a minimum of 15 yards of penalty, and if it's still not a first down - like in his 4th and 55 example, so be it.

[Guiness]

I don't mind instant replay when it doesn't take forever. Don't we want it called right? If we had instant replay back in 1999 SF wouldn't have won (Jerry Rice did fumble) and we would have gone on to the divisional round that season.

maybe, maybe not. Did he have control? Under review, maybe it wasn't even a catch ( ) and it's just a loss of down?

[Maxie the Taxi]

I don't mind instant replay when it doesn't take forever. Don't we want it called right? If we had instant replay back in 1999 SF wouldn't have won (Jerry Rice did fumble) and we would have gone on to the divisional round that season.

In a lot of cases there is no objective standard of what "right" means. For example, when is a catch really a catch? When does a receiver truly have possession? Take the famous Dez Bryant non-catch for instance. Even in super slow motion it's virtually impossible to tell. Instant replay didn't end that controversy but magnified it.

Instant replay is barely tolerable now. I surely wouldn't expand it.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Get rid of instant replay.

With all due respect, I wholeheartedly disagree to the fuck. Watching sports with instant replays is a lot cooler than without, in person or on TV.

As a young stud, I once attended a UW-TheOSU game at Camp Randell. That was the early 2000's, or maybe 1999. Whatever the year, the tech existed, yet UW was too cheap to make instant replays available on the jumbo screen.

After the soon-to-be-Viking-great Mike Bennett dashed loose for a long TD, I looked up at the jumbo screen hoping to see a replay of that home run. All I saw was an annoying animation, you know, like that low-tech animation in Tecmo Bowl after you score a TD.

Came away wishing I had stayed home. Watching the game on ESPN woulda been more enjoyable, as the network pretty much shows instant replays after every play.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

i don't have a problem with it. if a player commits a penalty...call it! sherman crying about pass int and illegal contact is hilarious. the sea backfield has been the most notorious outfit in the league over the past several years for the over the top coverage. their philosophy is hold, grab, whatever it takes to keep teams from completing passes and to give their front 7 time to get to the qb. if they get the occasional penalty so be it. they know the refs won't call it on every play so it's to their advantage. that crap never used to be happen. i think the refs should go ahead and call it every play and see how they react.

Doubt General Sherman cried about the officiating on this play (Reminder: Shields was blatantly interfered by Tate prior to all hell breaking loose).

[MadScientist]

Sherman half full of shit. Illegal contact can make it impossible for that receiver to get open so the ball goes elsewhere. In Sherman's mind that does not deserve a call, but really it does. Do we really want to go back to rules of the 50's?

On the other hand, he has a case for calling offensive illegal contact for receiver initiating contact. Many times it is a form of OPI.

[pbmax]

My first reaction was to kinda agree with Sherman, but this post rings true too.

My big gripe is with all the stupid shit about safety. If they can do things with equipment, fine, but so much disruptive regulatory crap messes up the game IMO. Bottom line is that for the extreme millions these guys are paid, they can assume the risk - or not if they want to go all Chris Borland. Do away with the concussion protocol and similar shit.

The pass interference thing is just fine tuning. The players can and should adjust to the rules. The worse thing there is the inconsistency of how different officials interpret those rules. One of Sherman's gripes, the automatic first down, seems valid though. Make PI a spot foul with a minimum of 15 yards of penalty, and if it's still not a first down - like in his 4th and 55 example, so be it.

Getting rid of the concussion protocol would be the death knell of football. Its one of the few things they have partially got right.

Get rid of all the other targeting rules and simply ban hitting or leading with the head. You dive like a missile with no arms, 15 yards and a first down. Stick your noggin in to force a fumble, 15 yards and a first down. Only player allowed to do it is the running back in the tackle box.

Football did not used to be played with head hunting, the gear wasn't good enough. Time to go back to it.

Steve Atwater and the Cleveland safety were pilloried for being terrible form tacklers by going for the kill shot. Bring back the form tackle.

[Iron Mike]

Sherman half full of shit. Illegal contact can make it impossible for that receiver to get open so the ball goes elsewhere. In Sherman's mind that does not deserve a call, but really it does. Do we really want to go back to rules of the 50's?

On the other hand, he has a case for calling offensive illegal contact for receiver initiating contact. Many times it is a form of OPI.

Can you imagine Michael Irvin's stats if he had been flagged for OPI every time he pushed off????

[esoxx]

dp

[esoxx]

Sherman is exactly right.

Way too over regulated, way too complicated rule book.

No surprise at all ratings down

I'll be giving up my Packer season tickets within 5 years. Because too many rules and getting worse every year.

#thanksforkillingagreatgameyouoverregulatingfuckfa ces

[texaspackerbacker]

Getting rid of the concussion protocol would be the death knell of football. Its one of the few things they have partially got right.

Get rid of all the other targeting rules and simply ban hitting or leading with the head. You dive like a missile with no arms, 15 yards and a first down. Stick your noggin in to force a fumble, 15 yards and a first down. Only player allowed to do it is the running back in the tackle box.

Football did not used to be played with head hunting, the gear wasn't good enough. Time to go back to it.

Steve Atwater and the Cleveland safety were pilloried for being terrible form tacklers by going for the kill shot. Bring back the form tackle.

Coaching them up that way is fine - head hunting is as dangerous or more so for the tackler. However, there shouldn't be a rule. The only penalty for unnecessary roughness should be late hits or out of bounds. They should design oversize soft helmets that protect and can't be used as weapons. They might look like space helmets, but who cares about that.

As for the "death knell" of football, only all out idiots of a particular variety better discussed in FYI would be that sensitive or caring about lame shit like that. Real people - dare I say Good Normal people - want to get back to Nitschke and Butkis type stuff, and if somebody is scared of getting injured, let 'em pass on the extreme millions they are making. That includes QBs.

esoxx's post immediately before this one proves my point - assuming it isn't sarcasm.