Mike, there were some recent calls that
did not favor my team but I am not on here to admonish officials. I know their job is incredibly tough and I want no part of it.
The PI call in the NCAA has always bugged me since they went to the 15 yard penalty over spot of the foul. As far as the stat that only 50% of the passes will be caught. I assume that the 50% stat applies to all passes thrown but we all know that not all passes are catchable. I would venture to guess that a pass that gets to a receiver (catchable) is more than 50% likely to be caught. Also, since possession belongs to the offense, I don't agree with the flip-side argument of offensive PI. (imo) I just think the current rule creates a situation where the offending team can beneift greatly by committing the foul and I just don't think breaking the rules should be rewarded.
BTW, (The game and call that prompted me was a holding call against Arkansas' George Wilson on a 78-yard touchdown run by QB Matt Jones) Saturday in a 10-3 loss to Auburn. But again, I can see where the official (Larry Leatherwood) had an angle that made it look like a hold.) I don't agree with the call and it was very costly for the hogs, but it was NOT the reason Arkansas lost the game.
My question about accountability stems from the anger that bad (or just perceived bad) calls create in the fans. I think some of the hatred and animosity from fans toward officials comes from something you stated yourself. That is. "More than you or I realize..." That's the problem. Fans don't see any accountability or repurcussions for officials who make blatantly or consistently bad calls. If they could see the grades given to the officials there may be some satisfaction in the fans knowing that at least the error was admitted. Regardless of how bad or costly a call may be, the outcome of the game cannot be changed but maybe fans would begin to understand the rules and the officials themselves better if "officials" stats became a common part of a game's box score.
Just a thought.
Thanks for the responses...
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