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Hey,
Ed Hochuli is as about as goods as it gets to NFL officiating.
I only saw one of the replays - the one where the player caught/didn't catch the ball near the sideline, while falling to the ground.
The Back Judge (Kirk Dornan I believe) came in and declared an incomplete pass, saying that he saw the ball hit the ground. An NFL catch is basically defined as complete possession of the ball for a period of time in which one could make a normal football movement (such as a pitch), with both feet on the ground.
Both feet were on the ground for this one, however, the official's angle is 6 feet above the ground, probably about 25 yards away - not a far distance. In the time the player touched and rolled with the ball, it may have hit, or touched, the ground. Ruling: incomplete. I agree that it looked like from our angle, it was complete, but we're further away and higher from the ground. What's key to remember is that Ed did a great job by clarifying what he say, that no video evidence (and mentioning the angles available) were sufficient to overturn the call.
As for the OPI call, I wasn't there, but I've seen worse let go in the NFL. However, every call exists now and 5 minutes from now.
..Mike
[Edited by JugglingReferee on Jan 29th, 2002 at 05:40 AM]
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