This Time Around, Ed's Not Quite So Gracious About It

[SethPDX]

+1, Ed. Very nicely put.

Add: I followed the link against my better judgment. Same old fanboy whining.

[MJT]

Those fan boards show how absolutely stupid some people are. "I sent him one saying that I hoped he swallowed a bug." He says that and has a picture of doom for his signature. What a moron!!!

[JasonTX]

I think it's time for another NFL officials strike to show these fanboys that the game can't be played without officials.

[With_Two_Flakes]

Originally Posted by MJT

Those fan boards show how absolutely stupid some people are.

Indeed. Lets not forget these are fans who live in a huge country (3,794,066 sq miles) yet dumb enough to choose to live in the few square miles that are 10 feet below sea level.

To get serious for a moment, it was likely Ed's Line Judge who missed that F/M call. According to the NFL crew lists in the October issue of Referee magazine, he is an NFL rookie. How do you suppose he feels? Not the quiet easy 1st NFL season he was hoping for, I suspect. With the angle he was looking at the play he may never have seen it, but the TV camera sees it perfectly from their angle and the officials get crucified.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by With_Two_Flakes

Indeed. Lets not forget these are fans who live in a huge country (3,794,066 sq miles) yet dumb enough to choose to live in the few square miles that are 10 feet below sea level.

To get serious for a moment, it was likely Ed's Line Judge who missed that F/M call. According to the NFL crew lists in the October issue of Referee magazine, he is an NFL rookie. How do you suppose he feels? Not the quiet easy 1st NFL season he was hoping for, I suspect. With the angle he was looking at the play he may never have seen it, but the TV camera sees it perfectly from their angle and the officials get crucified.

It is more than the Line Judge. A deep wing could have seen that. An umpire under the right situation could see this. I could even see the Back Judge getting this under the right circumstances. And one again, the rule in place allows for a facemask to be grabbed and not called if the official did not deem it intentional. I still think that part might have been a factor in the rule. The average public does not know that and this is why you get the comments you see that Ed was dealing with. Even Ed was blamed the previous week for a missed call on a roughing the passer call which helmet to helmet contact was a factor. I believe the player was fined by the NFL, but the media made it seem like it was a call that was not there. The media cannot even get things right in the election, I guess asking them to go through the facts in a game is a little much.

Peace

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by SethPDX

+1, Ed. Very nicely put.

Add: I followed the link against my better judgment. Same old fanboy whining.

I made the same mistake. That's 30 minutes of my life I won't get back. Ed (or whoever wrote the e-mail) maybe did come across as condescending by referring to "educated" fans. The problem is most fans think they are educated but they are not. I love giving friends and co-workers situations and seeing how they fail miserably. They don't realize how little they know the rules and how well the NFL guys do. There were not nearly as many bad calls in that game as they claim. If there were (probably the face mask penalty), the officials who missed them will get downgraded on those calls.

[ajmc]

Perhaps the best advice I've ever received, long ago, was to totally ignore anything that fans say, because nothing they say makes any difference or matters. You can never win an argument with a fool.

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by ajmc

Perhaps the best advice I've ever received, long ago, was to totally ignore anything that fans say, because nothing they say makes any difference or matters. You can never win an argument with a fool.

Another quote I've heard (not necessarily applicable in this context but still funny) is "Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." These fans aren't idiots. They just don't know what they don't know. And they are fans which makes them biased and see things the way they want to see them.

[mbyron]

Or: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt." (A. Lincoln)

[OverAndBack]

One that one of my very first instructors in the art of officiating always used was, "Silence can't be quoted."

I can feel Ed's pain - we've all felt it. It's frustrating to endure the slings and arrows of the uninformed. Many times I'm sure we've ALL wished we could just shut the coach or the parent or the fan up.

All that said, this may have been half a foot over the line on Hochuli's part and I would imagine that if he actually DID write that, he'll be reminded that, while it's admirable to own up to mistakes and to take the time to respond to people who write, it may not always be the best policy.