Backing your officials....

[Andy]

First of all, let me say that I am not a football official, but do officiate other sports, so I am not posting this as just a fan....

NFL, Pittsburgh at Baltimore Sunday evening.

Third quarter, Pittsburgh TE Heath Miller takes a hit to the head after an incomplete pass an suffers a concussion as reported by the game announcers. No penalty was called on the Baltimore defender Jameel McClain.

VIDEO: Heath Miller Knocked Out By Vicious Blow To The Head - From Our Editors - SBNation.com

My question concerns what happened a bit later in the game. The NBC announcer makes a statement that the NFL director of officiating has called and told them (NBC) that a penalty should have been called on that play.

I understand that the helmet-to-helmet hits are a very sensitive issue in the NFL right now, but to me, this seems like throwing your officials under the bus on national TV. If the officials had missed a holding call, for example, would the same thing have happened?

Just curious to see what you all, as football officials, have to say.

[JugglingReferee]

Missed call.

It's not the first and won't be the last.

The official(s) will be dinged.

Time to move on.

[APG]

I don't see this as throwing anyone under the bus. It was a missed call on a call that everyone has been focusing on period. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not as if the league came out and said the calling official was horrible or anything to that effect. THAT would be throwing an official under the bus.

Regardless of what sport, at the professional level, big misses will be called out and be commented by your director to the public.

[HLin NC]

The NFL, first with Pereira, and now are trying to be a bit more open about how the officiating program operates. Mike P had a segment in-season on every Wed. night on the NFL Network explaining calls or non-calls. This has been continued since he retired but not to the extent he did. They have also opened communication with the networks to try and correct false or misleading information coming from the announcer booth in-game.

Think of it as sort of an NFL glasnost.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by HLin NC

The NFL, first with Pereira, and now are trying to be a bit more open about how the officiating program operates. Mike P had a segment in-season on every Wed. night on the NFL Network explaining calls or non-calls. This has been continued since he retired but not to the extent he did. They have also opened communication with the networks to try and correct false or misleading information coming from the announcer booth in-game.

Think of it as sort of an NFL glasnost.

Glasnost, sure, but it's mainly a PR effort to have a reputable expert explaining how the officials are getting it right in the vast majority of cases.

I think that the NFL policy (but not the rule) regarding helmet-to-helmet contact is in flux right now. Officials will get dinged because a supervisor thinks a flag should have been thrown or not. Right now judgments about what is a foul strike me as somewhat arbitrary and ad hoc.

The policy is evolving and will settle down in due course. Used to be the same for holding. :shrug:

[APG]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Glasnost, sure, but it's mainly a PR effort to have a reputable expert explaining how the officials are getting it right in the vast majority of cases.

I think that the NFL policy (but not the rule) regarding helmet-to-helmet contact is in flux right now. Officials will get dinged because a supervisor thinks a flag should have been thrown or not. Right now judgments about what is a foul strike me as somewhat arbitrary and ad hoc.

The policy is evolving and will settle down in due course. Used to be the same for holding. :shrug:

You're right in saying that all this is mainly PR. It's the same reason the NBA has a similar type show reviewing calls from past games on their network and why they have a video rulebook online. I don't know how effective it all is because you still hear the same usual comments from the same suspects regardless.

I agree that with due time, things will settle and these calls will become more consistent. As is, the rule does read that if in doubt, to go ahead and throw the flag.

Note: If in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactics, the covering official(s) should always call unnecessary roughness.

I was a bit surprised that the flag didn't come out on this play. Especially after hearing Mike Pierra recently a Fox Sports Radio show where he commented that officials aren't dinged for erring on the side of caution.