Can We Have The NFL Replacements Back, Please?
 

Never thought I would say/type that Thread Title.....

I am tired of seeing the "regular" NFL officials simply have no clue and make "no call" during plays in various games this season. It's not that they make the wrong call (which is happening often)....IT'S THAT THEY MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO CALL AT ALL...and wait for a replay review later.

Case in point: Bears v Vikings (11/25); RB Matt Forte runs off left tackle & is tackled by several defenders in a pile of players. After a second or two of delay, a Vikings defender picks up the ball and runs towards the end zone. NONE of the officials had a whistle OR a clue as to what happened. NONE of the officials ran/followed the defender to the end zone (a Side Judge actually ran toward and past the pile of players w/ his hands out as if to say - "what just happened?") It took Referee Scott Green approx. :20 to finally turn on his mic. to declare "Touchdown". As everyone was milling around prior to the PAT, he then said "Replay confirms the call on the field - Touchdown". After that a officiating supervisor on the sideline got the attention of the Linesman who killed the PAT and got Green's attention....then Green said: "The previous play is under review".

OF COURSE they reversed it because the RB was clearly down by contact. (ALL 22 PLAYERS stop their actions because they knew he was down). What a complete disaster that play and crew was (the crew also missed a clear "helmet-to-helmet, left his feet to launch himself" block by DT Jared Allen on an INT).

I haven't even mentioned the Lions v Texans TD run that the officials incorrectly allowed (another complete embarassment).....

I haven't even mention the approx. 1:15 of game time that a crew allowed to run off the clock while conducting a 1st down measurement during the 49ers v Rams game.....

I haven't even mentioned Tony Corrente cursing over an open mic. during a Colts game......

The regulars are only marginally better than the replacements at SIGNIFICANTLY more cost....

This may be the first time in NFL history that, based on per game officials grading system, some replacement officials will work the Super Bowl because they graded out higher than the "regulars". No wonder why the NFL Officials Union DIDN'T want a reserve officials staff available to replace under-performing "regulars".

How was this TD incorrectly allowed? Watching that game live, I didn't think he'd hit the ground. I was wrong... but at full speed, I thought he'd avoided his knee hitting (the elbow wasn't apparent on first view at all). If the official's angle was such that he didn't see the player down, he should not blow the whistle. The rest is the coach's fault.

Incidentally, you mention 5 or 6 incidents over several weeks. When the RR's were on the field, it was 15 or 20 every week.

There's not a single replacement official that would make the Super Bowl if they were scrutinzed by the league like the regulars are (and Mike Peierra said as much). That's not to say that some of those mistakes aren't excusable (mainly the timing mistake). To say that they were just marginally better is just wrong in my opinion. I could clearly see the difference in just penalty enforcements...there's no way I should know the penalty enforcements that much better than those working a game.

Heck, I thought the game was more interesting with replacement players.

And because of that, it was the flow of the game where I noticed the biggest, most immediate difference. It seems the RR games could be counted on for at least 3 or 4 needless confusion-filled delays. The games now run MUCH smoother. There will never be NO mistakes, but I think one more week of RR's and I was going to stop watching.

Football officiating 101:
If you don't see the player on the ground (and, in the NFL's case, down by contact) AND in possession of the ball, you DO NOT blow your whistle.

Also, all turnovers and scoring plays are automatically reviewed... as a consequence, NFL officials (and D1 college officials) are taught that "if in doubt, it's a fumble/interception/turnover/touchdown"... because the replay folks can (and will) come in and overturn the play if necessary.

The biggest problem I see now is they are officiating TO replay.

They still are making more money and working with players I'll never come close to seeing:)

As I said, it's not just that they got the call wrong....THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED. 7 guys on the field in stripes....and they didn't know what to do!!!!!!

I can buy the change in positioning of the Umpire to behind the line of scrimmage causes a "hole" in the sight lines (both the Bears v Vikings game AND Lions v Texans game could have used an Umpire in the "old" position to see both of these plays).....but these are "Pro's", the "best of the best", highly-paid professionals - this should NEVER happen.

The replacements got a bad rap because everyone perceived that every call was wrong....remember the Broncos @ Falcons game early in the year? John Fox and the Bronco coaching staff were whining like babies even AFTER a replay review confirmed they had 12 on the field. They were STILL convinced the replacements were wrong....they would NEVER do that to the "regulars"....but now we know how bad the regulars have been this season!

I guarantee they have more of a clue than you or any replacement officials ever will.

Good grief.

Let us know when you work your next perfect game.

+1

+2

You do realize that not all seven are watching the ball, right? They don't have more eyes on the ball than a crew of five would have, and there are often times when sh1t happens and bodies were in the way.

Of course he does not realize this, he does not officiate football. He is like a lot of ignorant observers, he probably has not idea who would be watching this play at all.

Peace

Matt Forte injured on reversed defensive touchdown call - NFL Videos

Jim Daopoulos on week 12.

Mike Pereira on week 12.

There was also an IW which took away a defensive touchdown. Tough week for the regular guys.

Steratore, Winter, and Vinovich have been great in the games that I've seen.

And R85 used the word "buttocks" on the mic. :D

I've never heard buttocks used as a singular noun before.

True. And don't forget that "the worst call in the history of football" ... the horrid call that ended the lockout - that appalling thing at the GB vs Seattle game that challenged the integrity of the playoff chase this year... was actually called correctly.

You can't possibly mean that the mechanics were sound, and that alone is a significant indictment.

You must mean that the outcome was correct, and I think you're in a relatively small minority in believing so.

From everything I've seen, the call was incorrect. And this play has come up a handful of times this season (obviously not in as big of a situation) and they correctly gave the ball to the play that controlled the ball first.

Point taken on both. And no need to hijack the thread by rehashing or defending my position here.

That does not seem to constitute a hijack: the OP's point seems to be that the replacement officials were as good as those they replaced, and you're offering (what you take to be) evidence in favor of that point.

Hmmm...

Well, if I went there, it would become a topic about that one play, not what the OP intended (and one I believe we hashed pretty much to death when it was fresh).

Also - I would be arguing for evidence in favor of a point I disagree with generally. :)

Well, if you're that conflicted and distraught over the matter, then I concur it would be unproductive to go there. :p

I hate to be the one to break it to you: no referee is perfect. It is going to happen.

While I'm not a huge fan of letting the play run because replay can fix it, I think you're wrong here. This would have been very difficult to catch. He simply doesn't look down in the full speed replay.

Better to let it run and let replay overturn it than the other way around... Consider the reverse situation of the aformentioned TD run. Runner appears down but isn't, official blows the whistle and stops play as the runner takes off for a touchdown. Now you're screwed when the replay shows that the runner wasn't down.

There's always going to be a line between the referee being sure the player is down and not sure the player is down. It seems to me the NFL referees are waiting until they are 125% sure the player is down to blow there whistle. I'd prefer 105%. You'll sometimes be wrong at either standard but I feel like there's too many replay reversals on these.

Regardless, this particular play I have no problem with there not being a whistle.

The play in the Auburn-Oregon BCS game a couple of years ago would have never been called properly if people listened to Twocentsworth.

Peace

Sorry to pick, but this is a pet peeve of mine. 100% means fully and completely. You can't be 105 or 125 percent sure of something. Your point is lost in the meaninglessness.

And yet, I'm willing to wager you know exactly what I mean and therefore it is not lost.

Conceptually perhaps, but are you really saying that if an official is 80% sure a player was down, he should blow the whistle? If not... then no, I don't know exactly what you mean. Sure is sure. Not sure is, well, not sure. Currently the line is 100% vs anything else. Not 100% sure = don't blow the whistle... so what do you really mean?

I agree 110%.

Well, sure isn't sure. I can be pretty sure, sure or even absolute sure. Each is a different level of certainty. I use pretty sure all the time at work when I'm asked for a number I don't have on me.

But, let me give you what I mean in another way. It seems to me that the NFL has instructed the referees not to whistle a play which is subject to automatic review even if they are sure the runner is down unless it will be obvious to the fan in the last row that the runner is down. We just don't see plays whistled were a referee is in position to be sure when it involves turnovers. I think a better standard would be based on what's obvious to a fan in the first row.

Too many seemingly easy calls are getting passed to the automatic review.

Isn't it amazing how many of these plays, which are allowed to continue to conclusion, turn into to touchdowns? Do you know why that is? BECAUSE ALL OF THE PLAYERS ON THE FIELD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED - they simply stop playi g...The 7 officials working the game don't know that they play was over!!!!!!!

Sitting on my couch thousands of miles away, even I could see that this play was called correctly.

Today's NFL officials seem to be following the rules from 60 yrs ago where you had to tackle the guy & lay on him for 3 seconds before was considered down.

Just wait Jeff...we'll ha e plenty more of these embarrassments by the NFL officials. Can't wait for the playoffs - they'll screw up a game For sure!

Well folks, that's a wrap. Twoscents said it was so, and thus it will be.

Maybe we should just close this insipid thread....

And that's enough of that.