Okay, by now, all NFL fans have seen the final play of the Monday night game in Seattle where the Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers with a "miracle" TD catch by receiver Golden Tate in the back left corner of the end zone on a 4th and 10 play from the GB 24. Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson threw a great pass from the GB 39 with a rusher about to hit him (he may be a real good QB, folks). Tate did his job (more in a minute) and the Packer defensive backs were there. But things went to hell from there. "Replacement" officials or not, this was horrible. I am not going to say that if one of the regular group of officials were covering this play that it would have been called right, ESPECIALLY after going to replay (per requirement for all scoring plays, probably one of the better rule changes in years), but these guys are experienced enough to know what to do.
Here is the bottom line. Forget the bitching and all that. Sportscenter showed the NFL rules on simultaneous catch (if you didn't see it, go Google it). Forget about it, that rule does NOT apply here. Here is what happened. Tate pushed one of the three GB players down (the NFL admitted this) which SHOULD have gotten a offensive pass interference call. Because the clock had run out and (more importantly) it was 4th down, the game should have been over, and everything that occurred afterwards UNLESS there had also been one of a certain number of defensive penalties called on the Packers (which would have made it offsetting penalties). If so, then there would have been one more untimed play from the same spot. The fact that the side judge, who was only 3-5 yards away from the action did NOT throw the flag for that is inexcusable.
(Offensive) pass interference (today) is very similar in all levels of football, BUT officials are hesitant to throw a flag on the final (few) play(s) anyway, preferring to let the play go and what happens, happens, unless the infraction is so obvious and/egregious that you have to call it. This was one of those plays and the official blew it. Now, here is what the replay CLEARLY showed, in my opinion. The GB defensive back clearly got up over Tate and the other players who were there, grabbed the ball with BOTH hands, and pulled it to his body. Tate who was going up as the defender was coming down, grabbed at the ball and they both landed struggling for the ball, even while two officials looked down at them before making the call. The Black official who had been on the back line of the end zone, who could not have seen the pass interference made the right call, GB interception and touchback, signaling such with the crossing hands over the head. The aforementioned side judge, a White man who had already failed to throw a flag when he had a perfect view of such, called it a touchdown.
Okay, this does happen. So what does the referee, another White man do when the replay official buzzes him for a official review (slightly unnecessary since scoring plays are automatically reviewed, remember?)? Instead of going to the end zone and talking to either official who made a call, he goes straight to the review booth, reviews it for 10+ minutes, and without ever indicating what the original call was called it touchdown. Seattle wins. WRONG CALL!!!!
First, retired NFL referee Gerry Austin (one of the best ever, in my opinion), who ESPN had on call and who reviewed the play (he may have been in Seattle...don't know, don't care) sort of agreed with my assessment above, but he also said that per current NFL rules on replay, the referee (and replay official) could not have overturned a TD ruling due to lack of conclusive evidence. B***S***! The video was conclusive that it was NOT a simultaneous catch and that it was a interception, in my opinion. However, and more importantly, the referee on the field never announced what the original call was. He just took the other White officials call as TD as the call without talking to him OR the Black official who called it the other way beforehand. If he had and had made the original call interception instead, THEN there would have not been conclusive evidence to overturn the call. The referee bowed to the home team (Seattle) and made the call that made them and the home fans happy instead of (making sure he) getting it right. If this has happened on a neutral field or more importantly in Green Bay, exactly the same way, would he had made the same call? I say, probably NOT.
Still, the NFL's statement was no surprise. The NFL has NEVER (to my knowledge) overturned a result of a game after the fact due to a (any kind of) error by the game officials during such. There is NO (real) appeals process to protest such. Of the major sports, only NASCAR (and other motor sports, I think) has a process where they will overturn a final result after the fact, but that is only because the winning car (and certain others at random) must pass a post-race inspection, in addition to the quick video tape review NASCAR does when the race ends before the winner even gets to Victory Lane (that is race results are UNOFFICIAL for a little bit after the race ends and it says so if you look closely at the results shown right after a race ends!).
Hockey, football, basketball and baseball has no similar process where they could overturn a result the next day after a review. A written, dry statement is all you get, if that, which may include a apology if a mistake was made (unlikely). Game officials can get cussed out, but their on-field final decision ALWAYS stands and will NEVER be overturned by the league. All players, coaches and teams know this. This is not the WWE, where official decisions can be overturned by the GM (or maybe the referee) right after a match (of course, this is sports ENTERTAINMENT, so (allegedly) all results are scripted anyway right to the end!), but that is rare!
Green Bay handled the loss well, for the most part. If this does not convince the NFL to make a reasonable deal with the locked out "regular" officials NOW, nothing will. The fans got cheated out of a great final play by these officials. Mistakes can happen, and the rule constraints of the use of instant replay sometimes cannot overturn a bad call on the field. But all calls are only as good as the person(s) making them. If this NFL season wasn't already tainted due to the poor officiating (it is), it certainly is now. Heads need to roll, probably starting with Commissioner Goodell. Considering how the New Orleans bounty-gate situation is playing out and the decisions that he has made in the last few years (I haven't heard of any fines on the NE coach for his shoving incident yet), it may be time for him to go before things get worse. Well, it may already be too late for that. Well, at least my Raiders weren't involved...THIS time!!!
Here is the bottom line. Forget the bitching and all that. Sportscenter showed the NFL rules on simultaneous catch (if you didn't see it, go Google it). Forget about it, that rule does NOT apply here. Here is what happened. Tate pushed one of the three GB players down (the NFL admitted this) which SHOULD have gotten a offensive pass interference call. Because the clock had run out and (more importantly) it was 4th down, the game should have been over, and everything that occurred afterwards UNLESS there had also been one of a certain number of defensive penalties called on the Packers (which would have made it offsetting penalties). If so, then there would have been one more untimed play from the same spot. The fact that the side judge, who was only 3-5 yards away from the action did NOT throw the flag for that is inexcusable.
(Offensive) pass interference (today) is very similar in all levels of football, BUT officials are hesitant to throw a flag on the final (few) play(s) anyway, preferring to let the play go and what happens, happens, unless the infraction is so obvious and/egregious that you have to call it. This was one of those plays and the official blew it. Now, here is what the replay CLEARLY showed, in my opinion. The GB defensive back clearly got up over Tate and the other players who were there, grabbed the ball with BOTH hands, and pulled it to his body. Tate who was going up as the defender was coming down, grabbed at the ball and they both landed struggling for the ball, even while two officials looked down at them before making the call. The Black official who had been on the back line of the end zone, who could not have seen the pass interference made the right call, GB interception and touchback, signaling such with the crossing hands over the head. The aforementioned side judge, a White man who had already failed to throw a flag when he had a perfect view of such, called it a touchdown.
Okay, this does happen. So what does the referee, another White man do when the replay official buzzes him for a official review (slightly unnecessary since scoring plays are automatically reviewed, remember?)? Instead of going to the end zone and talking to either official who made a call, he goes straight to the review booth, reviews it for 10+ minutes, and without ever indicating what the original call was called it touchdown. Seattle wins. WRONG CALL!!!!
First, retired NFL referee Gerry Austin (one of the best ever, in my opinion), who ESPN had on call and who reviewed the play (he may have been in Seattle...don't know, don't care) sort of agreed with my assessment above, but he also said that per current NFL rules on replay, the referee (and replay official) could not have overturned a TD ruling due to lack of conclusive evidence. B***S***! The video was conclusive that it was NOT a simultaneous catch and that it was a interception, in my opinion. However, and more importantly, the referee on the field never announced what the original call was. He just took the other White officials call as TD as the call without talking to him OR the Black official who called it the other way beforehand. If he had and had made the original call interception instead, THEN there would have not been conclusive evidence to overturn the call. The referee bowed to the home team (Seattle) and made the call that made them and the home fans happy instead of (making sure he) getting it right. If this has happened on a neutral field or more importantly in Green Bay, exactly the same way, would he had made the same call? I say, probably NOT.
Still, the NFL's statement was no surprise. The NFL has NEVER (to my knowledge) overturned a result of a game after the fact due to a (any kind of) error by the game officials during such. There is NO (real) appeals process to protest such. Of the major sports, only NASCAR (and other motor sports, I think) has a process where they will overturn a final result after the fact, but that is only because the winning car (and certain others at random) must pass a post-race inspection, in addition to the quick video tape review NASCAR does when the race ends before the winner even gets to Victory Lane (that is race results are UNOFFICIAL for a little bit after the race ends and it says so if you look closely at the results shown right after a race ends!).
Hockey, football, basketball and baseball has no similar process where they could overturn a result the next day after a review. A written, dry statement is all you get, if that, which may include a apology if a mistake was made (unlikely). Game officials can get cussed out, but their on-field final decision ALWAYS stands and will NEVER be overturned by the league. All players, coaches and teams know this. This is not the WWE, where official decisions can be overturned by the GM (or maybe the referee) right after a match (of course, this is sports ENTERTAINMENT, so (allegedly) all results are scripted anyway right to the end!), but that is rare!
Green Bay handled the loss well, for the most part. If this does not convince the NFL to make a reasonable deal with the locked out "regular" officials NOW, nothing will. The fans got cheated out of a great final play by these officials. Mistakes can happen, and the rule constraints of the use of instant replay sometimes cannot overturn a bad call on the field. But all calls are only as good as the person(s) making them. If this NFL season wasn't already tainted due to the poor officiating (it is), it certainly is now. Heads need to roll, probably starting with Commissioner Goodell. Considering how the New Orleans bounty-gate situation is playing out and the decisions that he has made in the last few years (I haven't heard of any fines on the NE coach for his shoving incident yet), it may be time for him to go before things get worse. Well, it may already be too late for that. Well, at least my Raiders weren't involved...THIS time!!!
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