AFCCG Officiating Crew

[pats1]

People seem to have very little conception of how officiating and 7-man crew mechanics work.

If Jeff Triplette tried to call a face mask 15 yards down field or pass interference, he'd be laughed off the field.

The ref has down and distance, responsibility for never turning his back on the ball after the U puts it in play, and roughing behind the line of scrimmage. He'll be a back up to the U for certain LOS issues, like false start or ineligible man downfield. He sometimes will be the one that calls grounding, although primarily his job is to see where the QB was when the released the ball and then he'll consult with others to see if the rest of the play is grounding. He's generally responsible for QB fumble issues. He'll call back of the end zone safeties. Sometimes if there is a turnover that goes the other way, he'll have to make certain calls like out of bounds or something if it happens so quickly that the line guys can't get back.

Other than that, the ref is not the guy that matters very much with respect to controversial calls. He goes under the hood, that's true. He'll mediate disputes if two refs need to discuss something (usually the line and side judges; occasionally the side and back judge). But otherwise, his job is just to announce the penalties that the rest of his crew calls.

So, in the conference championship game where it's an all star crew, being upset because the ref is the same ref that presided over a game where you didn't like a call that someone on his crew made is kind of silly. The ref didn't have anything to do with it, other than announcing it to the crowd.

If you have HDTV, watch the ref during a snap and you'll realize it's kind of a stretch to blame Jeff Triplette for a bad PI call made 2 years ago.

It was a joke back then (4 months after).

But Triplette was universally hated.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

It was a joke back then (4 months after).

But Triplette was universally hated.

The game wasn't that well called, although I didn't think there was enough evidence to overturn the call of TD as a fumble through the end zone. If the pats had a TD reversed like that in a game like that, I'd be apoplectic.

I admit that while most hardcore football fans are anti-ref and believe in conspiracies, I'm probably too far in the other direction. I'm very pro ref, scoff at the notion that so many of you believe as absolute truth -- that these guys give a crap who wins the game. I know I'm not going to convince anyone here.

But Triplette is a war hero, well respected by his peers, and an outstanding official. He got this game because he was judged as one of the top 3 refs in the league this year pursuant to a system so picky and intense that most of us would whither if we had to endure that kind of nitpicking in our jobs.

Does this mean someone won't make a terrible call as 275 pound athletes who can run 100 yards in 10 seconds go crashing into each other at extraordinary speed? Of course not. But we could have done a lot worse.

 

[Joker]

Triplette? Polian's personal manservant?

jeezus....just awful

 

[captain stone]

Was Triplette also the ref for the Seahawks-Steelers SB, AKA The Worst Officiated Game in SB History?

This Sunday's game might be evenly-called, but the SB - Belichick vs. Lord Favre - will likely surpass SB40 in conspiritorial incompetance. I wish I were joking.

 

[AFPatsFan12]

Was Triplette also the ref for the Seahawks-Steelers SB, AKA The Worst Officiated Game in SB History?

This Sunday's game might be evenly-called, but the SB - Belichick vs. Lord Favre - will likely surpass SB40 in conspiritorial incompetance. I wish I were joking.

I believe Bill Leavy was the ref in that one. I agree that the ref has far less responsibility in terms of making calls than most of us believe. Triplette drives me nuts because of his nasaly voice, but other than that, he's not terribly distinguishable either way...

 

[PatsFaninNH]

this is from http://www.football-refs.com/
Jeff Triplette, B.A., Lt Col USAR (Ret.) is a referee for the National Football League, his number is 42.

Jeff joined the NFL as a field judge in 1996 and became a referee in 1999.

He is Vice President for Risk Management at Duke Energy, a massive energy company headed out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jeff is a retired Army Reserve colonel. He was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in the Persian Gulf War while serving in the North Carolina Army National Guard.
He heads the NFL east I crew

 

[marionbutts1995]

Tough to forecast.

Ask yourself how league hq sees things.
Their binkies are out of it now. That changes quite a bit.
My guess is that they want the Patriots in the Super Bowl. That's not the same as
wanting the Patriots to WIN the Super Bowl.

I very much doubt that they'll go so far as to "guide" any official to favor the Pats.
But i don't think that Park Avenue is ready for Merriman to become their poster boy yet.
Expect a competently-called, professional game
with all mistakes exclusively of the honest kind.

What will the Commish decide to do, though, if Tom faces off against Brett?

Hilarious,

You say that the NFL doesnt want the chargers in the superbowl so the game will be called competently? So against the chargers is fair? They tried it last week on us too. I was almost ready to stop watching football.

 

[upstater1]

Triplette was the Ref, I believe, in that game. But I suspect that Triplette hasn't called a PI penalty since he reffed high school. Refs don't call PI. The only penalty that the Ref would ever really call that would affect the game materially is roughing the passer or kicker.

Steed was the back judge in the Denver game, and he's in this game too. Mayer was the side judge. He's no longer on Triplette's crew. I don't know which of them called the PI on Asante.

The problem with Triplette in that game was that the backjudge who was really close to the play didn't call pass interference. It was a guy from farther away that called it. The whole crew conferenced, and Triplette took the word of the guy that was farther away. So yeah I blame him.

 

[upstater1]

People seem to have very little conception of how officiating and 7-man crew mechanics work.

If Jeff Triplette tried to call a face mask 15 yards down field or pass interference, he'd be laughed off the field.

The ref has down and distance, responsibility for never turning his back on the ball after the U puts it in play, and roughing behind the line of scrimmage. He'll be a back up to the U for certain LOS issues, like false start or ineligible man downfield. He sometimes will be the one that calls grounding, although primarily his job is to see where the QB was when the released the ball and then he'll consult with others to see if the rest of the play is grounding. He's generally responsible for QB fumble issues. He'll call back of the end zone safeties. Sometimes if there is a turnover that goes the other way, he'll have to make certain calls like out of bounds or something if it happens so quickly that the line guys can't get back.

Other than that, the ref is not the guy that matters very much with respect to controversial calls. He goes under the hood, that's true. He'll mediate disputes if two refs need to discuss something (usually the line and side judges; occasionally the side and back judge). But otherwise, his job is just to announce the penalties that the rest of his crew calls.

So, in the conference championship game where it's an all star crew, being upset because the ref is the same ref that presided over a game where you didn't like a call that someone on his crew made is kind of silly. The ref didn't have anything to do with it, other than announcing it to the crowd.

If you have HDTV, watch the ref during a snap and you'll realize it's kind of a stretch to blame Jeff Triplette for a bad PI call made 2 years ago.

It's not silly at all when you realize there was a dispute in that game and Triplette did not heed the word of the ump that was five feet away from Samuel.

 

[upstater1]

I'm actually most concerned about ever getting Anderson and crew again. They couldn't call a holding penalty to save their lives.

 

[psychoPat]

this is from http://www.football-refs.com/
Jeff Triplette, B.A., Lt Col USAR (Ret.) is a referee for the National Football League, his number is 42.

Jeff joined the NFL as a field judge in 1996 and became a referee in 1999.

He is Vice President for Risk Management at Duke Energy, a massive energy company headed out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jeff is a retired Army Reserve colonel. ....

Sounds like a man accustomed to
receiving and following orders from higher up.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

It's not silly at all when you realize there was a dispute in that game and Triplette did not heed the word of the ump that was five feet away from Samuel.

The only way Triplette could ever consider making the call is if one ref says definitely yes and one says definitely no. And even then, once the flag is on the field, you go with the yes unless the guy who has yes equivocates.

The ref's job there is not to decide who is right and who is wrong based on who was closer. If a guy tells the ref he's got a penalty and he's sure of it, the ref's job is to let the guy who didn't call a penalty it try to convince his partner.

That's it. And you don't want more than that. A ref who overruled an official who stood strong on a call would lose his entire crew. Just doesn't work that way.

My hunch is that in the conference the LJ stood firm, and the BJ demurred and said he couldn't be sure. Ref has no choice. He's not going to overrule a guy because he thinks he couldn't have seen what he says he saw.

 

[Zeus]

I just hope Triplette makes it abundandtly clear at the outset that under no circumstances will he tolerate anyone disrespecting the sack dance of another player. Because that would be disrespectful.

 

[letekro]

In just about every poorly officiated game I can think of it was the HOME team that was favored by the officiating. I wouldn't worry about Tripps.

 

[upstater1]

The only way Triplette could ever consider making the call is if one ref says definitely yes and one says definitely no. And even then, once the flag is on the field, you go with the yes unless the guy who has yes equivocates.

The ref's job there is not to decide who is right and who is wrong based on who was closer. If a guy tells the ref he's got a penalty and he's sure of it, the ref's job is to let the guy who didn't call a penalty it try to convince his partner.

That's it. And you don't want more than that. A ref who overruled an official who stood strong on a call would lose his entire crew. Just doesn't work that way.

My hunch is that in the conference the LJ stood firm, and the BJ demurred and said he couldn't be sure. Ref has no choice. He's not going to overrule a guy because he thinks he couldn't have seen what he says he saw.

I know what his job is. I'm concerned that he didn't do it. I don't think he did.

I remember clearly that there was an argument going on, and for a long while. The guy closer was not demuring. Neither was the other guy. Phil Simms even made note of the animated discussion, and he made note that the guy way to the right side near the goal posts was not in position to make the call.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I know what his job is. I'm concerned that he didn't do it. I don't think he did.

I remember clearly that there was an argument going on, and for a long while. The guy closer was not demuring. Neither was the other guy. Phil Simms even made note of the animated discussion, and he made note that the guy way to the right side near the goal posts was not in position to make the call.

I don't remember it, so I'll believe you.

Even so, it was 2 years ago, and he's top 3 this year. We could do much worse.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Hilarious,

You say that the NFL doesnt want the chargers in the superbowl so the game will be called competently? So against the chargers is fair? They tried it last week on us too. I was almost ready to stop watching football.

The Pats constantly get bad calls against us in all the important games, so seeing the refs do it to the Chargers is quite frankly no big deal around here. We get that crap every week.

The thing that is so ironic is that other fans think we get calls to benefit us. We never had, outside of the Tuck rule, any percieved help from the refs. But the refs always hurt us in every important game.

Whether it is all coincidental, or whether Polian's personal offseason quest to sully our image to the refs he advises, remains a topic of heated debate. All I know is that we are hurt badly by the refs in every big game, and what the Chargers experienced last week is business as usual for us.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Don't be too rash to call out the reffing staff...after all, when stuff gets pulled on the field, it's the kind of thing that people can lose jobs - and their own personal safety - over. Any hidden conspiracy theories notwithstanding, I don't forsee many problems with the reffing this weekend unless the media or the fans try to create them. Should be a well-called, well-run game, I'm hoping.

Well and good, what you say, but when is the last time Hochuli's crew, or (apologize I don't know his name, but the African American guy who headed the crew for the Packers - Hawks game) were called on the carpet, even on a message board like this. There are other crews that are good to excellent like those two, but there are some that suck, bad, because they don't know what a PI call, or holding, etc. should look like, or, even don't have a good grasp on the rules.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Tripplett and his gang of ghouls hurt us badly in the Denver game a few years ago.

This is the worst crew hands down we could have working this game.

Now besides playing the Chargers and dealing with potentially strong winds, we also have to deal with terrible zebras. We have our work cut out for us.

 

[Grogan's neck roll]

Tripplett and his gang of ghouls hurt us badly in the Denver game a few years ago.

This is the worst crew hands down we could have working this game.

Now besides playing the Chargers and dealing with potentially strong winds, we also have to deal with terrible zebras. We have our work cut out for us.

It's not "his" crew, for Conference Championship Games they use highest rated officials at each position (well, top 3 go either SB, or one of the Conf Champ games).