ChoWZa
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 812
- Reaction score
- 327
I feel the same way about the speed limit being 55mph on the highway, but its still the rule.......
I didn't see a good angle to call that penalty even in the most subjective sense.
Lets say me and you were to race across the country. We were told that getting a ticket immediately loses you the race. There are millions of people watching us, betting on the outcome, paying millions for commercial time, etc. We both know we cannot do the speed limit the entire way and expect to win the race, so we both do 65 in the 55. Police are watching thousands of cars go by at 65, yet you are the only person pulled over. What seems more likely, the cop pulled you out of a random sample of thousands (hundreds) of cars (field goals), or, the particular officer had a bet against your outcome, and used a legal stop to take advantage.
Just like a police officer can use any motive to stop a vehicle, an official can use any motive, and perhaps just incompetence, to stop a player.
The officiating was bad on both sides of the ball, and Tom Brady's accuracy was abysmal, don't get me wrong. The point is officials are using a highly subjective rule book so that a no-call or a penalty on the same play are both equally correct. How can someone be held accountable when 2/2 decisions penalty/no penalty are both the same. Do you really think anyone would be calling for the referees head if he didn't make that call? Of course not. Pretty good job to be an NFL referee.