The refs killed us AGAIN!

[patsox23]

Yes -there were some questionable calls.

But the Patriots still had every opportunity to win the game and didn't.

The right team is going to the Super Bowl.

No whining, no excuses from me. Congratulations Colts.

I agree with this. I also agree that it's intellectually dishonest to say the refs called a great game. That's just silly. But the Patriots should've found a way to overcome it, and didn't.

 

[PatsFan37]

I'm disappointed in the whiners in this thread. Every game has difficult calls. This is nothing like last year's playoff officiating. They lost because they couldn't stop the Colts despite an enormous lead.

The way to stop Polian turning up the heat was to the beat the Colts in Foxboro on that crappy turf that everyone knows slowed down the Colt's precision passing. The Pats didn't get it done, lost HFA, and Polian turned up the heat. Get over it.

The Pats are a great team, they don't whine, they've got class. Don't diminish them with threads like this.

 

[patsox23]

someone else posted this in another thread. Worth reading, re: face-guarding:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....eref-headlines

Can you call pass interference on a defender if he is turned toward the wide receiver, not looking at the ball, waves his arms, but doesn't touch the wide receiver at all? Say the ball is in the air and hits the defender in the arm because he deflects the pass. Again, he doesn't touch the WR, but isn't looking at the ball either. --Dawn Polomsky, Phoenix, Ariz.

Many years ago, there was a penalty on pass plays for "face guarding." What you describe is face guarding. There is no penalty under current NFL rules for this act, unless there is physical contact. If the ball hits the defender, as you describe, the play would be legal. It is dangerous for a defender to turn his back on the direction that the ball is coming from. If he contacts the intended receiver, it would be pass interference because the defender is not playing the ball. You seldom see what you describe, but it would not be a foul.

 

[PatrioticDynasty]

I'm disappointed in the whiners in this thread. Every game has difficult calls. This is nothing like last year's playoff officiating. They lost because they couldn't stop the Colts despite an enormous lead.

The way to stop Polian turning up the heat was to the beat the Colts in Foxboro on that crappy turf that everyone knows slowed down the Colt's precision passing. The Pats didn't get it done, lost HFA, and Polian turned up the heat. Get over it.

The Pats are a great team, they don't whine, they've got class. Don't diminish them with threads like this.

I am not diminishing the patriots at all, and obviously with the replys I wasn't the only one who was at odds with the REFs, I also had no Idea about the heat? If that is true then that is really Cheep, hard to play D when you go from a comfortable temperature to soaring heat...They tried hard with the players they had and didn't have, It sucks yes, the void as someone else said in this forum is a killer...The Pats will have a chance to redeem themselfs next year, I am just pissed about the whole thing....

Go Bears...

 

[MTaylorJ1]

I'm disappointed in the whiners in this thread. Every game has difficult calls. This is nothing like last year's playoff officiating. They lost because they couldn't stop the Colts despite an enormous lead.

The way to stop Polian turning up the heat was to the beat the Colts in Foxboro on that crappy turf that everyone knows slowed down the Colt's precision passing. The Pats didn't get it done, lost HFA, and Polian turned up the heat. Get over it.

The Pats are a great team, they don't whine, they've got class. Don't diminish them with threads like this.

I posted this in another thread. Fans who complain about referees aren't whiners. They're consumers who want a better value for a product that they spend money on.

The worst thing you can do if you notice bad officiating in any sport is to not say anything. That won't get the problem corrected. If players, coaches, owners, and general managers can be opened up to criticism. Why not referees? If you're paying $80 for a ticket to a game, don't you want to leave that game knowing that the outcome was decided in the fairest way possible?

 

[sdaniels7114]

If you can't fix it, it is whining IMO. Humans make mistakes. I can't see any way for the NFL to change that. You could go for a younger, faster ref corps in general. Perhaps they'd be able to get closer to the action; but that detracts from experience.

 

[MTaylorJ1]

If you can't fix it, it is whining IMO. Humans make mistakes. I can't see any way for the NFL to change that. You could go for a younger, faster ref corps in general. Perhaps they'd be able to get closer to the action; but that detracts from experience.

Of course it can be fixed.

Why can't teams challenge penalties. Especially Pass Interference in the end zone. A coach would still only get two challenges. And you'd only challenge really obvious ones, of which last night there were a few.

 

[PatrioticDynasty]

If you can't fix it, it is whining IMO. Humans make mistakes. I can't see any way for the NFL to change that....

Sure you can, make PI calls Challengeable and cameras on the goal lines for starters...

 

[PatrioticDynasty]

Yah beat me to it.....MTaylorJ1

 

[Johnny Mac]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING IN THE NFL ABOUT FACE GUARDING!

Bingo. I can't believe how many people I've heard say, "Oh that's face-guarding. Automatic penalty." There was no contact. It was just good/lucky D.

I fully support making PI calls reviewable. At this point, I'd say it's a must.

 

[sieglo]

The refs made some good calls (e.g. the Gaffnet TD). They also made some atrocious ones.

A usual, the Pats did not derive the greater benefit from the bad calls. The reason I say "as usual" is because some level of favoritism to whoever the Pats are playing is now the rule in the NFL.

It's one thing to say the Pats should have overcome those bad calls. Fine. But there is a problem when there is a consistent pattern of officiating bias against the Patriots that always needs to be overcome. And unfortunately, that's where we are right now in this league. Every time we play -- and especially when we play the Colts -- we can pretty mich count on coming out the losers in terms of the officiating. It shouldn't be that way.

 

[AdamJT13]

Bingo. I can't believe how many people I've heard say, "Oh that's face-guarding. Automatic penalty." There was no contact.

Wayne's left arm did make contact with Hobbs when he (Wayne) tried to reach for the ball and before the ball hit Hobbs. Whether that's enough to constitute pass interference is up to the referee's judgement.

 

[Aldogg]

In my opinion, the Caldwell non-PI call changed the whole face of the game. If we get that call, and it was very obvious that he was hit way before the ball got there, we get the ball at the 1 instead of kicking a FG. We should score a TD there, then Indy's TD ties it, we get ball back, and instead of driving 80 yards at the end, we only have to go maybe 50-60 yards to get into Ghost's range for the game winner.

The roughing call was very flaky. There was a hit two plays earlier in which one of our guys (maybe even TBC) hit Manning and shoved him down, very easily could have been roughing, but that wasn't called. All of a sudden, Wayne bobbles the ball, might fumble it, all of a sudden they call a weak roughing call for something really tacky.

I am not putting the full blame on the refs, as we as a team did a job in giving this game away, but I think the non-call on Reche was huge.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

No, the refs did not kill us. We did not do what we needed to do to win. If the refs wanted a Colts outcome, they had plenty of chances, including reversing the Gaffney TD.

The Colts beat us. Move on.

PFnV

 

[Michael]

Ok, No one else is saying it, so I am....The REFS wanted Pay-A-Ton to win...

Before you start jumping down my throat, lets take a quick look at a few key plays:

1) Pass Interference on Hobbs in the End Zone, Ball placed on the one.

Um...since when does jumping straight up, not touching the reciever at all and the ball hitting your back become Pass interfeierence => result led to 7 Points.

2) 3rd and 6 Colts Drive, an Offsides penalty on Pats gives the Colts a first down

Ok, last Time I checked, Offsides was only worth 5 yards, not 6? The refs said the spot was wrong and just gave it to them...=> result led to 7 Points

3) Offensive Pass Interference on Troy Brown after Watson had a first down at the 19

...That is so bogus after the Hobbs call, Troy didn't even touch him after 5 yards???? led to us punting after another bogus motion call and a Brady sack => Result No Pats TD and put us out of even FG range!

4) Banta-Cain gets hit with a roughing the passer Penalty, 15 yards and first down

I do admit that Banta-Cain was hitting Manning hard, but on that exact call he was blocked and just managed to bump him with his back...Ummm that was pure crap => result led to 7 Points

And the 2 Illegal motion and shift calls we had against us at critical times that were called when we had first downs, the one at the end of the game really stings...we could have run the clock out!

It was the pats to win or lose in the end, but they wouldn't be in that spot if the refs didn't put them there....How many times in critical games have the refs cost us in the past 2 years? how many Rule changes have they made because of us? lets face it, they want some one else to win, not the PATS.
:bricks:

Forget about it PD. Most people think they are somehow "taking the high road" but, not questioning the lop sided officiating. There's no question they make some of those calls that's probably the 4 points. But, as I've said I thought it was much worse in the Denver game last year and I think they could have overcome the lop sided officiating in this game. They just didn't.

 

[MTaylorJ1]

Forget about it PD. Most people think they are somehow "taking the high road" but, not questioning the lop sided officiating. There's no question they make some of those calls that's probably the 4 points. But, as I've said I thought it was much worse in the Denver game last year and I think they could have overcome the lop sided officiating in this game. They just didn't.

I actually thought last night's was worse. We shot ourselves in the foot by turning it over 5 times last year. We didn't turn it over AT all until the desperation drive at the end, which doesn't happen if any of the above calls go our way.

A shorthanded, battered defense going up against one of the best offenses in the league on the road, I actually think they made quite a few plays, and that might be what hurts the most. Yeah, there were some dumb mistakes, of course, but I think the officiating had more to do with the OUTCOME last night than it did against Denver.

 

[Fixit]

In my opinion, the Caldwell non-PI call changed the whole face of the game. If we get that call, and it was very obvious that he was hit way before the ball got there, we get the ball at the 1 instead of kicking a FG. We should score a TD there, then Indy's TD ties it...

If the refs make the right call and the Pats get first and goal, Indy may not have enough time to score that last TD. That's how big that non-call was.

 

[MTaylorJ1]

If the refs make the right call and the Pats get first and goal, Indy may not have enough time to score that last TD. That's how big that non-call was.

I thought the same for the Troy Brown call. There's a big difference between 24 (28?) - 3 at halftime with the defense NOT being on the field for a 14 play drive, and 21-6 with the Colts getting the ball back.

BB described that call as questionable.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

How Do You Like The Neutral Zone Infractions That Caused False Starts To Become Offsides Penalties On The Defense?

The Only Time I've Seen This Is When Indy Played Baltimore And Pats.

This Rule Will Get Changed Because Teams Will Just Start Telling Their O-line Men To Jump When They See A Neutral Zone Infraction.

 

[Underoath]

That was one of the worst reffed games i've ever seen, but it went both ways. Atleas they got the Gaffney call right.