Enough about our limitations, how about those refs?

[40yrpatsfan]

When is this league gonna improve on PI calls? Why can't they have an extra ref up above with the power to slow down the game to get a call right? It's no surprise at all that they miss calls in real time, but there's so many that could be fixed that aren't. Yesterday we got hosed on 3 of them:

- Stevenson hit in the ez as he's trying to catch a TD. It wasn't severe contact but it was equivalent to other PI's I saw called in our game & others

- Wilson called for PI in the ez when he & the WR got tangled up. Contact no worse than the Stevenson no-call, PLUS a 10' tall WR couldn't have caught that in bounds

- Jon Jones on a horrendous 20+ yard PI call in OT that gives Seattle the game

- Seattle had no significant PI calls or non-calls against them. Witherspoon had a questionable one on a short route at mid-field, that was it.

An extra ref reviewing these could also help balance these out. If they let the Stevenson play go, then let the Wilson play go. The head ref on the field is incapable of this.

And where are the camera angles? It seems like these early games have 1/4 of the cameras of the later games.

 

[sb1]

I didn't hate the league making DPI challengeable not sure why they got rid of that rule.

Yes the ref ought to be making subjective calls not the guy watching on the monitor in New York but like with any replay challenge, there must be clear evidence to overturn so I don't have a problem with it. If the call is clearly wrong it gets overturned. I think the call in OT gets overturned if challenged.

 

[maust]

- Wilson called for PI in the ez when he & the WR got tangled up. Contact no worse than the Stevenson no-call, PLUS a 10' tall WR couldn't have caught that in bounds

Those calls are easily the most egregious. Doesn't seem like all that long ago we'd see at least a couple of PI flags a game picked up for that reason. Now it's a couple a week. Ball doesn't get to a catchable height until it's 8 feet OOB and it merits a penalty? UGH

 

[Steve102]

Chuck it deep and hope for PI is a strategy now. The NFL wants more offense, so this is the way it is.

Refs are like cops, just enforcing whatever BS rules are passed.

 

[Sicilian]

In general I'm always in favor of tweaking rules around judgment call penalties. Anything you can do to make them more predictable and less about human judgment/error the better.

BUT, I'm not sure we have a real beef. Witherspoon got called for PI for shoving the receiver basically at the same time the ball hit the ground ten feet in front of him. I agree the refs missed these, but it's not why we lost.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

In general I'm always in favor of tweaking rules around judgment call penalties. Anything you can do to make them more predictable and less about human judgment/error the better.

BUT, I'm not sure we have a real beef. Witherspoon got called for PI for shoving the receiver basically at the same time the ball hit the ground ten feet in front of him. I agree the refs missed these, but it's not why we lost.

It actually is why we lost. Obviously other reasons as well, but the Stevenson non-call and Wilson call directly cost us points in regulation. The JJones call was very consequential in OT.

Witherspoon's was iffy but inconsequential, short pass at midfield.

 

[archstanton543]

It actually is why we lost. Obviously other reasons as well, but the Stevenson non-call and Wilson call directly cost us points in regulation. The JJones call was very consequential in OT.

Witherspoon's was iffy but inconsequential, short pass at midfield.

Clock management at the half and not playing solid special teams cost them the game.

 

[Pape]

I didn't hate the league making DPI challengeable not sure why they got rid of that rule.

Because it showcased just how bad the refs can be... DPI calls can be game changing calls... when it was allowable, 24 of the 101 PI calls were overturned... Thats nearly 25% of the calls... thats a huge percentage in my book...

NFL needs to follow CFB on this... 15 yards from previous spot + first down... the NFL needs to get rid of the backbreaker that is DPI...

 

[Pape]

Chuck it deep and hope for PI is a strategy now. The NFL wants more offense, so this is the way it is.

Refs are like cops, just enforcing whatever BS rules are passed.

we should be teaching TT how to get those calls...

 

[Sicilian]

It actually is why we lost. Obviously other reasons as well, but the Stevenson non-call and Wilson call directly cost us points in regulation. The JJones call was very consequential in OT.

Witherspoon's was iffy but inconsequential, short pass at midfield.

Sure, but my philosophy has always been: If you leave the game in the hands of the ref, you don't deserve to win. It's tough for this team because they have to win on the margins, but in general, if one or two plays going the wrong way can cost you the game, it was a coin flip to begin with.

 

[Steve102]

we should be teaching TT how to get those calls...

Any and all of them should have that in their repertoire.

 

[Pape]

Any and all of them should have that in their repertoire.

we should have signed jump ball joe flacco as the vet interim starter... guy was a master at that

 

[mike_usagisan]

Any and all of them should have that in their repertoire.

Maybe the WRs were practicing it yesterday when they had all that spare time on their hands.

 

[maust]

Any and all of them should have that in their repertoire.

Just another area of his game Mahomie has mastered. He could patent that throw a sideline ball that lands in the bench area for a PI play.

 

[maust]

Maybe the WRs were practicing it yesterday when they had all that spare time on their hands.

 

[Steve102]

Maybe the WRs were practicing it yesterday when they had all that spare time on their hands.

we should have signed jump ball joe flacco as the vet interim starter... guy was a master at that

I was all in on Jump Ball Joe. I still would have rather had him, but Brissett doesn't turn the ball over, so there's that.

 

[Lagaffe_07]

NFL needs to follow CFB on this... 15 yards from previous spot + first down... the NFL needs to get rid of the backbreaker that is DPI...

At the same time, if you are beat on a 50 yds throw just trip or tackle the guy. You’ll save 35 yds. I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be here complaining if that happened against the Patriots

The DPI on JJones was a 20 yds play. Your rule wouldn’t make a huge difference in that case.

 

[Pape]

At the same time, if you are beat on a 50 yds throw just trip or tackle the guy. You’ll save 35 yds. I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be here complaining if that happened against the Patriots

The DPI on JJones was a 20 yds play. Your rule wouldn’t make a huge difference in that case.

yeah. you are right on both points. The difference in the JJ call would really be negligible. and you are also right I would complain. and rightly so if your scenario plays out.

One call being able to instantly change a game? I have a problem with that though. A spot foul, where either the player didn't have a chance to catch it, or the ref gets it wrong? Spot Foul/PI call tilts the competitive advantage to the offense - which is the reason why its a bad penalty - and its also the reason why its in the game... to boost offensive performance... just like Baseball juiced the balls to crank up the home run count. this helps artificially boost scoring...

Got persistent offenders? do what soccer does yellow card/red card them. Second penalty, you're out for the game. Get chucked three games? suspended for another...

 

[40yrpatsfan]

On the Stevenson non-call, there was just as much contact as on the last minute KC-Cinci play where PI was called.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I don't really think changing rules is the answer as much as a commitment to getting it right. Have a replay official dedicated to each game who can pause play and review the most consequential calls or non-calls, which are usually PI calls and non-calls. They do a pretty good job doing that on fumbles for example.