The Officiating

[skins island connection]

There were at least 14 points (probably 21) that the Cowboys scored directly due to the refs' mistakes. So all things being equal that's 19-16 Dallas, but I think we all know the end of that game is managed differently by the Redskins if they're only down a FG. Not much can be done about it now; in fact I suspect that the Redskins are probably labeled as complainers on the part of the refs. I say this as a guy who sees it as his personal duty to keep officials and all authority figures in check, however that's another story. So when the Redskins hold, they tend to call it more often. Even that unsportsmanlike on the ST coach; how often is that called? 

 

 The foul called on the coach was a b.s. call; yea, he should have paid a little attention to his surroundings, but that applies to the ref as well.

 They knew they made a chichen**** call, so they called a foul on the Cowboys bench later to even it out.

 Still, maybe one of these refs gets accidentally steamrolled later in the season [wink wink ]

[THE HAMMER'IN HOG]

I don't think anyone is blaming the refs, however, league wide the officiating is disgustingly awful.

Last night saw 30 yards in penalties called on BENCHES, and threw flags on seemingly every other play.

 

It's ridiculous.

The NFL thinks we want to come watch offense, so they insert a ton of rules designed to make it go go go ..    

and what is happenng is we're seeing more and more and more referees.

 

Last night you couldn't pay those clowns to call a hold,,..

Another crew would have called them all over the field.

Last night this crew called ridiculous ticky-tack calls,, other crews call differently.

 

the entire rulebook is so far out of whack that teams have absolutely no guarantee of anything resembling continuity between officiating crews. 

 

And that is a big problem.

 

The Blocked into the punt rule being called there is outrageous,,  our man was out of bounds and has the right to re-establish himself in the field of play.

He didn't throw his man into the ball, the ball came down a half-foot behind the other guy's ass..  and while our guy DID shove him, he shoved him to get back on the field.

 

the rulebook is out of control, and refs have waaaaayyy  too many judgment calls to make. 

Football is essentially a simple game, and their attempts to make a rule for every contingency has increased an already difficult job tenfold.

 

And the refs simply can't handle it.

It's not a new problem.

 

~Bang

 

Good post Bang! I have been saying It for a while now; the refs can reinterpret just about anything at this point, which allows the NFL to control the outcome of games at a whim. The refereeing at a Skin game just always seems like someone is out to teach us a lesson..

The fumble on the punt is case and point...I have seen time and again players being blocked into the ball, and everyone's continued rhetoric about how you have to be aware of where the ball is, and it's up to the return man to make sure everyone get's away from a loose ball, and on and on....Except in our case of coarse, not only did the Cowboy engage our player and lose, the ball was going to hit him regardless, and correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it a rule that a player on the kicking team has to try and get back into fair territory as soon as possible when knocked out of bounds, or receive a penalty if he makes a tackle?? Only to have a Cowboy player standing there trying to prevent it....Talk about a Ref going out of his way to make bad call, or though I should say; bias!

 

Yes Orakpo got ripped down right in front of the Ref with a clear path at Romo sits to pee with no call, yes our O-line was horrendous, so I don't necessarily feel we should have won the game, or would have won the game regardless of the Ref's, but the NFL owners who ultimately decide what goes on with rules, and Ref's, IMO continue to stick it to an owner in whom they hate more than even Jerry Jones, as we saw last night! 

 

[GoSkins0721]

Clearly the missed punt/fumble recovery was a horrendous call. But the push in the back & holdings non calls is where I have a problem. All I ask for is consistency. It can't be a hold on 1 play and then It's not on another. A guy blocking Kerrigan had a handful of his jersey from behind as Kerrigan was racing for Romo sits to pee. He was at arms length for gawds sake.

I don't know. This whole season is really leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

[Godfather151981]

 The foul called on the coach was a b.s. call; yea, he should have paid a little attention to his surroundings, but that applies to the ref as well.

 They knew they made a chichen**** call, so they called a foul on the Cowboys bench later to even it out.

 Still, maybe one of these refs gets accidentally steamrolled later in the season [wink wink ]

If he was going to get flagged for it anyways I wish he would have gotten his money's worth and put the guy on his a**.

[Bang]

Agreed.

 

Whats the defender to do in that situation?!? What happens if he fakes going out of bounds, then cuts back inside? Or even worse ... gets trucked like the guy who got trucked by Jay Cutler lol

He stops and lets him go by.

the NFL would rather Mr. Defender not even be on the field, it would seem.

 

defensive players really are hogtied. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't. 

 

And fined no matter what. You can bank on Church paying money for that "hit", as well as giving up the 15 yarder.

 

~Bang

[Momma There Goes That Man]

If he was going to get flagged for it anyways I wish he would have gotten his money's worth and put the guy on his a**.

 

At least because of the penalty I could laugh. I love the way the ref sprinted down the sideline, looked over his shoulder and threw the flag behind him. Funniest thing I saw all day. 

[sportjunkie07]

The blocked into the ball thing on the punt was laughable.

The 2nd pf that RG3 drew was questionable at best. The guy barely touched Griff, and it looked like he got the upper chest, not the face, I think.

The one that sorta burns me up, that no one seems to be talking about was the hit on the punt return that injured Amerson. They never showed a great replay, so maybe I'm wrong, but it sure looked like he got blindsided with a launching helmet to helmet hit (i.e., a personal foul 3 different ways). Couldn't believe the announcers kept referring to it as a good block. I thought it was dirty as hell, and that dude should get a big fine.

But this loss is not on the refs. We had plenty of chances to win. Lost because our OL got whipped all day and our WRs couldn't get open against man-to-man coverage.

Agreed. The amerson hit gets called a block in the back 95% of the time, regardless of whether or not it actually was. When you get blindsided and decleated, it's always a flag in this NFL.

[sportjunkie07]

The only egregious call was the muffed punt. The holding calls that were called and missed, and the roughing calls on the sideline, those are calls most of us don't like, but are seen every week. Those seemed to even out, but I'd prefer a well officiated game instead of bad calls going both ways.

As far as the muffed punt, it was a complete misapplication of the rules]

Agreed. That was the worse call of the game; I have been hoping (since it happened to us a few years ago, that we would eventually get a punt back by that rule. Finally it happens, and it's called incorrectly..

[MrJL]

To late to matter, but I'm glad to hear some attention is being paid to the officiating in the media.  I wonder if the league will have some words with these refs for screwing up this bad on national TV in prime time

[BleedBNG]

 LOL...

 

Really dude?

 

Oh yeah... dude... FOR REAL! 

[Rufus T Firefly]

[pic of block in the back]

This is a penalty.  And I know the refs KNOW it's a penalty, because they called it against US all night.

 

I know what I watched last night.  It was a screw job of epic proportions.

That has been called on us all year so many times. If we have a 5 yard return and one of our guys touched some in the SIDE, it's called a clip. Take away the illegal block and Paul has the guy down inside the 20.

 

I can't even put into words how much I hate whining about the refs, but take away that TD and give us the recovery on the punt, and at the very least you have a game that goes down to the wire.

[Enzo]

Agreed.

 

Whats the defender to do in that situation?!? What happens if he fakes going out of bounds, then cuts back inside? Or even worse ... gets trucked like the guy who got trucked by Jay Cutler lol

On both plays RG3 was clearly out of bounds.  Okay on one he was still in the air, but 3-yds out of bounds in the air & unless he is some type of superhero isn't going to cut while hanging in the air & some how get back in bounds & go up the field.  The excuse that he might fake going out of bounds doesn't hold up on either one of those calls.

[CommanderDOOM]

1. The 'judgement' call was bs. Looked like the ball would've hit the cowboy regardless if he was pushed or not. I've seen guys blocking alot and touch the ball leading to a turnover.suspect.

2. It appeared that the first guy down the field was pushed in the back on the punt return. I think it was Niles who ran right past the returner. Running at full speed, that shove is what sprung the return.suspect

3. All the holding.suspect

4. Moss was held which led to him falling.

5. Amerson. was that not a blindside helmut shot??

I don't deny the b&G glasses i sport but I also thought the calls were supect.

[BigDFan]

This is a penalty.  And I know the refs KNOW it's a penalty, because they called it against US all night.

 

I know what I watched last night.  It was a screw job of epic proportions.

http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2013/10/dwayne-harris-86-yd-punt-return-td-video/

There is the video, that wasn't a block in the back it wasn't even a shove it was touching someone on the back for a split second. No way should that have been flagged

[MrJL]

http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2013/10/dwayne-harris-86-yd-punt-return-td-video/

There is the video, that wasn't a block in the back it wasn't even a shove it was touching someone on the back for a split second. No way should that have been flagged

 

 

we've been called for that, we've been called for LESS than that, you shoulda been called for that

[TD Riggo]

 

I wonder if the league will have some words with these refs for screwing up this bad on national TV in prime time

 

 

The Roger Goodell/John Mara NFL? Bad officiating against the Redskins is actually encouraged! In fact, I wouldn't put it past the two of them to have handed Bob Costas the script for his ultra-political rant as well!

[TD Riggo]

 

1. The 'judgement' call was bs. Looked like the ball would've hit the cowboy regardless if he was pushed or not.

 

 

 

And it is the responsibility of the kicking team to know where the ball is at any given time! He clearly was too close to the ball and should have known it. Thus, it should have been ruled a fumble .. Redskins ball.

[mi6]

Yes, the Refs made bad calls!   But, that's par of the course.

 

The bottom line is that we stunk the place up.   We did not have the fire and the fighting spirit needed to win.   Rather than playing to win, it appeared we played not to lose.  And, the irony is that we DID lose.

[MrJL]

Yes, the Refs made bad calls!   But, that's par of the course.

 

The bottom line is that we stunk the place up.   We did not have the fire and the fighting spirit needed to win.   Rather than playing to win, it appeared we played not to lose.  And, the irony is that we DID lose.

 

 

 if the refs call the game properly we have a chance to not stink the game up.  If holdings are called and result in extra yardage for the Cowboys to have to get, maybe they don't score.

 

Everything affects everything else

The Roger Goodell/John Mara NFL? Bad officiating against the Redskins is actually encouraged! In fact, I wouldn't put it past the two of them to have handed Bob Costas the script for his ultra-political rant as well!

 

 

maybe on a 4:15 game against a lousy team sure.  Prime time is something different

[Dirt]

Ok, with the 'questionable' late hits out of bounds.  "He wasn't out yet, his foot wasn't out!".  "Hey, he's a runner now, he crossed the LOS".  IT DOESN'T MATTER.  It's a judgement call, if the player is obviously on his way out of bounds (and therefore, about to put on the breaks/protect himself from hitting people on the sideline), and a guy dives at him and hits him, it's going to be a foul.  

 

The call on the punt recovery was garbage.  Nonsense.  One of those that ZERO dallas fans would have complained about had it gone the other way.  Nobody would have said "hey! he was a passive player!".  Ref being too smart for his own good.  Congratulations guy, glad you remembered that rule.  You didn't have to call it.  Ass.

 

I've gotten past complaining about no-calls on holding.  I think even the refs will admit they're never going to get that aspect of the game 100% right.

[Godfather151981]

As much as I yell at the refs in all sports, I'm not one that thinks that they're out to get any one team. However in watching Redskins games over the past few years I do have to wonder. I highly doubt that there's an edict from the league (John Mara or not) saying that there's a standard for the rest of the league and then for the Redskins, but some of the stuff we see each week and each year is just too strange to ignore. That punt call the other night was so similar to the call in the Carolina game a few years ago, and it seems that these officials used the exact opposite explanation that those refs did. However the one thing that was the same was that the Redskins got screwed out of the ball. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but...I just have serious questions about the officiating over time. Stuff such as holding or blocks in the back are let go but then they call them against the Redskins. Doc Walker kept saying in the fourth quarter the other night that the Cowboys were holding on every play, but that you're not going to get that call in the fourth quarter. Yet when the Redskins got the ball back the flags came out. It's easy for fans to say that their team is constantly getting screwed, but...again I just have some serious questions about the refs. Which is why I stand by what I said before; if they were going to throw a flag on one of our coaches, I wish he would have gotten his money's worth and knocked the guy out. (Hopefully next time that crew does one of our games he finishes the job!)

[Redskins Ruckus]

NFL Referees absolutely hate Mike Shanahan. We're going to get hosed more than other teams. When it's a judgement call, they will side against the Redskins. It didn't help that Kyle Shanahan cursed out a referee during the ref-strike. The population of refs at that level is beyond tiny. Word gets around quick.

[dallasGOON]

The blocked into the ball thing on the punt was laughable.

 

The 2nd pf that RG3 drew was questionable at best.  The guy barely touched Griff, and it looked like he got the upper chest, not the face, I think.

 

 

The one that sorta burns me up, that no one seems to be talking about was the hit on the punt return that injured Amerson.  They never showed a great replay, so maybe I'm wrong, but it sure looked like he got blindsided with a launching helmet to helmet hit (i.e., a personal foul 3 different ways).  Couldn't believe the announcers kept referring to it as a good block.  I thought it was dirty as hell, and that dude should get a big fine.

 

 

But this loss is not on the refs.  We had plenty of chances to win.  Lost because our OL got whipped all day and our WRs couldn't get open against man-to-man coverage. 

 

While the hit was a bit vicious, by definition it was legal. I saw the replay from the long angle, and that player laid face down and motionless on the field for a long time. Personally, I don't like to see that happen to ANY player. It's just one of those unfortunate situations of the game. 

[Bliz]

While the hit was a bit vicious, by definition it was legal. I saw the replay from the long angle, and that player laid face down and motionless on the field for a long time. Personally, I don't like to see that happen to ANY player. It's just one of those unfortunate situations of the game. 

 

Can you elaborate on why what you saw made you think it was legal (or where that replay is available)? 

 

Did he not go helmet to helmet?

 

Was it not a blindside shot to a defenseless player that would be a fine and flag for the same reason as this hit by Golden Tate on Sean Lee?  http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/0ap1000000063427/Golden-Tate-s-block-on-Sean-Lee

[coolbeans]

As much as I yell at the refs in all sports, I'm not one that thinks that they're out to get any one team. However in watching Redskins games over the past few years I do have to wonder. I highly doubt that there's an edict from the league (John Mara or not) saying that there's a standard for the rest of the league and then for the Redskins, but some of the stuff we see each week and each year is just too strange to ignore. That punt call the other night was so similar to the call in the Carolina game a few years ago, and it seems that these officials used the exact opposite explanation that those refs did. However the one thing that was the same was that the Redskins got screwed out of the ball. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but...I just have serious questions about the officiating over time. Stuff such as holding or blocks in the back are let go but then they call them against the Redskins. Doc Walker kept saying in the fourth quarter the other night that the Cowboys were holding on every play, but that you're not going to get that call in the fourth quarter. Yet when the Redskins got the ball back the flags came out. It's easy for fans to say that their team is constantly getting screwed, but...again I just have some serious questions about the refs. Which is why I stand by what I said before; if they were going to throw a flag on one of our coaches, I wish he would have gotten his money's worth and knocked the guy out. (Hopefully next time that crew does one of our games he finishes the job!)

 

 

Fans of every team feel this exact same way and there's a simple explanation.  Fans watch every single play of only their team's game and have a natural predisposition to side in their best interest on questionable calls.  So much of an officials job is subjective and fault can easily be found while watching replays. Fans don't see all the questionable calls that happen in every other game and even when they do, they don't put them all together like they do for their own team.  There is no conspiracy against any team.  Think about how many people would have to be in on it.  You could never keep a lid on it and anyone involved would go to jail for a very long time when it came out.