NFL Officiating

HipKat

Buffalo to The Bone!!
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The past two Bills games, I’ve seen terrible officiating. Last week was just atrocious. Jags Josh Allen taunting our Josh Allen after the sack; Cole Beasley giving himself up, laying prone on the ground and a defensive back jumping on top of him; the Jaguars’ right tackle having countless false starts, holding, blocking in the back on passing situations when facing Jerry Hughes. None of these were called.

How can a defensive lineman be called for holding on a running play? Star Lotulelei getting called for a defensive holding penalty on a Jacksonville run play might be the first time I’ve ever seen that flag.

It's league-wide. I hear the same thing here from Bears fans and I see it in other games. Phantom Roughing the Passer calls, like the one Thuresday night


View: https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1459014410421350420?s=20


Is it the rules or are we once again in an era of just bad officiating? If there was some consistency, you could say it's the rules, but there isn't.
 
The past two Bills games, I’ve seen terrible officiating. Last week was just atrocious. Jags Josh Allen taunting our Josh Allen after the sack; Cole Beasley giving himself up, laying prone on the ground and a defensive back jumping on top of him; the Jaguars’ right tackle having countless false starts, holding, blocking in the back on passing situations when facing Jerry Hughes. None of these were called.

How can a defensive lineman be called for holding on a running play? Star Lotulelei getting called for a defensive holding penalty on a Jacksonville run play might be the first time I’ve ever seen that flag.

It's league-wide. I hear the same thing here from Bears fans and I see it in other games. Phantom Roughing the Passer calls, like the one Thuresday night


View: https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1459014410421350420?s=20


Is it the rules or are we once again in an era of just bad officiating? If there was some consistency, you could say it's the rules, but there isn't.

Well Josh Allen taunting himself should been a no call in my opinion.
And the refs called penalties or made no calls only on the Bill's and none on the Jags is an outrage.
 
usually when there is an "emphasis", that year is the worst for that particular thing. then it's better the next year.
 
The past two Bills games, I’ve seen terrible officiating. Last week was just atrocious. Jags Josh Allen taunting our Josh Allen after the sack; Cole Beasley giving himself up, laying prone on the ground and a defensive back jumping on top of him; the Jaguars’ right tackle having countless false starts, holding, blocking in the back on passing situations when facing Jerry Hughes. None of these were called.

How can a defensive lineman be called for holding on a running play? Star Lotulelei getting called for a defensive holding penalty on a Jacksonville run play might be the first time I’ve ever seen that flag.

It's league-wide. I hear the same thing here from Bears fans and I see it in other games. Phantom Roughing the Passer calls, like the one Thuresday night


View: https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1459014410421350420?s=20


Is it the rules or are we once again in an era of just bad officiating? If there was some consistency, you could say it's the rules, but there isn't.

I am sorry, but this shouldn't be a revelation. Goodell's cheating has been going on for 15 years. It's partially why he was hired. All I can think of is the scene in a LA Confidential when Capt Smith is talking to Exley (Guy Pearce's character) saying that Bud White (Russell Crowe) is willing to do the things he's told to do, unlike Exley (the more ethical of the two). Bud White is Goodell. Exley is Tagliabue. Although, Tagliabue was no saint. See "The Two Bils" as evidence. I had no idea how far back this money-shifting concept went.

I realize you are a Buffalo fan, but as Pats fans we've seen some absolutely ludicrous calls through the years and these aren't accidents or coincidences. And, no, we don't need tin foil hats on our heads to know the NFL is obsessively greedy and power hungry. Once that greed and power comes where you think you are untouchable, like Goodell thinks with Article 46 in tow, federally blessed in court, you can do whatever you want. Or, so he thinks. We shall see what Congress finds and hopefully Gruden doesn't settle, because that could be the tip of the iceberg with all of what some of us have known to be true for years. These are not mirages or magical coincidences.

As for the roughing call on Lamar Jackson with incidental contact off a pass rush, Goodell plays golf with Steve Bisciotti at Augusta National where Bisciotti is a member. We all know why Goodell jumped through hoops to protect Bisciotti during the Ray Rice Fiasco. Not only are they close friends, forcing them to cut Ray Rice and lose 8.5 mil up against the Cap in 2015, but Baltimore was a threat to our team in postseasons then. One less quality team to challenge NE in the postseason, was bad for business. I could have told you before that game he would do what he could to help Baltimore because they're trying to help Baltimore and feature them with an MVP type QB for financial purposes.

The NBA makes a lot of money off star power. The NBA sucks as a product compared to what the NFL is overall. More people actually watch the NFL than the NBA, but the NBA's return% is actually quite high based on ratings comparisons, so the NFL is trying to promote the teams who have "star" power, as long as that team doesn't form a dynasty. In other words, what they have going right now? That's what they want. As many teams with a star QB and the idea they've never won a SB or haven't in a while. If more money is spread evenly throughout the league, more owners make more money. It's just a simple money concept.
 
Cont'd...

The reason why I bring this kind of an incident up is because Goodell is constantly doing things to get a certain results based on where the money needs to go. He's not dumb. With Gruden's lawsuit and Congress all over him, hopefully his time is up. The NFL thinks they are above US law, but they're really not. Shaping games is still illegal and that's clearly what he does. I can tell before a game starts what team the NFL wants to win and why. Then you watch the game and you see the calls and WHEN they occur. It's very easy to spot. This is why the rules are written with such a lawyeresque grey area. It gives the refs options. Yep.

Even MLB, as well as they do, don't do this. They have proper replay, they get it right, they don't act all arrogant like their refs are perfect and they don't coach on air former refs to shill for the awful call on the field either. That's another thing Goodell does to insult our intelligence. The dipshits like Blandino, Steratore, the bald tolbag that NBC uses now where he outright lies to the viewer on live tv. It's brutal. The best is when the announcers go quiet in awkward silence and/or CBS doesn't even show you the replay because it's so bad and they want to hide it.

I've been watching the NFL closely since I was 5 years old and it was never, ever like this. They hide behind the guise of "safety" and protecting the players, but really, it's a ruse to be able to shape games for financial gain and get ratings. The NFL has interests in certain markets being more successful than others, and they want a balance of winning spread throughout the league. We all know it only takes 1 play to change a game or win/lose it, and even just 1 penalty or lack thereof can extend or stall a drive to win or lose a game.

Whether you want to believe it or not, it's why our team was framed for things that aren't true. The Pats domination was simply bad for the revenue potential especially off that last 2011 CBA where owners thought Kraft gave the union too much, which is hilarious to think about. I'd hate to have seen the previous 2011 CBA deal the union refused to sign.

I mean, has your team ever been flagged in a game, in OT, because they missed a FG, only to have a rule changed during the game, only to see that change adjusted in the rules in real time to match a call on the field? I mean, that happened to our team in OT vs the Jets in 2013. Folk missed a FG, they made up a call on Chris Jones. Dean Blandino was caught on NFL.com rushing in the rule change and screwing that up, where he had to pull it down, change the wording of the rule ("wordsmithing" - Jeff Pash), so it matches what the incorrect call was on the field:


The worst is the flags that get picked up after someone comes in the ref circle and reminds another ref of their orders before the game and it's the guy who through the flag himself:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zss8xNJ-BrU


^^Everyone knows you can't impede a receiver to come back on the ball. If NE wins the games in NY and Carolina, they host Denver in 2013 instead of going to Denver and we know how bad Manning is less than perfect weather.

These are just 2 examples that jump out of the top of my head along with the wrong call in SB 52 vs the Eagles where it's clear they didn't follow their own rules of what a catch is and isn't:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RvfdbhQ5tk


^Clement shifts the ball after Flower's perfect textbook position, forces him to do it, and the ball jostles and Clement switches arms, with only 1 foot down. You know it's bad when both announcers are aghast in real time. Before this SB, Goodell said they were going to alter the rule a bit, but he actually changed the rule DURING the game. This is not a catch in 1982 nor is it a catch in February of 2018. Showing control and 2 feet has always been the rule.

It's one thing to have a questionable PI call that could go either way, a missed hold, but the phantom calls to get a team back in the game has been going on for 15 years and used to never happen in the NFL in the Rozelle and Tagliabue eras. Those kinds of calls are going to happen, but when I see phantom holds (this happens almost weekly to our team on long runs or TDs), along with Matt Judon held or armbarred on almost every snap, I kinda smile and shake my head and wonder if Goodell will win. I am thrilled when he doesn't.

How about the 4th and 2 in Indy? What a doozy that was. The ref doesn't know about forward progress and marks Faulk a full yard and half shy of where he had the ball trapped to his chest and possession for a clear first down. He actually marked him where he landed, not where he had clear possession and final forward progress. The side judge actually runs out to mark it a first, and then moves it back a full yard and a half shy. Almost like he had a realization what he needed to do. That was a classic Goodell move of "Hi, I want the AFC playoffs to go through Indy because Manning can't win in the outdoors in Foxborugh" move. Classic.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7wY2dHdzSw


^He clearly does a tip trap up against his chest at the 30. He didn't juggle it. He tapped it once to his chest because he knew he was going to get drilled. It's actually a hell of a play that is now seen as something else in the annals of NFL history.

^And, the beauty of all of these things including the framejobs to steal draft picks from our team? No one is going to feel sorry for the Pats, so these things are so easily swept under the rug. It's true. Goodell could send a ref onto the field and take out Brady at the knees with a shovel and they'd find a way to make it seem normal with 99% of the league accepting it.

Your Buffalo teams never had this garbage. Never. Your teams were seen as AFC royalty to promote the league because the AFC was clearly weaker than the NFC at that time.

It's not like my memory sucks and I can't remember the shift from when these kinds of things rarely happened, and now their weekly occurrences in almost every game because Goodell wants certain outcomes for financial gain. As long as he thinks he can get away with shaping games, he'll continue to do it because it's clear the financial reward is tangible for the league.

As Pats fans, I think what we forget is our teams were so great in the BB/Brady Era that our team would fight through a lot of these and end up winning the game, and then everyone would forget about the ones that happened in those games, so it only appears like these don't happen on the regular.

Back in the 90s you guys had awesome teams. I remember vividly just sitting there like I did watching the 80s 9ers being depressed our teams would never get to that point because of our ownership. Fast forward 25 years and our ownership is so incredible, with such jealousy, apparently it's normal for the NFL to think we should be punished for it. Buffalo didn't have Tagliabue running around trying to slow down the Bills. Never happened.

Feel free to post some bagjob games that went against Buffalo from 1990-1993, as I think you'll have a very difficult time finding some.
 
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The teams combined for 172 yards in penalties, 118 of which belonged to Buffalo.
I didn't see your game, but it is possible that your team was super undisciplined because they assumed they cakewalk past Jax. No offense, but your team is not as great as you think. Cam Newton had his way with you last year in your house.

Guaranteed: Buffalo will get all favorable calls vs NE when they play in both games because they want a playoff game and seeding to be in favor of Buffalo. Your team is trying to get a new stadium and they'd love nothing more than putting money in Buffalo over Bob Kraft's pocketbook. Whether or not our team can fight through these calls remains to be seen. It's definitely possible.
 
@TyLawsPick6
The Gronk PI is obvious. Those incidents when they throw a flag and pick it up and you can there was no penalty is one thing, when there is, is another.
The pass from Foles is just another example of the catch/no catch nonsense. Same thing with forward motion on a pass and the 4th down play was correct. His foot came down behind the marker and he never had possession until he hit the turf.

The Pete Rozelle era of football was the best. That's when players were allowed to crush each other.

The Bills weren't innocent on every call, but there plenty of those ghost calls on Kick Returns that just make me lose my mind and the worst were the non-calls on Jax.
 
@TyLawsPick6
The Gronk PI is obvious. Those incidents when they throw a flag and pick it up and you can there was no penalty is one thing, when there is, is another.
The pass from Foles is just another example of the catch/no catch nonsense. Same thing with forward motion on a pass and the 4th down play was correct. His foot came down behind the marker and he never had possession until he hit the turf.

The Pete Rozelle era of football was the best. That's when players were allowed to crush each other.

The Bills weren't innocent on every call, but there plenty of those ghost calls on Kick Returns that just make me lose my mind and the worst were the non-calls on Jax.
Fair enough.

I disagree on the Clement incompletion as you need to show possession before you can look at the feet. There's a gap between the ball and his left forearm, albeit for a millisecond. It still can be seen which is why both Michaels and Collinsworth reacted the way they did. I am not saying you're being dishonest, but what is the point of reviewing scoring plays if they're going to ignore what can be seen?

As for Faulk, again you're kinda wrong. It's clear he has final possession on his chest. You don't mark a guy down where he lands. You mark forward progress with possession. Again, the ref comes in and then moves back a full yard after he was trotting in at the 30 to mark it correctly. It's right there on the replay.

I remember the 2005 playoff in Denver in January of '06, too. Goodell wasn't officially in yet (that was 9.6.06 when changed the filming rules without league vote), but his mitts were all over that one, too. Samuel gets a PI on Lelie with perfect inside position down the field, and the ball lands in the front row. The coverage was so good, Plummer threw it away. Nope. PI, 1st and goal Denver. They weren't able to move the ball the entire first half.

Then the Watson play vs Bailey where the ball clearly went over the pylon (part of the end zone) for a touchback and they called it out at the 1, which is physically impossible because the ball didn't go 90 degrees to the left out of bounds.

Honestly, dude, Pats fans could go on for days on these. And I can't think of one play where this happened in the key games during the pre BB/Brady Era where these things happened. I just can't and I have a really good memory.
 
On this taunting point of emphasis thing we're witnessing this year - I've learned this is something the coaches asked to be emphasized this year.
I also learned that posturing is not a part of the rule so staring at the opposition sideline for 10 secs from 25 yds away is iffy regarding taunting.
Controversial for sure. Was he celebrating or was he taunting? The refs have to tell the difference, which is hard for sure but have been told 'if in doubt, call it' so there we are.
 
On this taunting point of emphasis thing we're witnessing this year - I've learned this is something the coaches asked to be emphasized this year.
I also learned that posturing is not a part of the rule so staring at the opposition sideline for 10 secs from 25 yds away is iffy regarding taunting.
Controversial for sure. Was he celebrating or was he taunting? The refs have to tell the difference, which is hard for sure but have been told 'if in doubt, call it' so there we are.
I was concerned JC Jackson might get it on his first interception of Darnold last week where he was not going full speed really up by mid field and then started turning back and looking to see where Anderson was.

I just don't trust Goodell. I feel like it's another opportunity for them to make something up out of thin air.
 
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