NFL Officials Suck!

kevinpars · Post by **kevinpars** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:32 pm

I could care less who wins the AFC, but after watching New England grabbing jersies on offense and defense all day, all I can figure is that the penalty sliders were turned all the way down.
 
 That game was officiated like an NBA game. All the calls (or in this case non-calls) went the home team´s way.
 
 Dungy never got the calls in Tampa and he evidently doesn´t get them in Indy.
 
 What horseshit. NE has a great defense, but when someone grabs the receivers jersey and you can see the jersey move when it´s grabbed, it´s defensive holding or pass interference.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:37 pm

I was thinking the same thing all day. i believe in "letting them play" but this was redicules.
 
 that non call when peyton threw to Pollard near the end was laughable.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:58 pm

LOL on your penalty sliders comment, Kevin! <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif">
 
 Seriously, the zebras f*cked up on the third- and fourth-down plays against Pollard. He was held on both plays, clearly on third down and pretty evident on fourth down.
 
 And what about the play in the first half where the play clock had expired for nearly two seconds and no flag was thrown? Manning threw for a first down on that play.
 
 But the refs made the right call on the Brady fumble. His knee was down before the ball was loose.
 
 "Swallowing the whistle" is a tradition in close, important games in the NHL, but I thought the NFL had a little bit of officiating integrity. And these missed calls are a farce in a sport in which there are more officials on the field than any other.
 
 Props to New England. Strong defense. But its offense didn´t impress me one bit. I entered today thinking the AFC Championship Game was the Super Bowl. But after seeing New England´s offense, better known as Adam Vinatieri, today, I think it´s possible that either Philly or Carolina can win Feb. 1 in Houston.
 
 Take care,
 PK [ This message was edited by: pk500 on 18-01-2004 16:59 ]

mobiggins · Post by **mobiggins** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 9:09 pm

"redicules?"
 
 I dearly hope your fingers slipped on the keyboard there!
 
 <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif">

Sport73 · Post by **Sport73** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 9:16 pm

As a life-long Patriots fan, I maintain the demeanor of my team...So, I don´t/won´t gloat or make bold Superbowl predictions.
 
 2 Superbows in 3 years speaks for itself. The Pats outplayed Indy plain and simple.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 9:38 pm

Sport:
 
 No one is debating that New England outplayed Indy, but the officiating was mediocre at best.
 
 I don´t think anyone is saying Indy was robbed of the game by the zebras. What we´re all saying, I think, is that a game as important as the AFC Championship Game deserves better officiating.
 
 Take care,
 PK

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 10:19 pm

How about that late hit on McNabb, where they tried to dislocate his hip? Why didn´t the refs see that?

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:46 am

I´ll agree that the 3rd down pass to Pollard should have been a penalty, but after watching replays of the 4th down pass, I think they made the right call.
 
 On the 4th down play, you could see Pollard holding off the defneder with one hand while making a lame attempt at the ball with the other. It´s like he was more concerned with trying to draw a falg than trying to catch the ball. He wasn´t even running hard. On that play I think Pollard tried to draw a flag, and it didn´t work.
 
 On the McNabb play, I think the officials thought he tripped, so he wasn´t down by contact. Still a bit of a cheap shot going after a guy who´s lying on his back though.
 
 I thought it was funny watching Pinkston complain like he was looking for a flag on the play where one of the officials got in the way of the pass. He was looking around like he wanted a do over or something <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">
 
 I don´t feel sorry for the Eagles losing. Their fans don´t deserve a Super Bowl.
 
 -Matt

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:04 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2004-01-18 17:16, Sport73 wrote:
 As a life-long Patriots fan, I maintain the demeanor of my team...So, I don´t/won´t gloat or make bold Superbowl predictions.
 
 2 Superbows in 3 years speaks for itself. The Pats outplayed Indy plain and simple.
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 I couldn´t agree more. The Patriots made Manning look like crap. At one point his rating was 30, and it probably dropped later.
 
 No amount of "correct calls" would have helped the Colts, but the officials did suck.

kevinpars · Post by **kevinpars** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:07 pm

I was just frustrated. I was semi pulling for Indy, because I like Dungy. I find NE´s defense much less frustrating when they are playing someone like the Rams.
 
 The NFL officiating really does change in the playoffs. After spending all year calling ticky tack interference calls, it takes a mugging to get one in the playoffs.
 
 In the Philly game, all I can say is what is up with the Eagle receivers? They weren´t on the same page with their QB, that is for sure.

TheFormerBrett44 · Post by **TheFormerBrett44** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:10 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2004-01-18 18:19, Slumberland wrote:
 How about that late hit on McNabb, where they tried to dislocate his hip? Why didn´t the refs see that?
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 It was a legal hit. A whistle wasn´t blown because the ref didn´t think he was down by contact.
 
 Brett

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:28 pm

Absolutely, Brett. And to think the Syracuse paper´s sports columnist wasted 15 inches of space this morning trying to villify Larry Favors because he "took out" Syracuse hero Donovan McNabb with a "cheap shot."
 
 Well, the columnist is a total knob, so it´s no sweat off my ass.
 
 Clean hit, all the way. Football is a rough game, for those who have forgotten -- like the Eagles´ receivers. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif">
 
 Take care,
 PK

RiverRat · Post by **RiverRat** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 1:14 pm

It was a clean hit, but not all the way. If it´s possible to have a clean hit and a cheap shot at the same time, that was it.
 
 McNabb was not blown dead to be sure, but he was on the ground, not getting up, and in a pretty defenseless position, and the defender could see that five yeards away. In my opinion, it was unnecessary roughness in spirit, if not in the letter of the law.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:13 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 I don´t feel sorry for the Eagles losing. Their fans don´t deserve a Super Bowl.
 
 -Matt
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 Matt,
 
 How many Eagles´ fans have you ever met? I know hundreds of fans and they are all pretty cool. The bad .05% give them a bad rap.
 
 I´ve been to sporting events in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Buffalo, and Chicago and quite frankly I can´t tell the difference. Maybe Browns´ fans don´t deserve a title because some jagoff threw a bottle on the field. Maybe Cubs fans don´t deserve a World Series because some of their fans threatened to kill someone reaching for a foul ball. Maybe Steelers´ fans don´t deserve a title because thousands of dumbass fans cheered when Kordell Stewart was shaken up at a game I attended.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:27 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 Matt,
 
 How many Eagles´ fans have you ever met? I know hundreds of fans and they are all pretty cool. The bad .05% give them a bad rap.
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 Let´s see...an entire Veterans Stadium cheering a motionless Michael Irvin laying on the ground after a hit with a neck injury pretty much says it all. Philly fans are horrible.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:45 pm

DB:
 
 Eagles´ fans are no worse than fans in Boston, New York or Chicago.
 
 Sure, sometimes fans in those cities get out of hand. But at least they have passion, which you never can say about fans in L.A., where fans show up late, leave early and generally could give three shits about their teams if they´re either losing or not fashionable.
 
 I present the L.A. Kings as evidence. The Forum was packed when Gretzky was in town, and the team was winning. Now no one cares about the Kings except die-hard hockey fans.
 
 More evidence: L.A. is the second-largest city in America and doesn´t have an NFL team.
 
 I rest my case.
 
 Take care,
 PK

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:53 pm

PK,
 
 When did I say anything about LA fans? I don´t like a single LA team, pretty much for the reasons you mentioned...is that a coincidence? NO.
 
 In fact, I don´t even like going to games in LA because of the fact that the fans could give two shits.
 
 Nothing was better than going to the 98 Playoffs when the Braves played the Cubs @ Wrigley. I have never been to a park where the atmosphere was so die-hard, you were afraid to wear Braves colors. This is aslo given the fact that the Cubs were down 0-2 in the series. It was just amazing. It´s almost embarassing to be a Braves fan when you see that loyalty to a team that is sure to get bounced from the playoffs that night.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 5:12 pm

Yeah, I never understood why the Braves don´t sell out in the playoffs. It´s not L.A., where you´re distracted by sand, surf, snow, mountains and Hollywood.
 
 With all due respect to DChaps and other Atlantans, it´s Georgia, for Christ´s sake.
 
 Take care,
 PK

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 5:28 pm

DB: There is no excuse for the classless act of booing an injured player, but according to my good friends that attended the game Deon and Irvin spent a good portion of the pregame activities taunting the Philly crowd that day.

kevinpars · Post by **kevinpars** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 6:16 pm

Maybe if the Braves had had a few prime time games I would go to more Atlanta playoff games. 2 PM or 4 PM start times suck. I don´t know about anyone else, but I need a week´s notice for time off and you don´t get that much notice from MLB.
 
 Not much of an excuse, but when the Yankees had to play one afternoon start, Steinbrenner Squealed like Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 6:18 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2004-01-19 13:12, pk500 wrote:
 Yeah, I never understood why the Braves don´t sell out in the playoffs. It´s not L.A., where you´re distracted by sand, surf, snow, mountains and Hollywood.
 
 With all due respect to DChaps and other Atlantans, it´s Georgia, for Christ´s sake.
 
 Take care,
 PK
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 Actually, fans did fill County Stadium in the early to mid 90´s when the Braves started their run. Maybe they just got tired of winning the East without doing much more in the playoffs.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 6:30 pm

Leebo,
 
 Aside from the great example DB laid out, I have heard many other stories like that throughout the years.
 
 I live in Milwaukee (same state as Green Bay for the uneducated). The week leading up to the Green Bay/Phiiy game was filled with stories of bad behavior by Philly fans. True, this is coming from local media, but the stories of Packer fans in Philly not being allowed into restaraunts and kicked out of places simply because they were Packer fans was disgusting. The trash talk and bad-mouthing by Philly residents all that week showed very poor character.
 
 I´m not saying ALL philly fans are like this, but there sure seem to be a lot more a-holes per capita in Philly than most other parts of the country.
 
 -Matt

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:07 pm

"With all due respect to DChaps and other Atlantans, it´s Georgia, for Christ´s sake. "
 
 Yeah, I have lived here for 20+ years and have never figured out the deal with Atlanta and professional sports. Maybe its because for the most part they have consistently sucked. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif"> The first 5 years of the Braves run I would say the post season was always sold out though. As much grief as we get for being fair-weather, our fan base is still better than Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, or Philadelphia.
 
 Not to mention the fact that Turner holds about 11,000 more than a field like Wrigley. So it can look more empty, even though there are still 35,000+ in the stands. Plus Chicago is like what 5 times the population of Atlanta?
 
 Ok, enough excuses, Atlanta pro sports fans do suck. I was at all the Braves playoffs games the last few years, so I try not to be one of them.
 
 One thing for sure, college sports rule the majority of the sporting world down here, and of course mainly college football. Even with the addition of Mike Vick, there are probably more UGA football fans in ATL than Falcons fans, and probably only 10% of them actually attended the university.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:16 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2004-01-19 14:30, matthewk wrote:
 Leebo,
 
 Aside from the great example DB laid out, I have heard many other stories like that throughout the years.
 
 I live in Milwaukee (same state as Green Bay for the uneducated). The week leading up to the Green Bay/Phiiy game was filled with stories of bad behavior by Philly fans. True, this is coming from local media, but the stories of Packer fans in Philly not being allowed into restaraunts and kicked out of places simply because they were Packer fans was disgusting. The trash talk and bad-mouthing by Philly residents all that week showed very poor character.
 
 I´m not saying ALL philly fans are like this, but there sure seem to be a lot more a-holes per capita in Philly than most other parts of the country.
 
 -Matt
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 I have heard and read that African-American players don´t like to play in Green Bay due to racism. Therefore, is it safe to assume that Green Bay has more racists per capita than most areas?
 
 How would restaurant owners even know that people were Packers´ fans? If the fans are wearing Packers´ jerseys around Philly then they are asking for trouble in my opinion. I would never wear a Steelers´ jersey in "enemy territory" the week of a big game out of respect to the other team´s fans. Is it right? No, it is a silly code but people around here, Pittsburgh, NY understand it. I went to a Pens game in Philly a couple year´s ago and I wore a Pens sweatshirt, but I didn´t flaunt it.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:56 pm

If we need perspective on ugly incidents between rival fans, let´s cede the floor to DaveT, who can tell us stories about English football fans that will make us blanch.
 
 It´s a fact, boys: The level of intensity and sometimes violence between rival American football fans is f*cking Romper Room compared to those in English and European football. Absolute child´s play.
 
 In South America, fans throw bags of URINE at opposing players on the pitch. It´s common for coins and other "missiles" to be thrown at players in big derby (rivalry) matches in many leagues around the world.
 
 The Heysel tragedy in 1985, in which 38 Italians and one Belgian were trampled to death, is an example of an awful result of fan rivalries. Read here for a full description:
 
 http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/heysel/
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/768380.stm
 
 Sure, that kind of tragedy thankfully doesn´t happen all the time in European football. But nothing close to it has happened in American football.
 
 On a much smaller level, there are many pubs around stadiums in England that will not admit any patrons dressed in rival team´s colors on game days for very real fear of violence, right, Dave? I know that´s the case in Newcastle based on the nearby list of pubs on either the team´s or supporters´ Web site.
 
 Again, if you think NFL fans have insane passion, you haven´t watched or read about worldwide football that much. It´s not a badge of pride or honor for football fans. Hardly. But it´s a fact.
 
 Take care,
 PK [ This message was edited by: pk500 on 19-01-2004 16:07 ]