more than officiating crews.
In my years as a sports reporter, blogger, fan, etc., I have heard
everyone from players, coaches, fans, etc., grovel about any
number of missed calls. Well, I’ve been guilty of such behavior
so I’m not blameless in this matter either.
There is a difference, however, between saying that referees/
umpires missed a call versus saying or insinuating that they
were the direct cause for your team losing the game.
The most recently egregiously missed call came in last year’s
NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams
and New Orleans Saints. New Orleans faced 3rd down and 10
from the Rams’ 13 yard-line. Saints quarterback Drew Brees
threw a pass near the right sideline toward TommyLee Lewis
before Rams’ defensive back Nickell Roby-Coleman blasted
him before the ball arrived.
To give you context, the game was tied at 20-20 with 1:49
remaining in regulation. The Saints kicked the go-ahead field
goal before the Rams kicked the tying field goal in regulation
and the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime to go to the Super
Bowl. Whereas had the penalty been called, New Orleans would
have been given a fresh set of downs and put the game away in
regulation.
Much to the lobbying of Saints head coach Sean Payton, the NFL
instituted a rule where coaches can challenge pass interference
calls and/or no calls. In overtime or the final two minutes of a game,
reviews are initial from the booth. That rule, however, may go away
after this year and to that, I say, “exit Stage Left.”
The Saints were involved in another yet another situation in their
most recent 26-20 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins’ 4-yard touchdown to tight
end Kyle Rudolph sealed the win and sent Minnesota to
Saturday’s NFC Divisional round playoff game against the top-
seeded San Francisco 49ers. The replay shows Rudolph extending
his arm against Saints cornerback P.J. Williams to gain separation.
Al Riveron, the NFL’s director of officiating, said the various angles
provided by FOX allowed for a quick replay review to confirm the
touchdown.
touchdown.
I have long said the following about officiating regardless of which
level:
Our reality is not theirs
At the pro and college ranks, as fans, we have the luxury of looking
at replays from every imaginable angle and breaking it down in slow
motion frame-by-frame. We are sitting on our rear ends at home,
perhaps under the influence, while they are in a stressful environment
with 75,000 fans and two sidelines of teams for or against their calls.
They have a better angle
You the fan are goodness knows how many rows up from the field of
play. They, however, are on the field and more than a few feet closer
than you.
Borderline calls vs. egregious ones
The egregiously missed calls deserve criticism. The borderline calls
are best looked at from the perspective of “it could have been called
but that does not mean it should have been called.”
No one is perfect
By no means am I suggesting that referees are infallible or exempt
from criticism. However, I find it confounding how many people are
chasing perfection. The bottom line is that we don’t live in a perfect
world. Players, coaches, media and referees are not perfect. I
can understand having replay for things like fumbles, in or out of
bounds, or scoring plays but pass interference is subjective and
open to interpretation.
Basketball is laughable in that you have fans and media members
alike complaining about how the referee calls X number of fouls on
one team but only Y number on the other. It is not the referee’s job to
call an equal number of fouls on both teams. His job is to call the
game as he sees it.
You have the entire game to win on your own
No matter how egregious a call or no call is at the end of the game,
you have the entire contest to win it. Therefore, you eliminate the
chances that the game comes down to either a judgment call or
an egregiously missed one.
So ask yourself. Have I ever seen a perfectly officiated game? If the
answer is yes, you are lying to yourself. If the answer is no, you will
not see one any time soon.
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