replacement refs

[WMH]

Imagine that, one of the owners from one of the more profitable teams comes to the defense of the replacement refs...... Such media posturing!

Have to admit, I still don't think I would know the difference between the two if no one was blasing them after every game. I would have thought that was them bashing the regulars........

From PFT:

If the NFL’s regular officials won’t get back to work until the NFL owners agree to pay them more, then they may remain locked out for a long time.

That’s what Texans owner Bob McNair suggested when he, along with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, talked about the officials lockout on CNBC’s Squawk Box. McNair said he hasn’t noticed an increase in bad calls this preseason and doesn’t believe the replacement officials are any threat to player safety.

“We have complaints, it doesn’t matter who’s officiating,” McNair said. “And we look back at it as to those calls that we think were bad calls, and we don’t have any more now than we had before. Now, clearly the officials that we have now are not as good professionally as the ones we’ve had, otherwise we would have had the others all along. But in terms of the impact on the game, I’ve been watching it and frankly I can’t see any difference. We have the same situation — we have some calls we don’t like, we have some that should have been made that weren’t made, but we don’t have any more, and the players are just as well protected. So I don’t think that safety is an issue at all.”

Goodell added that when the NFL last used replacement officials, in 2001, they called fewer penalties and got good reviews from players, coaches and fans. Although Goodell and the owners are paying lip service to the belief that the locked-out officials are the best in the business, and that the NFL wants to have the best officials on the field, no one from the ownership side seems overly concerned about the consequences of the lockout.

[painekiller]

The Thursday night game was the worse officiated game I have ever seen. Get the real guys back in.

[Nconroe]

Man, did Green Bay just get screwed royally by these refs. What an embarrassmenr to the League. And after review. Just incredible.

[chuck]

The owners disgust me.

[Joe Joe]

I can see the bad call getting missed in real time. The fact that the replay guy missed it is hard to accept.

Edit...So I am hearing that simultaneous catch is not a review-able call. Bad call on the field. Bad rule if it is true that simultaneous catch can't be reviewed.

[painekiller]

The replacement refs have been a joke, time to get the real guys back. In my 40+ years of watching football that is the 2nd worse call that I have seen, Mike Renfro's catch in the endzone against Pittsburgh and yes I am biased and still pi$$ed.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by Joe Joe

Edit...So I am hearing that simultaneous catch is not a review-able call. Bad call on the field. Bad rule if it is true that simultaneous catch can't be reviewed.

I think ESPN said that, but it's wrong. A simulteaneous catch is reviewable; the offensive pass interference non-call was not. Here's the rule:

Rule 15, Sec. 9
Reviewable Plays. The Replay System will cover the following play situations only:
(a) Plays governed by Sideline, Goal Line, End Zone, and End Line:
1. Scoring plays, including a runner breaking the plane of the goal line.
2. Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted at sideline, goal line, end zone, and end line.
3. Runner/receiver in or out of bounds.
4. Recovery of loose ball in or out of bounds.
(b) Passing plays:
1. Pass ruled complete/incomplete/intercepted in the field of play.
2. Touching of a forward pass by an ineligible receiver.
3. Touching of a forward pass by a defensive player.
4. Quarterback (Passer) forward pass or fumble.
5. Illegal forward pass beyond the line of scrimmage or from behind the line after the ball has been beyond the line.
6. Illegal forward pass after change of possession.
7. Forward or backward pass thrown from behind line of scrimmage.
(c) Other reviewable plays:
1. Runner ruled not down by defensive contact.
2. Runner ruled down by defensive contact when the recovery of a fumble by an opponent or a teammate occurs in the
action that happens following the fumble.
3. Runner ruled out of bounds when the recovery of a fumble by an opponent or a teammate occurs in the action that
happens following the fumble.
4. Ruling of incomplete pass when the recovery of a passer’s fumble, or the recovery of a backward pass, by an
opponent or a teammate occurs in the action following the fumble or backward pass.
5. Ruling of a loose ball out of bounds when it is recovered in the field of play by an opponent or a teammate in the
action after the ball hits the ground.
Note 1: If the ruling of down by contact, out of bounds, or incomplete pass is changed, the ball belongs to the recovering
player at the spot of the recovery of the fumble, and any advance is nullified. If the ball goes out of bounds in an end zone,
the result of the play will be either a touchback or a safety.
Note 2: If the Referee does not have indisputable visual evidence as to which player recovered the loose ball, the ruling on the
field will stand.
Note 3: This does not apply to complete/incomplete passes, or the ruling of forward progress.
6. Forward progress with respect to a first down.
7. Touching of a kick.
8. A Field-goal or Try attempt that crosses below or above the crossbar, inside or outside the uprights when it is lower
than the top of the uprights, or touches anything.
9. Number of players on the field at the snap.
10. Illegal forward handoff.
11. A loose ball in play striking a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object.
Note: Non-reviewable plays include but are not limited to:
1. Status of the clock
2. Proper down
3. Penalty administration
4. Runner ruled down by defensive contact (not involving fumbles)
5. Forward progress not relating to first down or goal line
6. Recovery of a loose ball that does not involve a boundary line or the end zone.
7. Field-goal or Try attempts that cross above either upright without touching anything.
8. Inadvertent Whistle


Here's the simultaneous catch rule:

Rule 8, Sec. 1, Art. 3, Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.

[barrett]

I read this morning that a simulteaneous catch in the endzone is reviewable, but not outside the endzone.

The NFL has a lot of screwy rules related to replay so they don't hurt the refs feelings (like not reviewing FGs over the post, doing the replay under a hood instead of in the booth with 10 large HD TVs, etc...). Part-time refs are likely not going to know those rules. It is one of the reasons it is amazing the NFL rolled the dice for so long with these guys. They have more difficult rules than any league.

It would be great if Goodell stared down the stars of the NFL and won, but then was cut down to size by some part-time little guys like the officials. I just hope the officials don't see last night and really dig in because they have public outcry on their side now.