Ed Hochuli responds

[Nightman]

I think Shanahan went for 2 because of the bad call. He gave the Chargers a chance to stop them and win the game. They basically ran the same play to Royal and it worked. The refs screwed them for sure, but they still had plenty of chances to win it.

 

[Nightman]

If we get rid of instant replay, like you are suggesting, then what happens if a playoff game is decided like the Chargers-Panthers game and a WR catches the ball in the back of the end zone with no time left, refs rule it a TD and give Panthers a W.

Then the networks show a replay and the WR only got 1 foot down and the other foot cleary is out of bounds. With no replay, the call on the field stands and the Panthers win a playoff game that they should have lost.

Thus, the replay is then shown about 1000 times on network and cable and you have officiating determining the outcome of a playoff game. That would really be good PR, wouldnt it.

The NFL survived before replay and can survive without it again. The NFL system is terrible. You only have a limited number of challenges, so if you are wrong on close call early, you don't have an oppurtunity to challenge one later. It is too dependant on TV replays and the Jumbotron. Teams can rush to the line to run a play.

Either review everything and make the right call EVERYTIME or go back to the zebras making the calls and live with it. Pass interference probably decides more games than any other call and it isn't reviewable and is usually wrong. I personally hate instant replay.

 

[sonnyboy]

Using your logic, I guess we didnt earn the fumbled exchange between McNabb and Westbrook since no Cowboy touched them before the fumble.

I guess we didnt deserve the fumble then and we should have lost?

You actually going to argu this point, that a team dosesnt deserve a fumble unless they create it. Just give the ball back to the Eagles on the botched hand off and let them have a do-over?

WOW

No we didn't deserve it. But we gave them the same gift in the first half.

I'm not suggesting any do-overs?

 

[Don Corleone]

No we didn't deserve it. But we gave them the same gift in the first half.

I'm not suggesting any do-overs?

Actually our gift was a bit more valuable. It was in the endzone and a simple belly flop on the ball by an Eagle player meant touchdown.

 

[HoosierCowboy]

in a situation like that and also Jackson's in the Dallas game, if the defense recovers they should get the ball if the whistle did not interfere with the play of those in the position to recover the fumble (which can't be advanced). It is then a judgment call and can be reviewed. Would have give SD the win and if that was the rule, Jones would have fallen on Jackson's fumble.

 

[Rack]

Thank you, you made my point.

No, he didn't. He made HIS point, which is pretty much the opposite of your point.

No.... the call didn't happen in the 1st quarter, so your point is completely invalid.

The call did happen in the final moments of a close game, therefore it had a great deal to do with the outcome of the game. Which wasn't the point you were arguing at all.

Exactly.

I bet those sending him hate mail aren't man enough to take him on one on one, or to express those feelings to him in person. It is easy to be critical behind a keyboard and screen. He can probably beat the snot out of all of them.

I haven't sent him any hate mail, but I'd love to take him on one on one. He maybe be in better shape, but I fight dirty.

I'll make my point this way, if the blown call had allowed Denver to score 39 pts, I would agree with you.

The blown call took the ball away from the chargers, and therefore would have prevented Denver from scoring 39 points.

Glad you agree with me.

Sorry to be pedantic, but the OP stated "almost directly" cost the Chargers the game. Meaning that the Chargers still had two more plays to stop the Broncos after the questionable call.

The OP wasn't arguing that the play wasn't instrumental, IMO.

That post you quoted wasn't directed at the OP. It was in response to the person who wrote the article.

But since the call prevented the Chargers from recovering the fumble (which they clearly would have done) it did in fact cost the chargers the game.

 

[CoCo]

He should have never apologized. It just drags on the story.

I am very glad Hochuli apologized.

It has illustrated a principle about integrity that is far more important than who wins or loses a football game, entertaining though they are.

 

[WV Cowboy]

There are so many calls, non-calls, missed calls, good calls, bad calls, late calls, etc. throughout the course of a game, ... to blame a loss on one call on one play is convenient.

There are two trains of thought in sports when things go wrong, ... whether you are a player, a coach, or a fan ...

1) Blame officials
2) Man up and take responsibility

You decide which you will take.
I already have.

 

[TheSkaven]

The call was wrong and the Chargers should have won the game. But Shanahan did the right thing in going for two points, to give his opponent a chance to win on the spot. Yeah, the call was blown, but the Chargers still could have prevented the touchdown, they still could have prevented the two point conversion, and they still could have driven up the field to win the game.

 

[WV Cowboy]

The call was wrong and the Chargers should have won the game. But Shanahan did the right thing in going for two points, to give his opponent a chance to win on the spot. Yeah, the call was blown, but the Chargers still could have prevented the touchdown, they still could have prevented the two point conversion, and they still could have driven up the field to win the game.

Shanahan (& staff) had decided to go for two when the drive started, not to give his opponent a chance to win after the blown call.

 

[jimmy40]

It might be wrong, but if I would have been Ed I would have definitely been looking very hard to find a hold or other penalty against Denver on those last 2 Denver plays, knowing my screw up had taken a win away from SD and the game should have already been decided.

He didn't have to look hard, the left tackle had an obvious hold on the TD pass, I was screaming at ED to throw a flag, it was right there for him.

 

[peplaw06]

Hos have you got a reply email from him?

 

[DallasDomination]

He did mess up bad but He's a good ref. He doesnt seem bias at all. To bad I can't say the same about some other officials.

 

[Rack]

There are so many calls, non-calls, missed calls, good calls, bad calls, late calls, etc. throughout the course of a game, ... to blame a loss on one call on one play is convenient.

There are two trains of thought in sports when things go wrong, ... whether you are a player, a coach, or a fan ...

1) Blame officials
2) Man up and take responsibility

You decide which you will take.
I already have.

You're such a tough guy, too bad you haven't got any common sense whatsoever.


If the play had occured with enough time for the Broncos to get the ball back, then it woulnd't have mattered. But that's not the case. The chargers get the ball and it's 1 knee and the game is over.


To say officials can't directly effect the outcome of a game is completely ignorant. They DO have an impact on the game and therefore CAN effect the outcome of a game, just like Hochuli did on sunday.


You're wrong on the matter. Plain and simple. Get off your high horse. Acting like you're high and mighty cuz you "manned up" doesn't change the facts. This isn't about manning up or placing blame. It's about fact vs fiction. Fact is that call cost the chargers the game. It has nothing to do with playing the "blame game" and you darn well know it.

 

[Va_BoysFan4 Life]

I feel for Ed.........I've always respected him as a Ref but I respect him more now as a MAN. I too think that the angle could have caused the problem, however, as we all know that until they find away to overturn the ruling, things like this would happen.

Example: If Pacman had picked up the ball on that Bonehead play by Jackson and ran it back and the Ref would have blown it dead as a TD, what do you think would have been the ruling. Even though there was concrete proof.

 

[sacowboysfan513]

I feel for Ed.........I've always respected him as a Ref but I respect him more now as a MAN. I too think that the angle could have caused the problem, however, as we all know that until they find away to overturn the ruling, things like this would happen.

Example: If Pacman had picked up the ball on that Bonehead play by Jackson and ran it back and the Ref would have blown it dead as a TD, what do you think would have been the ruling. Even though there was concrete proof.

I heard that if Pacman would have picked it up, it would not have mattered, the ball would have still belonged to the eagles due to the ref blowing the whistle like you said.

It would be a nice change to be able to to review a dead ball situation. Although I'm not sure how the rules would work out, seeing how there is so many possibilities that would have to be considered.

 

[WV Cowboy]

You're such a tough guy, ...

I'm no tough guy, I have just always felt it is just too easy to blame officials, umpires or referees when you lose. As soon as you can blame someone else, then it's easy to think that it's not your fault.

To say officials can't directly effect the outcome of a game is completely ignorant. They DO have an impact on the game and therefore CAN effect the outcome of a game, just like Hochuli did on sunday.

I never said they don't affect the outcome. Every ball or strike called in a baseball game affects the outcome, every foul called or not called in a basketball game affects the outcome, every penalty called or missed in a football game affects the outcome, .. but to blame the officials for your team losing the game on one single call is wrong and I think you know it.

Each game is different, but in this case the Chargers had many many opportunities from the beginning of the game until the end to do enough to win the game. ... Don't let the Broncos score 31 pts, don't let them score the winning TD or the 2 pt conversion. Go down and kick a FG and win the game.

Blaming the outcome of a game on one single play is something that a fan would do that doesn't understand that much about sports, which is a category that I don't think you fit in at all.

I always thought you were a very knowledgeable football fan and it surprises me that you have taken such a strong stance supporting one play deciding the outcome of a sporting contest.

One play can affect it, but one play does not win or lose any game.

 

[CF74]

Poor sap lucky Broncos. Now change the rule already and let's move on...

 

[notherbob]

To me, this is simply the latest in a long string of incidents that do nothing to dispel my notion that from time to time different officials make deliberately distorted decisions that affect the outcomes of games or the point spread of games for their own reasons.

 

[WV Cowboy]

To me, this is simply the latest in a long string of incidents that do nothing to dispel my notion that from time to time different officials make deliberately distorted decisions that affect the outcomes of games or the point spread of games for their own reasons.

That may be true, but I don't think it is the case here.

EH, for a split second, thought it was an incomplete pass, so he blew the whistle, which was wrong.

After that, as far as I can tell, he has done everything right.