Fantastic read from Peter King

[erod]

Maybe not the right place, but this is a fantastic read from Peter King, who spent a week with Gene Steratore's officiating crew. King bothers me sometimes, but he is capable of incredible work like this, too.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/04/peter-king-spends-week-with-nfl-refs/5/

 

[ElGatoGrande]

"legendary Jerry Markbreit" lmao...

interesting read though.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

"I want to make sure we get the fouls everyone sees. My belief is you go fishing for whales in this business. Don’t go fishing for minnows."

The problem is, these zebras miss some pretty obvious whales consistently. Even with the fish finder right in front of them.

 

[dragon_mikal]

If you see a penalty being committed throw the flag. If you don't see one being committed than keep the hankie in your pocket. Simple really.

I know the refs can't see everything in a game but I've had my fill of iffy penalty calls deciding games and blatant penalties occurring right in front of officials not being called. (Ware hold that was obvious)

Fact is that the quality of the official has gone down just like everything else in football. Sad really.

 

[OhSnap]

I remember before the season started PK was saying how good RG looked and he was running around and ready to go. LOL I get the impression PK is the PR man for the NFL and will kiss as many butts as needed. In a MacGruber kinda way. Nice to get a glimpse of where these refs come from tho.

While on the subject. Something has to be changed about the ground knocking the ball out of receivers hands when they come down outta bounds. When in bounds the ground cant cause fumble but out it can cause incompletions? Seen some nice catches taken away from receivers this year.

 

[CaptainMorgan]

I miss reading ole king peter

 

[big dog cowboy]

I want to make sure we get the fouls everyone sees.

Mike Tomlin says "HELLO!!!!!!!!!"

 

[Zordon]

Gene Steratore is one of the best refs going right now.

 

[tyke1doe]

If you see a penalty being committed throw the flag. If you don't see one being committed than keep the hankie in your pocket. Simple really.

I know the refs can't see everything in a game but I've had my fill of iffy penalty calls deciding games and blatant penalties occurring right in front of officials not being called. (Ware hold that was obvious)

Fact is that the quality of the official has gone down just like everything else in football. Sad really.

Or could it be that the sophistication of the game has increased, along with technology, that officials not only have much more to track but have the eye in the sky highlighting their work more than ever before? Hhmm.

 

[Future]

"I want to make sure we get the fouls everyone sees. My belief is you go fishing for whales in this business. Don’t go fishing for minnows."

The problem is, these zebras miss some pretty obvious whales consistently. Even with the fish finder right in front of them.

Such a terrible approach. Essentially that means letting some things slide, and others go. Referees should never, ever "Go Fishing"

 

[dragon_mikal]

Or could it be that the sophistication of the game has increased, along with technology, that officials not only have much more to track but have the eye in the sky highlighting their work more than ever before? Hhmm.

No...it's just incompetence.

Missing that hold on Ware was incompetence.

Picking up a flag after the fact because a certain scenario occurred yet letting the penalty stand later in the same game for the exact same scenario is incompetence.

Not knowing what down it happens to be is incompetence.

The game has been on TV for decades now. The officials have been committing more and more errors every year, so much so that some are questioning whether the rule book is too large.

There is no justification for the lack of knowledge or competence today's refs show every week. Just because everyone an see their errors in slow motion doesn't excuse them or solve the problem.

 

[rcaldw]

Maybe not the right place, but this is a fantastic read from Peter King, who spent a week with Gene Steratore's officiating crew. King bothers me sometimes, but he is capable of incredible work like this, too.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/04/peter-king-spends-week-with-nfl-refs/5/

Very interesting stuff but if this is the standard for all these officials, how does Jeff Triplette have a job?

 

[blindzebra]

I honestly feel that they are putting too much emphasis on getting certain calls right. It should not be graded but understood. The why you got it wrong is more important than you missed it.

And the entire what is the call to fix this week mentality means that something else will slide through the cracks...you are constantly chasing your tail.

If it is rule knowledge emphasize that.

If it is positioning emphasize that.

If it is fitness emphasize that.

You don't fix it by making it a point of emphasis, you fix it by getting all your officials in the right spot and seeing plays the same way.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

I rember before the season started PK was saying how good RG looked and he was running around and ready to go. LOL I get the impression PK is the PR man for the NFL and will kiss as many butts as needed. In a MacGruber kinda way. Nice to get a glimpse of where these refs come from tho.

While on the subject. Something has to be changed about the ground knocking the ball out of receivers hands when they come down outta bounds. When in bounds the ground cant cause fumble but out it can cause incompletions? Seen some nice catches taken away from receivers this year.

...okay, first off the ground can cause a fumble. If you need anymore convincing go back and watch the Commanders vs the broncos (may have been Vikings), where RG3 slid head first, in the open field, went untouched, fumbled upon his arm hitting the ground, and the defense recovered.

Second, no matter where you are, inbounds or out of bounds, if you are falling to the ground, you must maintain the ball throughout the fall to the ground. That's why the catch against the Giants wasnt worth reviewing (but if you go back to week 1, victor cruz's 3rd TD shouldn't hsve counted).

 

[Picksix]

Very interesting stuff but if this is the standard for all these officials, how does Jeff Triplette have a job?

Amen!!

 

[jobberone]

Game 150: A Week in the Life of an Officiating Crew
The MMQB went behind the scenes with NFL referee Gene Steratore and his crew for an unprecedented look at the pressures and responsibilities of the third team on the field on NFL Sundays: the seven men in stripes who enforce the rules. In Part I, we meet—and agonize with—the boss

By
Peter King
· More from Peter·

Note from The MMQB’s editor-in-chief, Peter King:

In November The MMQB was granted unprecedented access to an NFL officiating crew during the week of the Nov. 17 Ravens-Bears game in Chicago. My video partner, John DePetro, and I were able to go where the officials went; we focused on four members of the seven-man crew in the week leading up to the game and then covered the officials’ Saturday rules meeting at a Chicago airport hotel, their group dinner that night, their pre- and post-game locker-room rituals and a breakdown of their game at Soldier Field.

NFL officials customarily are not allowed to speak to the media other than to a pool reporter after a controversial call in a game. We believe this is the first time that the third team on the field each Sunday, the officiating crew, has been profiled to such an extent and in such depth, with the officials allowed to speak freely about their jobs on the field and their lives off it, and the pressures that come with their responsibilities.

Why “Game 150?” The NFL numbers each of its 256 regular-season games, and at the top of each piece of paperwork that the crew members complete after a game is a spot for the number. Baltimore-Chicago was Game 150.

The series will be presented in three parts:

Part 1, Wednesday, Dec. 4 — The Referee

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/04/peter-king-spends-week-with-nfl-refs/5/

 

[OhSnap]

...okay, first off the ground can cause a fumble. If you need anymore convincing go back and watch the Commanders vs the broncos (may have been Vikings), where RG3 slid head first, in the open field, went untouched, fumbled upon his arm hitting the ground, and the defense recovered.

Second, no matter where you are, inbounds or out of bounds, if you are falling to the ground, you must maintain the ball throughout the fall to the ground. That's why the catch against the Giants wasnt worth reviewing (but if you go back to week 1, victor cruz's 3rd TD shouldn't hsve counted).

Yes if you trip or slide and hit the ground and the ball comes out the ground can cause a fumble but you probably didn't deserve to have it anyway if that happens. If you are being tackled and hit the ground and the ball comes out it is not ruled a fumble. I've seen good catches get taken away all over the NFL. If theres contact as a receiver is going out of bounds and he's not juggling the ball the ground shouldn't be able to cause the incompletion. Same if he's untouched AS LONG AS HE"S NOT JUGGLING THE BALL.

 

[waving monkey]

I'M A LITTLE MORE SYMPATHETIC

 

[Kristen82]

Don't get why anyone would want to a ref/linesman. All the abuse hurled on you by self-taught "experts" and no-life loser obsessed fans would make me want to buy a gun and go into the stands and start shooting them.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Yes if you trip or slide and hit the ground and the ball comes out the ground can cause a fumble but you probably didn't deserve to have it anyway if that happens. If you are being tackled and hit the ground and the ball comes out it is not ruled a fumble. I've seen good catches get taken away all over the NFL. If theres contact as a receiver is going out of bounds and he's not juggling the ball the ground shouldn't be able to cause the incompletion. Same if he's untouched AS LONG AS HE"S NOT JUGGLING THE BALL.

You're still a bit off. Yes, in a scenario where "you are being tackled and hit the ground and the ball comes out it is not ruled a fumble," but that is because the second you hit the ground, the play is over. Now, if you are hit, land on another player (no knee, shin, elbow or butt on ground) and while stretching out, the ball hits the ground and comes loose......that is a fumble. So no matter how you look at it, the ground can cause a fumble.