The NFL needs to do something about these refs

[RustyBourneHorse]

They are one of the NFL's favorites.
A friend of mine texts me every Sunday, how the NFL is rigged. Especially for certain teams.
He says Dallas need to be better than their opponents PLUS the refs to get further than they have.

He believes they are setting it up to be a SF / KC SB game.

I could see that, and if the league is going to rig that, then there is no point anymore. If it was going on before, it was much more subtle than it seems to be now.

 

[Aven8]

The “late hit” on CMC last week was total crap. He didn’t even get hit

 

[big dog cowboy]

Same old story. Nothing ever changes. Full time refs?

 

[Captain-Crash]

let them play like in the 60s with no rules, the toughest wins. sheesh, pansies.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Same old story. Nothing ever changes. Full time refs?

Full time refs and more use of technology would be a good way to try to solve the problem.

 

[Jimbo123]

Did you see how Jalen Carter body slammed Matt Stafford to the ground but wasn't called for roughing the passer? Some teams get favorable treatment from the refs.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Did you see how Jalen Carter body slammed Matt Stafford but wasn't called for roughing the passer? Some teams might get favorable treatment from the refs.

I did not see the play, but it's ridiculous how some teams get uneven treatment to other teams.

 

[zrinkill]

All they need to do to stop a lot of problems is put chips in the balls and under grass so we know exactly where the ball is at all times and make it so every play can be reviewed including roughing the passer and pass interference and no calls should also be able to be reviewed
.

 

[baltcowboy]

I know it seems ridiculous to talk about after our defeat, but this is to do with not just our game
This is a problem that exists outside of just our team. The NFL needs to do something about these refs. I am not saying that the league is rigged. However, with sports betting the way it is, I can see that by some would think it. I just think that the quality of officiating needs improving. Here are 3 examples.

Chiefs @ Jets - the officiating this game was quite poor. They botched the call that should have been a facemask on the Jets, then later botched a defencive hold that bailed out the Chiefs. Oh, and on the play where Mahomes ran for about 13 yards on 3rd and 13, they missed what appeared to be a hold on the tackle. The defensive hold that they called on Sauce Gardner bailed out the Chiefs because the Jets had an interception. Plus, especially with what they picked up in a later example, this was ridiculous. I think the Jets had every right to be upset.

Cowboys @ Cardinals - the officiating was poor on both sides of the ball, however, I think they missed at least one or two DPIs or holds in the endzone. Especially on the 4th down play where Gallup was held in the end zone. Oh, and that last extra point missed, but they counted it. Doesn't excuse how poor the Cowboys were that game, and they missed a few calls on us. However, it was worth pointing out.

Chiefs @ Vikings - the picked up flag on what was as blatant a DPI/hold as you can get was ridiculous. I'm not sure the Vikings win anyway because of who they were playing, but that was a completely botched call that changed what could have been. (amazing how the Chiefs have benefited from two late blown calls)

Aside from these games, I've noticed that a lot of tackles are getting away with jumping the snap early and not getting called for a false start. Also, there are plenty of occasions where it seems that holding is still unevenly enforced on multiple teams. Micah Parsons, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, and several others should make it very clear to the refs and league how often they are being held without a call.

These are three examples this season, and I'm sure there are plenty of other examples this season. These are just three that were late in games that were key blown calls. I know being a referee is a hard job, but I still don't understand why the NFL can't have full time referees. I think the game would be better if the referees were full time referees who could hone their craft. It's an important job that has to be done properly. I think the league is setting these officials up for failure with how they are employed ATM. If they were full time, then they could use the offseason to hone their craft and be better able to identify tactics that players use that are penalties (such as the early jumps). Every other major league has them, and this includes the CFL.

I also think all penalties should be reviewed. Maybe not necessarily by way of challenge, but the booth, especially in a key situation such as PI, should be able to get involved if there is such an instance. The CFL allows coaches to challenge pass interference. I know it didn't work so well last time the NFL tried it, but I argue that the coaches were often correct. However, the league didn't want to admit they were wrong. I think that the league should allow all penalties to be reviewed. Otherwise, you could have a very questionable call that changes the course of a game. I think, if the coaches could challenge PI, that the Vikings situation would have been clearly PI and the Vikings would have won the challenge. I also think roughing the passer should be reviewable considering how soft some of the calls are. These are some things that I think that the league could do to help the referees.

The refs are the reason I don’t bet on games. I can’t imagine how many broken television or computer screens I would have if a questionable call cost me a bet.

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

I know it seems ridiculous to talk about after our defeat, but this is to do with not just our game
This is a problem that exists outside of just our team. The NFL needs to do something about these refs. I am not saying that the league is rigged. However, with sports betting the way it is, I can see that by some would think it. I just think that the quality of officiating needs improving. Here are 3 examples.

Chiefs @ Jets - the officiating this game was quite poor. They botched the call that should have been a facemask on the Jets, then later botched a defencive hold that bailed out the Chiefs. Oh, and on the play where Mahomes ran for about 13 yards on 3rd and 13, they missed what appeared to be a hold on the tackle. The defensive hold that they called on Sauce Gardner bailed out the Chiefs because the Jets had an interception. Plus, especially with what they picked up in a later example, this was ridiculous. I think the Jets had every right to be upset.

Cowboys @ Cardinals - the officiating was poor on both sides of the ball, however, I think they missed at least one or two DPIs or holds in the endzone. Especially on the 4th down play where Gallup was held in the end zone. Oh, and that last extra point missed, but they counted it. Doesn't excuse how poor the Cowboys were that game, and they missed a few calls on us. However, it was worth pointing out.

Chiefs @ Vikings - the picked up flag on what was as blatant a DPI/hold as you can get was ridiculous. I'm not sure the Vikings win anyway because of who they were playing, but that was a completely botched call that changed what could have been. (amazing how the Chiefs have benefited from two late blown calls)

Aside from these games, I've noticed that a lot of tackles are getting away with jumping the snap early and not getting called for a false start. Also, there are plenty of occasions where it seems that holding is still unevenly enforced on multiple teams. Micah Parsons, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, and several others should make it very clear to the refs and league how often they are being held without a call.

These are three examples this season, and I'm sure there are plenty of other examples this season. These are just three that were late in games that were key blown calls. I know being a referee is a hard job, but I still don't understand why the NFL can't have full time referees. I think the game would be better if the referees were full time referees who could hone their craft. It's an important job that has to be done properly. I think the league is setting these officials up for failure with how they are employed ATM. If they were full time, then they could use the offseason to hone their craft and be better able to identify tactics that players use that are penalties (such as the early jumps). Every other major league has them, and this includes the CFL.

I also think all penalties should be reviewed. Maybe not necessarily by way of challenge, but the booth, especially in a key situation such as PI, should be able to get involved if there is such an instance. The CFL allows coaches to challenge pass interference. I know it didn't work so well last time the NFL tried it, but I argue that the coaches were often correct. However, the league didn't want to admit they were wrong. I think that the league should allow all penalties to be reviewed. Otherwise, you could have a very questionable call that changes the course of a game. I think, if the coaches could challenge PI, that the Vikings situation would have been clearly PI and the Vikings would have won the challenge. I also think roughing the passer should be reviewable considering how soft some of the calls are. These are some things that I think that the league could do to help the referees.

NFL officiating is by far the worst out of the 4 major North American sports and has been for years.

The sheer number of rules and the subjective nature of many of the calls just makes officiating less consistent.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

I think the nfl should have just one ref for the entire game . Meaning tons of stuff will get missed and half the game would be to see what you can get away with. It would be exciting

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

He could maybe fly around in a drone to get a good birds eye view and whack people with a pool noodle if they’re getting too handsy

 

[Captain-Crash]

if jerry would "feed" the refs better he would get better calls. shrugs.

 

[Creeper]

Every game has at least a couple of really bad calls by the refs. I think some of it is planned. Offensive holding for example, I think the refs are trying to keep the flags down so they only call flagrant holding. Although sometimes they call hold that seems questionable. Inconsistency amplifies the problem I think.

I also have an issue with illegal contact. This is the rule for contact beyond 5 yards:

"ARTICLE 3. ILLEGAL CONTACT BEYOND FIVE-YARD ZONE
Beyond the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender cannot initiate contact with a receiver who is attempting to evade him. A defender may use his hands or arms only to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver.

Note: If a defender contacts a receiver within the five-yard zone and maintains contact with him, he must release the receiver as they exit the five-yard zone. If the defender maintains contact beyond five yards, it is illegal contact."

The refs are so inconsistent with this rule it is maddening. I get the hand battles and things like that, which is an exception to this rule, but you see defenders use both arms to redirect receivers after 5 yards and there is no call. You see all kinds of contact that is not defensive not get called. If the defender puts his hand on the receiver to gain leverage or slow the receiver down, it is illegal contact but they only call it sometimes leaving fans to wonder, why was it called that time and not the 15 times it happened before that? Change the rules if you aren't going to enforce them consistently.

We've also seen a lot of new refs. Seems like there has been a lot of turnover. Maybe that has contributed to the problem. I think having hi-def cameras everywhere allows us to see what we never saw before too.

On thing I have noticed this year that seem like more than in the past is the number bad ball spots. It seems there are times when the ball appears to be placed a yard or more away from where it should be based on the previous play. These bad spots can make a big difference in some situations.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

NFL officiating is by far the worst out of the 4 major North American sports and has been for years.

The sheer number of rules and the subjective nature of many of the calls just makes officiating less consistent.

Exactly, and it's ridiculous how much better the officiating in the CFL is than the NFL.

 

[G2]

Same old story. Nothing ever changes. Full time refs?

Exactly.

 

[erod]

Winners win.

Losers blame the refs.

 

[Hadenough]

My problem is that every play should be reviewable. Or don't call any penalties. One or the other.

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

Exactly, and it's ridiculous how much better the officiating in the CFL is than the NFL.

With the rise of replay things have only gotten worse. I don’t understand having replay and slowing down the game only for certain calls. All it does is make fans and players more upset when obviously blown calls can’t be overturned.

Replay needs to be all or nothing. Either allow the overturning of any call, or don’t use replay at all.

The new rules for roughing the passer have also gotten totally out of hand. When rules start to come into conflict with the very nature of the game, you run into issues.

I have also always been quite mystified by offensive holding. When it is egregious, it should be called, but realistically holding can be called on nearly every play in the NFL. I always struggle to understand the rhyme and reason behind holding calls.

 

[Jarv]

Every time the Cowboys lose a game, someone is complaining about the officiating. The NFL does everything they can to improve officiating but it’s never going to be perfect when you have human beings officiating games. No fan is ever going to be completely satisfied with the officiating no matter what the NFL does and it’s just a waste of time to continue to complain about it. You don’t see fans complaining about any call no matter how bad it is if it goes in favor of their team. They’ll all act like it was a great call. Lol

Read theOP again, very little was talked about Cowboys games. I've been watching football since the 60's, there is something amis.