worst reffed game ive seen

[BillsOwnAll]

both sides of the ball. The nfl is getting really hard to watch. They were completly clueless out there. Really frustrating out much it effects the game.

[Scumbag College]

This is turning into the WWF...I'm just waiting till Danny Davis comes out with a steel chair and hits Tyrod in the back.

[feldspar]

Make no mistake.

The refs affected the outcome of this game.

This is the absolute worst thing you can say about any game.

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Make no mistake.

The refs affected the outcome of this game.

yea, but our 3 and out offense and stupid mcfumbles played a bigger part

[TacklingDummy]

Make no mistake.

The refs affected the outcome of this game.
Agreed. The Pgs should have won 44-10.

[feldspar]

yea, but our 3 and out offense and stupid mcfumbles played a bigger part

Are you sure about that?

Cuz it's for losers to point at the refs, right? Of course it is. The winners of the game would never have a reason to do that.

[BLeonard]

I won't disagree with the fact that I (again) saw some things, officiating-wise, that I've never seen before and probably will never see again... But, the officials didn't cost the Bills the game.

You can't turn the ball over on punts and expect to win in New England.

You can't, when down by 7, under the 2 minute warning, be lollygagging to the line, eating 20, 30 seconds between snaps.

You can't burn timeouts because you only have 10 defenders on the field.

The Bills didn't play bad, but you have to be near perfect to beat New England in Gillette.

-Bill

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Are you sure about that?

Cuz it's for losers to point at the refs, right? Of course it is. The winners of the game would never have a reason to do that.

first of all, don't ever put me in that category. I have never ever been part of that crowd.

secondly, i agreed with your premise if you read my statement. they did affect the outcome, but i think the d did a good enough job to overcome had the offense showed up and if mcfumbles just stayed on IR

[BillsOwnAll]

the refs were just as bad for the pats, im not saying it was just agaisnt the bills. They were clueless. I used to think the NFL was going to be around forever, but watching games now is just hard, every big play is a flag.

[feldspar]

Agreed. The Pgs should have won 44-10.

Bull****. Is that supposed to be funny, or do you hate the Bills that much?

It started early with Rambo's INT called back over a bad holding call on Corey Graham. He jammed the guy within five yards is what Graham did, and the Pats ended up scoring three instead of the Bills being set up with 1st and 10 already in field gaol range in a scoreless game.

[BLeonard]

It started early with Rambo's INT called back over a bad holding call on Corey Graham. He jammed the guy within five yards is what Graham did, and the Pats ended up scoring three instead of the Bills being set up with 1st and 10 already in field gaol range in a scoreless game.

I originally thought the same thing... But, later in the game, they showed a replay where Graham grabbed Gronkowski's jersey...

I actually had a notepad and made notes of penalties... Tat's how ready I was to blame officiating even before the game started... There's not a lot that I could honestly complain about...

-Bill

[feldspar]

first of all, don't ever put me in that category. I have never ever been part of that crowd.

secondly, i agreed with your premise if you read my statement. they did affect the outcome, but i think the d did a good enough job to overcome had the offense showed up and if mcfumbles just stayed on IR

I didn't really put you in that category, buddy.

I'm sure I wasn't clear about that...

I was just being proactive against those tough guys that were bound to put ME in that category..."crying" about the refs after a loss is for losers they say. And, again, of course it is, as winners don't give a **** what the hell the refs did.

[Thurmal]

The reason that the "inadvertent whistle" was called is because the ref was trying to keep Brady from getting hit. Period. I have watched football my whole life, and a whistle means the ball is dead. In New England, though, it apparently means you get a 20 yard catch plus another 15 yards b/c the other coach walked on the sidelines. Another game orchestrated for NE to win. Don't get me wrong; our offense sucked. But the calls were going against us yet again. How many obvious facemask flags could they pick up?

[feldspar]

I originally thought the same thing... But, later in the game, they showed a replay where Graham grabbed Gronkowski's jersey...

I actually had a notepad and made notes of penalties... Tat's how ready I was to blame officiating even before the game started... There's not a lot that I could honestly complain about...

-Bill

Grabbing a jersey is terribly tricky-tack.

They didn't show the replay after it happened at all, so I rewound it and played it several times. I saw nothing wrong. I've never heard of them the showing a play like that later in the game. I didn't see it. But I watched the play many, many times, and there is no way in hell graham grabbed Gronkowski's jersey, I telling you. From the angle I saw, his progress was not impeded in any way. It was a good play on Graham's part.

When did they show it later in the game?

[BLeonard]

The reason that the "inadvertent whistle" was called is because the ref was trying to keep Brady from getting hit. Period. I have watched football my whole life, and a whistle means the ball is dead. In New England, though, it apparently means you get a 20 yard catch plus another 15 yards b/c the other coach walked on the sidelines.

I won't disagree about this part, but keep in mind, that drive ended with a missed FG, which led to a game tying Bills TD...

I hated the call and thought it was ridiculous, but the Bills didn't lose the game because of it.

-Bill

[BLeonard]

Grabbing a jersey is terribly tricky-tack.

They didn't show the replay after it happened at all, so I rewound it and played it several times. I saw nothing wrong. I've never heard of them the showing a play like that later in the game. I didn't see it. But I watched the play many, many times, and there is no way in hell graham grabbed Gronkowski's jersey, I telling you. It was a good play on. Graham's part.

Not gonna get into a back and forth about it, but later in the game, they did show a replay from another angle... The jersey grab was pretty blatant and I've seen much less called.

Again, this is coming from a guy that had a notepad in hand writing every controversial penalty all game.

-Bill

[PhinsFan66]

These guys should have ONE job....to call NFL games, but unfortunately, most of them have other jobs ....Ed Hochuli was a lawyer, and is now a judge in Phoenix. Shouldn't these guys be full-time refs like in Major League Baseball? Half the time you hear guys like Mike Carey giving his ruling on tv during live games and it is the exact opposite of the ref's ruling.

You cannot even get a good explanation of what is "making a football move," on the Calvin Johnson Rule. And remember the Tom Brady Tuck Rule, which was NEVER called before Brady fumbled the ball in the snow against the Raiders in the AFC Championship. And people wonder if the NFL is fixed. Maybe it's not fixed, but some teams (New England) seem to never get the s*h*i*t end of the stick, like everyone else. Maybe I will just start watching Premiere League soccer where there are not too many rules, but there is a lot of flopping. :shy:

[BLeonard]

When did they show it later in the game?

To be completely honest, I don't recall exactly, but pretty sure it was after the half...

NFLN is supposed to reair the game starting at 1AM (It's 1:10 now here)... I wasn't happy about seeing it, believe me, but being objective, again, I've seen much less called.

-Bill

[cookie G]

Not gonna get into a back and forth about it, but later in the game, they did show a replay from another angle... The jersey grab was pretty blatant and I've seen much less called.

Again, this is coming from a guy that had a notepad in hand writing every controversial penalty all game.

-Bill

I saw it later in the game also. And I thought it was a phantom call at the time too.

But he had the jersey. If you're an OL or a DB in today's NFL, and the jersey is pulled, you're getting called. That's the way it is.

[feldspar]

Not gonna get into a back and forth about it, but later in the game, they did show a replay from another angle... The jersey grab was pretty blatant and I've seen much less called.

Again, this is coming from a guy that had a notepad in hand writing every controversial penalty all game.

-Bill

What did you think about that roughing the kicker non-call at mid-field? It was at least running into the kicker to me. Last time I checked, you can't hit a kicker when he is in mid-air and cause him to land on his back.

That was at mid-field, wasn't it?

[BLeonard]

What did you think about that roughing the kicker non-call at mid-field? It was at least running into the kicker to me. Last time I checked, you can't hit a kicker when he is in mid-air and cause him to land on his back.

That was at mid-field, wasn't it?

I recall it (albeit vaguely)... What I don't recall is a Patriot actually hitting him. I didn't have the game on DVR or anything with any benefit of rewinding, so I can't be sure...

I'm not saying the officiating was stellar... Far from it... What I'm saying is, I didn't see any major call(s) that directly affected the Bills' chances to win the game.

Like I said before, you can't fumble punts, you can't dick around under 2 mins down by a TD, you can't burn timeouts because you can't count to 11.

At the end of the day, the Bills held NE to 20 points in their home stadium, which I believe is their lowest point total of the season... Unfortunately, the Bills couldn't get to 21 points.

-Bill

[feldspar]

The reason that the "inadvertent whistle" was called is because the ref was trying to keep Brady from getting hit. Period. I have watched football my whole life, and a whistle means the ball is dead. In New England, though, it apparently means you get a 20 yard catch plus another 15 yards b/c the other coach walked on the sidelines. Another game orchestrated for NE to win. Don't get me wrong; our offense sucked. But the calls were going against us yet again. How many obvious facemask flags could they pick up?

The thing about that inadvertent whistle is that there is no way Darby wouldn't have made that tackle. He was right there in prime position to make the tackle, but gave up on the play after he heard the whistle. No doubt about it. Then you have to hear the announcers go on and on about how the Patriots got done wrong...they got another 15 yards out of it including the penalty. It was like a 29-yard play altogether, more than half being the penalty.

The whole thing worked to the Patriots advantage, really.

But that whistle fiasco DID NOT stop a TD like how they tried to spin it. I watched the play several times. Darby didn't go for the tackle because of the whistle, again. Period. He more than likely makes the tackle on the spot without the whistle.

And the whistle was blown when the ball was still in the air, without a doubt. How is that still a live ball and called a catch according to the rules? I've NEVER seen anything like that before. The play is dead at at the whistle...that's the rule I thought. I've seen whistles blown too soon before legitimate fumbles happened, and they say "sorry, that was no fumble because we blew the whistle already."

Did they circumvent the rules in favor of the Pats in the name of some on-the-spot fairness this time? Seems like it.

I'll tell you, if you put a whistle in my hand for five years, I don't think there would ever be a time where I blew it accidentally. "Inadvertent whistle" is the PC way of saying "we ****ed up" in the most fundamental way. Could be they didn't want to see Brady get hit there, like you said.

[BLeonard]

The thing about that inadvertent whistle is that there is no way Darby wouldn't have made that tackle. He was right there in prime position to make the tackle, but gave up on the play after he heard the whistle. No doubt about it. Then you have to hear the announcers go on and on about how the Patriots got done wrong...they got another 15 yards out of it including the penalty. It was like a 29-yard play altogether, more than half being the penalty.

But that whistle fiasco DID NOT stop a TD like how they tried to spin it. I watched the play several times. Darby didn't go for the tackle because of the whistle, again. Period. He more than likely makes the tackle on the spot without the whistle.

And the whistle was blown when the ball was still in the air, without a doubt. How is that still a live ball and called a catch according to the rules? I've NEVER seen anything like that before. The play is dead at at the whistle...that's the rule. I've seen whistles blown too soon before legitimate fumbles happened, and they say "sorry, that was no fumble because we blew the whistle already."

Did they circumvent the rules in favor of the Pats in the name of some on-the-spot fairness this time? Seems like it.

I'll tell you, if you put a whistle in my hand for five years, I don't think there would ever be a time where I blew it accidentally. "Inadvertent whistle" is the PC way of saying "we ****ed up" in the most fundamental way. Could be they didn't want to see Brady get hit there, like you said.

No disagreements at all on that one... In fact, the ESPN "Referee Analyst" (or whatever their "official in the booth" is called ) Gerry Austin said that if it's an inadvertent whistle, the play is dead and there can't be a penalty, yet, they flagged the Bills anyway.

In the end, though, the Pats missed the FG on that drive and it led to a Bills TD, so, while a terrible, horrible, ****ty call, in the end, it played no effect in the final result.

But, it's beyond time that the NFL get serious and start hiring full time, 365 day a year officials, instead of these geriatric part-timers that have been around forever.

-Bill

[jills]

Funny, when we get calls going our way I don't see anyone here complaining. Double standard FTW!

[feldspar]

No disagreements at all on that one... In fact, the ESPN "Referee Analyst" (or whatever their "official in the booth" is called ) Gerry Austin said that if it's an inadvertent whistle, the play is dead and there can't be a penalty, yet, they flagged the Bills anyway.

In the end, though, the Pats missed the FG on that drive and it led to a Bills TD, so, while a terrible, horrible, ****ty call, in the end, it played no effect in the final result.

But, it's beyond time that the NFL get serious and start hiring full time, 365 day a year officials, instead of these geriatric part-timers that have been around forever.

-Bill

I can't say whether or not it played a role in the out come just because the Patriots missed the filed goal, because nobody can tell what otherwise would have happened. Time off the clock...flipping field position, etc. this was only a one-score game.

But trust me on the roughing the kicker non-call...I DO have a DVR and watched it several times. I'd call it roughing the kicker when you fly into the kicker's leg when he's in the air and send him landing on his back. You'd have to be a blind ref not to see it. That was HUGE. Pissed me off royally.

But I'm with you...I've been screaming about full-time refs for as long as I can remember. I was screaming about a rookie salary cap until that happened too, albeit more quietly than about the refs. There is only so long the NFL can ignore the 500-pound gorilla in the room. The fans get too upset because this crap happens every week, and they aren't doing all they can to stop the horrible officiating moments.

[feldspar]

Funny, when we get calls going our way I don't see anyone here complaining. Double standard FTW!

What calls that went against the Pats come to mind?

[chernobylwraiths]

That "not on the line" call against Henderson hurt too because they made a first down on the play.

Nobody knows what can happen or how the outcome can change.

But I do feel better about not watching the rest of the game. There is no way I would have gotten to sleep by even 1 if I had to be subject to more crappy calls by the refs.

[sahlensguy]

But the Phoenix / Cincinnati game was glorious to watch. Blame the refs but execution or lack thereof makes it almost unwatchable for me.

[CommissarSpartacus]

I can't believe guys are complaining about the inadvertant whistle play.

If the refs had done that to the Bills, the call would have gone down in infamy as an example of the refs screwing the Bills in favor of the Pats.

[chernobylwraiths]

I can't believe guys are complaining about the inadvertant whistle play.

If the refs had done that to the Bills, the call would have gone down in infamy as an example of the refs screwing the Bills in favor of the Pats.

So, Darby gives up on the play. He almost certainly would have been able to tackle him for minimal more gain. AND they added 15 yards on it as well. Let's rehash:

They screw up by blowing the whistle as the ball is in the air.
They give the Patriots the reception, even though it should have been a replay.
They give them 15 more yards even though nobody saw a flag thrown.

Hell, I would have been much more OK with JUST the flag.

Just stop.

[YardRat]

I'd like to know why we didn't get one more play with two seconds on the clock when Sammy voluntarily went out of bounds on the catch, untouched by a defender.

[Ginger Vitis]

You guys have overlooked the worst decision yesterday.. The obvious facemask on Shady where the flag was thrown and then it was picked up.. Absolute ****ing joke.. And the Patriot defenders were barking at the refs almost like they were telling them that wasn't a penalty and to pick up the flag lol

[Night Train]

It's hard for me to watch any NFL game, outside of the Bills. College football is king.

The NFL Redzone is the only other avenue to the NFL for me, since the refs and commercials cannot be stars.

[gebobs]

The reason that the "inadvertent whistle" was called is because the ref was trying to keep Brady from getting hit. Period.
The reason it was blown was because Brady had been grounding the ball, legally by the rules, all game and the sideline judge, his view blocked by Rex's fat ass, did not see Amendola break inside. It should have been a dead ball spot replay, but the 15-yarder was legit.

[sahlensguy]

The reason it was blown was because Brady had been grounding the ball, legally by the rules, all game and the sideline judge, his view blocked by Rex's fat ass, did not see Amendola break inside. It should have been a dead ball spot replay, but the 15-yarder was legit.

What exactly was Rex doing there on that play? What a buffoon.

[Joe Fo Sho]

The reason it was blown was because Brady had been grounding the ball, legally by the rules, all game and the sideline judge, his view blocked by Rex's fat ass, did not see Amendola break inside. It should have been a dead ball spot replay, but the 15-yarder was legit.

Clearly Rex was in the wrong, but if it's a dead ball spot replay like you say it should have been then there can not be a penalty on either team.

[Joe Fo Sho]

I'd like to know why we didn't get one more play with two seconds on the clock when Sammy voluntarily went out of bounds on the catch, untouched by a defender.

The official statement by the refs was that they ruled that Sammy gave himself up in the field of play, which is not reviewable and absolutely ridiculous. If that's really what the refs thought, then it's clear to me that they do not understand the game of football.

[Lucidvizion]

So, Darby gives up on the play. He almost certainly would have been able to tackle him for minimal more gain. AND they added 15 yards on it as well.

Yeah, it was pretty annoying that the announcers kept saying that would have been a touchdown. Our CB (I thought it was Gilmore) stopped covering when he heard the whistle. He would have been in position to maybe break up the pass, but definitely make the tackle.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Yeah, it was pretty annoying that the announcers kept saying that would have been a touchdown. Our CB (I thought it was Gilmore) stopped covering when he heard the whistle. He would have been in position to maybe break up the pass, but definitely make the tackle.

"Look at how much open field he has to work with when the defense stops moving!"

[gebobs]

Clearly Rex was in the wrong, but if it's a dead ball spot replay like you say it should have been then there can not be a penalty on either team.

I know that's what they said, but I don't see how that follows. Ryan clearly obstructed the referee causing the inadvertent whistle. I've tried to find the text for that rule, but haven't been able to so far.

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah, it was pretty annoying that the announcers kept saying that would have been a touchdown.

Almost as annoying: Nickel Robie.

[Bill Cody]

That was a poorly reffed game for both sides. Bills fans have to be the biggest whiners about refs though, so predictable.

[trapezeus]

This year has been really bad for refs. Every game I've watched I feel like there is zero flow. Too many committees. Too many random calls. At this point just let them play.

As for this game, typical smaller bs calls early like the graham holding, there was a helmet to helmet on woods uncalled. The inadvertent whistle was garbage. There were time Brady grounded the ball inside the pocket. Those are momentum turners. I think the refs were so proud that they didn't call a roughing he passer call that they just let everything else go

it is important to keep a team with almost no starters dominant. It makes no sense. The Cowboys lose romo and they can't win a game without him. The pats lose everyone else and they score 20 points. It isn't right. And it is not because there is one smart coach. It is because they are doing stuff and get breaks that no other team gets.

[CommissarSpartacus]

So, Darby gives up on the play. He almost certainly would have been able to tackle him for minimal more gain. AND they added 15 yards on it as well.

No disagreement here. Amendola had Darby beat, the completion would have been made even if the whistle hadn't been blown, but he had to slow up for the ball and Darby would have been on him before he could move more than three or four yards.

So, spotting the ball at the point of the catch was the fair thing to do.

And, ONCE AGAIN, Rex costs the team 15 yds because he he can't control himself on the sideline. If I remember correctly, he cost the team in the first Pats game too.

[chernobylwraiths]

No disagreement here. Amendola had Darby beat, the completion would have been made even if the whistle hadn't been blown, but he had to slow up for the ball and Darby would have been on him before he could move more than three or four yards.

So, spotting the ball at the point of the catch was the fair thing to do.

And, ONCE AGAIN, Rex costs the team 15 yds because he he can't control himself on the sideline. If I remember correctly, he cost the team in the first Pats game too.

If the whistle blows while the ball is in the air, they are supposed to just replay the play.

Believe me, I am hearing MUCH more than is even on here. I haven't read the whole thing but...
On the TD by the Pats, the refs were extremely quick at spotting the ball so that NE could catch us offsides. BUT, in the last two minute of the GAME, (I didn't watch) I heard the refs actually let time roll off the clock discussing whether Woods made a first down or not and never put that time back on the clock, plus, after a fumble by the Bills, they took their sweet time spotting that ball too. And don't forget the last play of the game where Watkins without being touched fell and pushed himself out of bounds. "He gave himself up" is the most ridiculous argument that can be made. Of COURSE he would just give up on the last play of the game and didn't even try to get out of bounds.

[feldspar]

So, spotting the ball at the point of the catch was the fair thing to do.

Yeah, it was the fair thing to do...but it wasn't the CORRECT thing to do. The play was whistled dead before the ball was caught, and there is zero doubt about that.

I really have no problem with it being called a catch, but there was a circumvention of the rules by the refs to mask their own blunder. How many times have you seen the refs throw away the book in favor of what's fair? In effect, all the refs did was knowingly break a rule to favor one team. On the other hand, maybe they really didn't know where the ball was when the whistle was blown, which wouldn't surprise me either.

The bottom line is that the refs screwed up big-time, and this is what we are left with.

The only thing that bothers me about it is the sentiment that the Patriots were robbed of a 70-yard touchdown because of the inadvertent whistle. Lots of people think that, and it isn't true in all likelihood.

[jimmifli]

And, ONCE AGAIN, Rex costs the team 15 yds because he he can't control himself on the sideline.

Can you imagine Rex trying to talk to Henderson about his two penalties after he himself was flagged for the most undisciplined penalty of the game?

That just kills his credibility.

[Victor7]

I wrote extensively before the game about Steratore. I even posted a video of a game in 2011 in which he directly cost us big time. He didn't disappoint. A miserable referee if I've ever seen one.

Terrible calls all day long. For both sides? For sure but I honestly feel we got more as usual.

And yes we lost because of our own mistakes. I'm not blaming the zebras AT ALL but for ****s sake stop interfering so much. Stop costing teams plays, points and momentum.

[chernobylwraiths]

Has anyone ever seen an official MORE off the field than that guy during that play? I certainly can't recall seeing an official that far out of bounds.

Now, I just read an article which states that that official got run into during a game and broke 9 ribs. The inference, that since the play was coming toward him, he got so scared that he blew the whistle.

[chernobylwraiths]

Why does everyone rush to the "I'm not blaming the officials for this loss" line? Of course the players have to play and make plays, but when the officials make it difficult by not applying the rules equally to both teams and make egregious errors, then what can you do. You think we as fans are frustrated when this happens, how frustrated do you think the players are? And they are supposed to just put it behind them. Hey, they are human after all and they want to win a lot more than you or I do.

[gebobs]

There were time Brady grounded the ball inside the pocket.
I don't agree. The one time he tossed it away in the pocket that I know of and it was right at the running back's feet.

[Victor7]

Pats td run should not have counted either

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NFL officials also really blew James White's touchdown, in multiple ways <a href="https://t.co/ZaUpEh9wbf">https://t.co/ZaUpEh9wbf</a> <a href="https://t.co/g9z81wAgEC">pic.twitter.com/g9z81wAgEC</a></p>&mdash; Ben Volin (@BenVolin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/669189888516968448">November 24, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Read it and weep. Yet another error from Mr. Sterastupid.

[Jaydog57]

Y'all got robbed in that game. Total b.s. They need to change the name to the B.B.F.L. The Belichick & Brady Football League. That is all. :peace:

[gebobs]

Why does everyone rush to the "I'm not blaming the officials for this loss" line? Of course the players have to play and make plays, but when the officials make it difficult by not applying the rules equally to both teams and make egregious errors, then what can you do.
The refs sucked. Were they impartially suckful? No. Could the game gone Buffalo's way if they were in Buffalo's favor? Undoubtedly. The fact remains, the Bills sucked totally.


You think we as fans are frustrated when this happens, how frustrated do you think the players are?
If the players aren't doing some critical self-examination, they need to. That game is over and there are two all-important games coming up. Lose either and the season is on life support. Lose both and it's ready for Dr. Kevorkian. Fine for us fans, but focusing on the officiating last night is exactly what they should not do.

Yes, the refs sucked and we can ***** and moan about it all day. But there were just too many mistakes, not enough balling, not enough urgency to even think about laying a disputed claim to that game.

The Bills better tighten up and but good. Alex Smith is no Brady, but he's no slouch either. Their whole team has kicked into high gear while the Bills have followed an inconsistent game with a downright awful one. And Houston...don't look now but they have won 4 of 5.

So go ahead and moan about the refs. The next few weeks will tell, but it's hard to think these guys are playoff caliber.

[feldspar]

Has anyone ever seen an official MORE off the field than that guy during that play? I certainly can't recall seeing an official that far out of bounds.

This is an excellent point.

The Line Judge was ON the Bills' sideline, a good yard away from the white chalk. That may be the largest contribution to the problem on that play. I don't really think that he belonged where he was in the first place. Am I wrong?

And Rex never blocked that ref's view of Brady throwing that ball while still in the field of play at all...not at all. The guy just decided to blow the whistle for his own reasons.

[gebobs]

Pats td run should not have counted either
Jesus...really? You're going to make a call from a bleacher camera? Good grief. Yeah...we got jobbed because Chandler might have had a heel on the green a microsecond before Brady got the snap while the Bills player was sprinting in the middle of the field 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. LOL

But yeah...totally should have called that. I'm sure the Bills would have stooped Brady with 1st and goal at the 6.

There were some bad calls. Not this.

[chernobylwraiths]

So go ahead and moan about the refs. The next few weeks will tell, but it's hard to think these guys are playoff caliber.

Actually, that is a playoff caliber defense. They made Brady look average. Brady is just damned good, and an average QB against that defense will look much worse. Taylor has to learn to anticipate more.

[chernobylwraiths]

Jesus...really? You're going to make a call from a bleacher camera? Good grief. Yeah...we got jobbed because Chandler might have had a heel on the green a microsecond before Brady got the snap while the Bills player was sprinting in the middle of the field 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. LOL

But yeah...totally should have called that. I'm sure the Bills would have stooped Brady with 1st and goal at the 6.

There were some bad calls. Not this.

Actually, I believe Mike Carey made that call saying they should have given the Bills sufficient time to prepare. It's on ESPN I believe.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Jesus...really? You're going to make a call from a bleacher camera? Good grief. Yeah...we got jobbed because Chandler might have had a heel on the green a microsecond before Brady got the snap while the Bills player was sprinting in the middle of the field 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. LOL

But yeah...totally should have called that. I'm sure the Bills would have stooped Brady with 1st and goal at the 6.

There were some bad calls. Not this.

I think they're saying it's a substitution issue. I didn't read the article, but if the offense substitutes they need to give sufficient time for the defense to do the same thing. When Chandler ran onto the field, it was kind of like a fake substitution which caused us to be offsides. I don't think that's fair, especially because this substitution rule is relatively new and recently has been a point of emphasis.

I was screaming this at the TV, but again they didn't hear me.

[gebobs]

This is an excellent point.

The Line Judge was ON the Bills' sideline, a good yard away from the white chalk. That may be the largest contribution to the problem on that play. I don't really think that he belonged where he was in the first place. Am I wrong?
There is no restriction placed on officials. If they stray too far off field to avoid being run over by players, that's up to them. If their view is obscured, as a result, by the team on the sideline, that's too bad. If however, someone is in the white, that's field encroachment.


And Rex never blocked that ref's view of Brady throwing that ball while still in the field of play at all...not at all. The guy just decided to blow the whistle for his own reasons.

http://s5.postimg.org/opckay3mf/Capture.jpg

The SJ is on the far right. Amendola is making his move on top. In between there is Ryan looking to make a tackle or something.

[gebobs]

I think they're saying it's a substitution issue. I didn't read the article, but if the offense substitutes they need to give sufficient time for the defense to do the same thing. When Chandler ran onto the field, it was kind of like a fake substitution which caused us to be offsides. I don't think that's fair, especially because this substitution rule is relatively new and recently has been a point of emphasis.

I was screaming this at the TV, but again they didn't hear me.
Ah...ok. More cheater crap. Always gotta be one step ahead of Belichick. Or at least not two behind.

Still, and this is no consolation I'm sure, but I'd bet dollars to dinars they would have scored anyway.

[Victor7]

Jesus...really? You're going to make a call from a bleacher camera? Good grief. Yeah...we got jobbed because Chandler might have had a heel on the green a microsecond before Brady got the snap while the Bills player was sprinting in the middle of the field 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. LOL

But yeah...totally should have called that. I'm sure the Bills would have stooped Brady with 1st and goal at the 6.

There were some bad calls. Not this.

You didn't read the link did ya??

It has nothing to do with Chandler being in bounds or not.

Try again bro.

- - - Updated - - -


Actually, I believe Mike Carey made that call saying they should have given the Bills sufficient time to prepare. It's on ESPN I believe.

Exactly.

[Mr. Pink]

The reason that the "inadvertent whistle" was called is because the ref was trying to keep Brady from getting hit. Period. I have watched football my whole life, and a whistle means the ball is dead. In New England, though, it apparently means you get a 20 yard catch plus another 15 yards b/c the other coach walked on the sidelines. Another game orchestrated for NE to win. Don't get me wrong; our offense sucked. But the calls were going against us yet again. How many obvious facemask flags could they pick up?

This is my favorite call people have *****ed about.

Game orchestrated for NE to win? That inadvertent whistle stopped the Pats from scoring what would have been an easy TD. That whistle actually helped the Bills, not hurt them. Plus, the Pats didn't score on that drive, missed a long FG, gave Buffalo good field position which they actually cashed in on.

The refs did nothing to orchestrate a victory for either team and were just terrible all around last night.

[Mr. Pink]

Pats td run should not have counted either

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NFL officials also really blew James White's touchdown, in multiple ways <a href="https://t.co/ZaUpEh9wbf">https://t.co/ZaUpEh9wbf</a> <a href="https://t.co/g9z81wAgEC">pic.twitter.com/g9z81wAgEC</a></p>— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/669189888516968448">November 24, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Read it and weep. Yet another error from Mr. Sterastupid.

Chandler was on the sideline when the Pats snapped the ball.

[Typ0]

I thought it was refreshing to see the PATS get some really lame calls from the REFs. The lousy officiating was equal to both teams last night and cancelled itself out for a change.

[gebobs]

You didn't read the link did ya??

It has nothing to do with Chandler being in bounds or not.

Try again bro.


Didn't read my post above this did you?

Try again, bro.

They would have scored anyway.

Try again, Bills.

[Mike]

The Refs were Simply AWEFUL

They cost BOTH Teams opportunities and did NOT call the game right.
A league like the NFL should have much better refs, where games are impacted by blown calls yet week after week this is exactly what is happening.

This isn't about who would have won, who got screwed more, Etc

This is about the Integrity of the Game

[Victor7]

Chandler was on the sideline when the Pats snapped the ball.

Another guy that didn't read the link.

[Victor7]

Didn't read my post above this did you?

Try again, bro.

They would have scored anyway.

Try again, Bills.

No I didn't. I hadn't refreshed my screen. Kinda different from flat out ignoring a link talking about something other than what you said.

You were wrong, just admit it and move on.

[stuckincincy]

I originally thought the same thing... But, later in the game, they showed a replay where Graham grabbed Gronkowski's jersey...

I actually had a notepad and made notes of penalties... Tat's how ready I was to blame officiating even before the game started... There's not a lot that I could honestly complain about...

-Bill

Agreed. The BUF defenders did a lot of hand checks that might have been flagged.

There are 2 moments that stand out, to me: That insane BUF db blitz and the end of the 1st half, and the coaching and players and upstairs booth staff not seeing what millions of tv viewers saw...NE rushing to the LOS and thereby successfully catching BUF flatfooted for the go-ahead score.

They shot their own foot.

[gebobs]

No I didn't. I hadn't refreshed my screen. Kinda different from flat out ignoring a link talking about something other than what you said.

You were wrong, just admit it and move on.

We're all a bit testy today.

You want my admission that I was wrong even after I already did so? Fine. You were right. Way to go.

[chernobylwraiths]

Didn't read my post above this did you?

Try again, bro.

They would have scored anyway.

Try again, Bills.

Historically, you seem to be correct. But in a game where NE only scored 20 points, you can't say that.

And to the idiot who claims that NE scores a TD on the "inadvertent whistle" play, ESPN covered that too. In all likelihood, Darby tackles him right there and maybe 15 yards down the field at worst. At best, Darby hits him as he catches the ball and knocks it loose. Wait, they probably get flagged for defenseless receiver or something if that happens.

[Victor7]

We're all a bit testy today.

You want my admission that I was wrong even after I already did so? Fine. You were right. Way to go.

Indeed we are. No worries my friend. Damn Bills

[Mr. Pink]

Another guy that didn't read the link.

I did, and the link mentions Hughes...

Hughes wasn't being substituted in. He was in the on the play before, he was just slow as molasses getting to the LOS. Only about 20 yards short.

[sahlensguy]

I did, and the link mentions Hughes...

Hughes wasn't being substituted in. He was in the on the play before, he was just slow as molasses getting to the LOS. Only about 20 yards short.

Hughes was to busy gloating about how he coveted Gronk down the sideline, two plays earlier.

[Mr. Pink]

Historically, you seem to be correct. But in a game where NE only scored 20 points, you can't say that.

And to the idiot who claims that NE scores a TD on the "inadvertent whistle" play, ESPN covered that too. In all likelihood, Darby tackles him right there and maybe 15 yards down the field at worst. At best, Darby hits him as he catches the ball and knocks it loose. Wait, they probably get flagged for defenseless receiver or something if that happens.

Amendola was running up field, Darby was going sideways. And with how good the Bills tackled last night, you think he makes that tackle? If Darby even touches Amendola for that matter.

There is only other Bills player down field and he's getting blocked.

Amendola, without a doubt, scores.

The inadvertent whistle took a full 7 points off the board for the Pats, the drive ended on a long missed field goal and gave the Bills good field position that they capitalized for the only TD of the game.

Funny, or sad part, is if that's Watkins catching the ball with Butler in the same position, every Bills fan on this board blows up about how it cost the Bills 7 points and it's just another reason why the league is conspiring against them.

[stuckincincy]

Amendola was running up field, Darby was going sideways. And with how good the Bills tackled last night, you think he makes that tackle? If Darby even touches Amendola for that matter.

There is only other Bills player down field and he's getting blocked.

Amendola, without a doubt, scores.

The inadvertent whistle took a full 7 points off the board for the Pats, the drive ended on a long missed field goal and gave the Bills good field position that they capitalized for the only TD of the game.

Funny, or sad part, is if that's Watkins catching the ball with Butler in the same position, every Bills fan on this board blows up about how it cost the Bills 7 points and it's just another reason why the league is conspiring against them.

I'll give Brady and his wrs credit. When he had a successful strike, the ball was often placed on moving receivers just above and over the shoulder. And several times, they scooped up in-stride low passes.

The BUF db corps played lights-out most of the game - Brady tossed the ball to the turf often, instead of risking a pick.

This could be a coming trend. CIN's Dalton has pretty much done same throughout the season.

[Mike]

I did, and the link mentions Hughes...

Hughes wasn't being substituted in. He was in the on the play before, he was just slow as molasses getting to the LOS. Only about 20 yards short.

The substitution/lack of one was a moot point. Simply because NE gave the appearance of a substation the Ref should have stood over the ball and let the Bills Set (this rule 504a). Secondly, the Ball was stopped when Highes was in NE backfield this is a Dead Spot Foul and automatic penalty on Bills. The play should have been blown dead.

NE was still the better team and rightfully won the game. The Bills could have won had they played with more discipline and really took advantage of their shots.

What Really stood out for everyone to see is how Piss Poor NFL officiating has been. Fortunelly this might be the straw that broke the camel's back. Officiating will be improved in offseason.

[Famous Amos]

This year has been really bad for refs. Every game I've watched I feel like there is zero flow. Too many committees. Too many random calls. At this point just let them play.

As for this game, typical smaller bs calls early like the graham holding, there was a helmet to helmet on woods uncalled. The inadvertent whistle was garbage. There were time Brady grounded the ball inside the pocket. Those are momentum turners. I think the refs were so proud that they didn't call a roughing he passer call that they just let everything else go

it is important to keep a team with almost no starters dominant. It makes no sense. The Cowboys lose romo and they can't win a game without him. The pats lose everyone else and they score 20 points. It isn't right. And it is not because there is one smart coach. It is because they are doing stuff and get breaks that no other team gets.

It was tough to watch, every big play gets reviewed butTV picks and chooses when they want to show a replay. There are some penalties that never get showed in review so viewers are left wondering how that happened. They referee conferences are ridiculous. These guys are under so much pressure they are afraid to call penalties or they just call anything if it's close.


Oh and ESPN can go **** the selves for showing commercials at every opportunity.

[Mike]

I think it would be wonderfully entertaining is a team like the Pats Lost the SB because of piss poor officiating after going undefeated in the regular season. Now that would be a Comedy.

[Mr. Pink]

The substitution/lack of one was a moot point. Simply because NE gave the appearance of a substation the Ref should have stood over the ball and let the Bills Set (this rule 504a). Secondly, the Ball was stopped when Highes was in NE backfield this is a Dead Spot Foul and automatic penalty on Bills. The play should have been blown dead.

NE was still the better team and rightfully won the game. The Bills could have won had they played with more discipline and really took advantage of their shots.

What Really stood out for everyone to see is how Piss Poor NFL officiating has been. Fortunelly this might be the straw that broke the camel's back. Officiating will be improved in offseason.

Offsides isn't a dead ball foul. It's a referee discretion call on if the guy who is offsides can get a free shot at the QB or it forces an offensive lineman to flinch.

No one on New Englands line moved, and Hughes was about 20 yards away :rofl:

[trapezeus]

I don't agree. The one time he tossed it away in the pocket that I know of and it was right at the running back's feet.

The third down before their first fg. From pocket he sailed in about two yards short of the first row. St Brady can do as he pleases.

[gebobs]

The third down before their first fg

...was a short pass to Amendola. McKelvin stopped him short.


From pocket he sailed in about two yards short of the first row.

I don't understand what that means.


St Brady can do as he pleases.

It's infuriating, but he's one of those guys that the game is slow motion for. He was 20/39 and probably a dozen of those incompletions were deliberate. All I know is I was screaming grounding on a few of them and then I would see Gronkowski or Amendola with the ball at their feet. I didn't see any that were definitively a penalty, but maybe I missed it. I had the Bills on the iPad and the Sabres on my phone.

[Victor7]

I did, and the link mentions Hughes...

Hughes wasn't being substituted in. He was in the on the play before, he was just slow as molasses getting to the LOS. Only about 20 yards short.

Doesn't matter if Hughes was being subbed in or not. When Chandler went on to the field that counts as a sub and the defense is allowed time before the snap. Even if they don't sub players in.

It was another mistake.

[yordad]

The tthat inadvertent whistle is that there is no way Darby wouldn't have made that tackle. He was right there in prime position to make the tackle, but gave up on the play after he heard the whistle. No doubt about it. Then you have to hear the announcers go on and on about how the Patriots got done wrong...they got another 15 yards out of it including the penalty. It was like a 29-yard play altogether, more than half being the penalty.

The whole thing worked to the Patriots advantage, really.

But that whistle fiasco DID NOT stop a TD like how they tried to spin it. I watched the play several times. Darby didn't go for the tackle because of the whistle, again. Period. He more than likely makes the tackle on the spot without the whistle.

And the whistle was blown when the ball was still in the air, without a doubt. How is that still a live ball and called a catch according to the rules? I've NEVER seen anything like that before. The play is dead at at the whistle...that's the rule I thought. I've seen whistles blown too soon before legitimate fumbles happened, and they say "sorry, that was no fumble because we blew the whistle already."

Did they circumvent the rules in favor of the Pats in the name of some on-the-spot fairness this time? Seems like it.

I'll tell you, if you put a whistle in my hand for five years, I don't think there would ever be a time where I blew it accidentally. "Inadvertent whistle" is the PC way of saying "we ****ed up" in the most fundamental way. Could be they didn't want to see Brady get hit there, like you said.

I 100% guerentee you have an inadvertent whistle at least once in your first 5 years of officiating.

[Skooby]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/11/25/nfl-admits-sammy-watkins-got-out-of-bounds-with-two-seconds-left/

[Skooby]

Doesn't matter if Hughes was being subbed in or not. When Chandler went on to the field that counts as a sub and the defense is allowed time before the snap. Even if they don't sub players in.

It was another mistake.

Yes, the defense has to be allowed time to adjust based on what the offense does. The Bills should run people of and on the field to try and catch the defense off-guard. Another brilliant scheme by NE, it'll be call the sub-rule (there's already a rule).

[Skooby]

The Refs watched NE's safeties / corners never look back for passes while running into the Bills WR. They only called one penalty (P. Interference) for that event on NE & that one wasn't near a scoring play.

What a complete joke.

[chernobylwraiths]

Probably should look to see how often they do it, but NFL rules state that a substitution isn't a substitution if the player hasn't crossed the numbers, which Chandler didn't. Could this be another case of New England "not really breaking the rules" but screwing around with the spirit of the rule?

[pmoon6]

Bull****. Is that supposed to be funny, or do you hate the Bills that much?

It started early with Rambo's INT called back over a bad holding call on Corey Graham. He jammed the guy within five yards is what Graham did, and the Pats ended up scoring three instead of the Bills being set up with 1st and 10 already in field gaol range in a scoreless game.He hates the Bills that much.