Officiating Has Never Been Better

[Woodman]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/02/08/roger-goodell-officiating-has-never-been-better-but-will-never-be-perfect/

“When you look at officiating, I don’t think it’s ever been better in the league,” Goodell said. “There are over 42,000 plays in a season and multiple infractions could occur on any play. Take that out, extrapolate that. That’s hundreds, if not millions, of potential fouls. Our officials do an extraordinary job of getting those. Are there mistakes in the context of that? Yes. They are not perfect and officiating never will (be perfect).”

Goodell said that the league hears criticism of officials, but wants to “look at the facts” when it comes to the quality of officiating of the league and that the league will continue to work to get better by holding officials to a high standard.

[Novacane]

he's an idiot.

[kgun12]

he's an idiot.

Wait an expert says the officials have never been better so we have to believe him, right?

[Woodman]

he's an idiot.

Of course he's an idiot ..... it's what he does best.

[YardRat]

He needs to go.

[Woodman]

He needs to go.

Like Hoffa :D :idunno:

[OpIv37]

Ok, he wants to look at the facts.... where are his "facts" that the officiating has never been better?

[DraftBoy]

Watching the Bills game this year, I actually agree with him. Much more leeway with not calling PI which is a huge blessing. Less holding calls on the OL which is nice.

The only issue I see is the roughing the passer fouls.

It appears as though the refs were instructed to let the players actually play more and I think that was reflected this year.

[OpIv37]

Watching the Bills game this year, I actually agree with him. Much more leeway with not calling PI which is a huge blessing. Less holding calls on the OL which is nice.

The only issue I see is the roughing the passer fouls.

It appears as though the refs were instructed to let the players actually play more and I think that was reflected this year.

I would agree with you that they let them play more but disagree that the officiating was better. There were several games where I thought the officiating was all around terrible- not biased against the Bills but just bad for both teams.

Of course, we could argue all day and we won't get anywhere because neither of us really have any facts or evidence to back it up- we're just stating what our opinion of the officiating was when we were watching the games.

Also, I don't know about you but I rarely watch full games when the Bills aren't playing. I'll flip around the Sunday afternoon games, and for night games, I'll check in while I'm watching something else, and if it's a close game I'll watch the end. The point is that I only watched a tiny fraction of all the football that was played in 2022. So, the officiating in the football that I watched may not be representative of the overall officiating.

[DraftBoy]

I would agree with you that they let them play more but disagree that the officiating was better. There were several games where I thought the officiating was all around terrible- not biased against the Bills but just bad for both teams.

Of course, we could argue all day and we won't get anywhere because neither of us really have any facts or evidence to back it up- we're just stating what our opinion of the officiating was when we were watching the games.

Also, I don't know about you but I rarely watch full games when the Bills aren't playing. I'll flip around the Sunday afternoon games, and for night games, I'll check in while I'm watching something else, and if it's a close game I'll watch the end. The point is that I only watched a tiny fraction of all the football that was played in 2022. So, the officiating in the football that I watched may not be representative of the overall officiating.

I barely watch the Bills games as is, so no I don’t watch any other NFL football.

[TacklingDummy]

Seeing how atrocious some of the bull**** calls and non-calls went in the Bills games. I could only imagine all the bull**** calls or missed calls in all the other games.

[kgun12]

Just rewatch the AFC Championship game, the Bengals were called for everything, the Chiefs not nearly as much. I seen some ticky tacky holding calls on one team especially after a big play, and in the same game a d-lineman get assaulted by the other team and nothing called.

[notacon]

NFL officiating is an extremely difficult and almost impossible job.

What I have seen over the years (60 years of watching football) is that the officials are amazing in their ability to call the overwhelming majority of plays extremely accurately....in real time....in the fast moving world of the NFL.

With the benefit of replay after replay after replay, from every angle and slowed down and enhanced (which the officials do not have when they make their calls)....all of those tools we (as fans) have STILL show them to get the calls right an overwhelming percentage of times.


With that said, they are still bound by the rules as written and video replay system can stand some improvement.

[Mace]

The blatantly terrible calls have degraded from a couple or few a season to at least 2 or 3 weekly during my lifetime, watching football seriously for 52 years. Game altering calls or not even competent calls. It needs to be addressed with empowered replay officials not trying to coddle bumbling crews on the field, imho, and Goodell needs to acknowledge it. I won't say he doesn't recognize it because it's ridiculous if he's paying any attention.

[Night Train]

“When you look at officiating, I don’t think it’s ever been better in the league,” Goodell said.




Owners pay him 48 Mil a year to say that with a straight face.

[Typ0]

I think having the folks analyzing the replays able to chime in and make an attempt to get a blown call right makes the officiating better than it's ever been. At least they are getting some things corrected even if it's not perfect ... and it's fluid now the whole implementation of replay has really struggled at times.

[Novacane]

“When you look at officiating, I don’t think it’s ever been better in the league,” Goodell said.




Owners pay him 48 Mil a year to say that with a straight face.



I don't know. Some of them have to get pissed watching their teams get effed over by these clowns. I think it's just him. He thinks fans are stupid. What we can see with our own eyes isn't happening.

[kgun12]

I don't know. Some of them have to get pissed watching their teams get effed over by these clowns. I think it's just him. He thinks fans are stupid. What we can see with our own eyes isn't happening.

They do get pissed as do players, problem is if they say anything they get fined. Today on first take one of the talking heads asked Higgins what he thought about the officiating in the AFC Championship. Before he could say anything Steven A. said don’t answer that, keep your money!

[Novacane]

I barely watch the Bills games as is, so no I don’t watch any other NFL football.



You barely watch any NFL football but think the refs are doing a great job?




Watching the Bills game this year, I actually agree with him. Much more leeway with not calling PI which is a huge blessing. Less holding calls on the OL which is nice.

The only issue I see is the roughing the passer fouls.

It appears as though the refs were instructed to let the players actually play more and I think that was reflected this year.


Ignoring blatant holds that prevent sacks is not a good thing. Especially when they turn around and wipe out big plays with holds that did not affect the play at all. The inconsistency is bad. You need to see a lager sample size.

[kgun12]

You barely watch any NFL football but think the refs are doing a great job?






Ignoring blatant holds that prevent sacks is not a good thing. Especially when they turn around and wipe out big plays with holds that did not affect the play at all. The inconsistency is bad. You need to see a lager sample size.

I was going to ask the same thing!

[DraftBoy]

You barely watch any NFL football but think the refs are doing a great job?






Ignoring blatant holds that prevent sacks is not a good thing. Especially when they turn around and wipe out big plays with holds that did not affect the play at all. The inconsistency is bad. You need to see a lager sample size.

I believe the refs should be involved as little as possible and let the players play the game outside of blatant cheating. I saw more of that this year than in any other past season and it was quite enjoyable.

I don’t care for or participate in the part of fandom where people get upset about perceived slights by officials to begin with. Missed calls and bad calls happen, it’s not a big deal. Play better and they don’t matter.

[YardRat]

I believe the refs should be involved as little as possible and let the players play the game outside of blatant cheating. I saw more of that this year than in any other past season and it was quite enjoyable.

I don’t care for or participate in the part of fandom where people get upset about perceived slights by officials to begin with. Missed calls and bad calls happen, it’s not a big deal. Play better and they don’t matter.

That's not necessarily true. Part of the problem with officiating is calling penalties when there isn't one. You can't play better than 'not committing a penalty' and when one is called regardless it matters.

[DraftBoy]

That's not necessarily true. Part of the problem with officiating is calling penalties when there isn't one. You can't play better than 'not committing a penalty' and when one is called regardless it matters.

Yes it is. Even in the scenario you describe there are dozens of opportunities throughout the game where playing better negates a singular call or a host of calls. RB’s miss holes, LB’s miss tackles, QB’s throw picks any of of those things going the opposite way can easily overcome a penalty real or imagined.

[TacklingDummy]

"Play better" what a dumb argument.

I'll leave this here.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Possibly the worst pass interference no call in the history of western civilization <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saints?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saints</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rams?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rams</a> <a href="https://t.co/SU0MXwHOWs">pic.twitter.com/SU0MXwHOWs</a></p>&mdash; 🚫 No Baseball Podcast (@nobaseballpod) <a href="https://twitter.com/nobaseballpod/status/1087122992037916677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[YardRat]

Yes it is. Even in the scenario you describe there are dozens of opportunities throughout the game where playing better negates a singular call or a host of calls. RB’s miss holes, LB’s miss tackles, QB’s throw picks any of of those things going the opposite way can easily overcome a penalty real or imagined.

Teams shouldn't have to overcome poor officiating. That's the bottom line.

[DraftBoy]

Teams shouldn't have to overcome poor officiating. That's the bottom line.

That's never been true in any sport that involves officiating so its far from a bottom line.

[DraftBoy]

"Play better" what a dumb argument.

I'll leave this here.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Possibly the worst pass interference no call in the history of western civilization <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saints?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saints</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rams?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rams</a> <a href="https://t.co/SU0MXwHOWs">pic.twitter.com/SU0MXwHOWs</a></p>— �� No Baseball Podcast (@nobaseballpod) <a href="https://twitter.com/nobaseballpod/status/1087122992037916677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Was that game free of all over turnovers? Did either offense stall out on a drive and was either shut out or had to settle for 3 as opposed to 7?

Feel free to answer at any time.

[TacklingDummy]

Then we have teams that are not playing the game in which there was poor officiating paying the consequences.

Rams-Seahawks refs under heavy scrutiny: ‘Worst officiated game of the year’

Often criticized by fans, NFL referees are now apparently under scrutiny from their bosses for missing multiple critical calls.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, multiple NFL execs and coaches are calling for wholesale changes to how referees are trained. The league’s competition committee is “aware” of what one source described to ESPN “as the worst officiated game of the year.”

The game in question ended up putting the Seahawks in the playoffs after their 19-16 victory over the Rams and eliminated the Lions, who needed Seattle to lose and then to beat the Packers on “Sunday Night Football,” which they did.

“The Lions should be livid,” an unnamed source said, per the report. “It was an awful way for them to end their season.”

But the Lions should have played better.

[TacklingDummy]

Andrews makes the tackle if not blocked in the back and pushed to the ground. Even the defender knew he screwed up with the raised hands jester.

Terrible non-call effecting the Ravens and Bills playoff games.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">block in the back on mark andrews during the bengals 98 yard fumble return. <a href="https://t.co/m6NMvP1Ese">pic.twitter.com/m6NMvP1Ese</a></p>&mdash; ActionJackson (@8ctionJackson) <a href="https://twitter.com/8ctionJackson/status/1620301476752130049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Woodman]

Andrews makes the tackle if not blocked in the back and pushed to the ground. Even the defender knew he screwed up with the raised hands jester.

Terrible non-call effecting the Ravens and Bills playoff games.


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I still don't understand how that could be missed unless __________ .<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.2b2d73daf636805223fb11d48f3e94f7.html?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.billszone.com" title="Twitter settings iframe" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;" title="Twitter analytics iframe"></iframe>

[Historian]

NFL officiating is an extremely difficult and almost impossible job.

What I have seen over the years (60 years of watching football) is that the officials are amazing in their ability to call the overwhelming majority of plays extremely accurately....in real time....in the fast moving world of the NFL.


They used to be great....the Markbriets, the Seimens, the Dreiths.

You never saw a mistake on the field.

These days, these guys don't even know what constitutes a catch.

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.jBjBz4vwm_Gh3OEtKzc32QAAAA&w=160&h=160&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&pid=3.1&rm=2https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.a5fz_1aPc10v_SHFABeQYgAAAA&w=159&h=185&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&pid=3.1&rm=2

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[Novacane]

Yes it is. Even in the scenario you describe there are dozens of opportunities throughout the game where playing better negates a singular call or a host of calls. RB’s miss holes, LB’s miss tackles, QB’s throw picks any of of those things going the opposite way can easily overcome a penalty real or imagined.

This take is such bull crap. If an official makes a bad call that changes the outcome of a game he made a call that changed the outcome of the game. Period. If screwed team would have done this or this or this it wouldn't have mattered is such a bull **** take. While it may be true it's still true if the official had done his damn job those plays that didn't happen wouldn't have mattered.

[Novacane]

Andrews makes the tackle if not blocked in the back and pushed to the ground. Even the defender knew he screwed up with the raised hands jester.

Terrible non-call effecting the Ravens and Bills playoff games.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">block in the back on mark andrews during the bengals 98 yard fumble return. <a href="https://t.co/m6NMvP1Ese">pic.twitter.com/m6NMvP1Ese</a></p>— ActionJackson (@8ctionJackson) <a href="https://twitter.com/8ctionJackson/status/1620301476752130049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

One of his team mates should have tackled him earlier!!! Or they shouldn't have fumbled the snap! This uncalled illegal block that kept him from making the tackle wouldn't have mattered. Utter ****ing nonsense. This poster takes the dumb side of every debate just for the sake of doing it. Reminds me of my son when he was a teen. If I say it's green he'd say it's blue. If I say lets get pizza he'd say lets get burgers. Nonsense!

[notacon]

I think having the folks analyzing the replays able to chime in and make an attempt to get a blown call right makes the officiating better than it's ever been. At least they are getting some things corrected even if it's not perfect ... and it's fluid now the whole implementation of replay has really struggled at times.
Officiating is never going to be “perfect”. It’s still amazing that the instances of blown calls are relatively few.

A big plus was giving NY crews, watching replays, the power to intervene in a play. Same with the fact that every scoring and turnover is video reviewed.

Yes, there is always going to be bad calls. That’s part of the game. And it’s always been an issue when video replay challenges started that seeing infractions that were not originally called is not allowed to be added after the fact. You can't call a penalty because of video replay.

Maybe they can figure out a way to call penalties after the fact via replay, but I don’t see how it can be done with any kind of consistency.

Replays are also used in analyzing every official call (and missed calls) for every game, and is used to grade officials and correct errors. Just like film is used for players and coaches.

All-in-all, NFL officiating is pretty damn good considering all the challenges.

[Mace]

I get the sense a view of the officiating is directly proportional to how much football you actually watch or follow. I watch or follow admittedly way too much of it beyond just the Bills, and I find the officiating to be declining noticeably and steadily. I might despise a team and want them to lose, but it won't stop me from "Wha.....wth......wtf....." reactions over obvious mistakes.

Imho, it goes beyond whether it affects the game results, even if a team wins against bad calls, the bad calls stand out like sore thumbs and drag down the quality of the product.

There's no real excuse for the NFL not to find ways to improve their process. They need to stop comforting bad officiating and weed it out instead.

[DraftBoy]

This take is such bull crap. If an official makes a bad call that changes the outcome of a game he made a call that changed the outcome of the game. Period. If screwed team would have done this or this or this it wouldn't have mattered is such a bull **** take. While it may be true it's still true if the official had done his damn job those plays that didn't happen wouldn't have mattered.

It’s not bull****. Rarely does a game ever come down to one play or call. It’s just what it is.

[Mace]

It’s not bull****. Rarely does a game ever come down to one play or call. It’s just what it is.

That's hard to quantify, same as momentum is. The point is that "incorrect" should not be accepted. Sure it will always happen in some form, but they should be working to limit it more, instead of brushing it off with inadequate coddling of the officials when it does happen. There are ways they can address the problems with egregious poor calls, and it shouldn't fall on the players playing to overcome one more obstacle when they already have many even in playing the sport at a professional level for our benefit.

If the league wants to be "all that", it should work towards doing so with professional officials accountable to someone in authority focused on review in the game. It's not like the NFL can't afford it, and it's not like the officials will get better at their jobs with someone making excuses for them.

[DraftBoy]

That's hard to quantify, same as momentum is. The point is that "incorrect" should not be accepted. Sure it will always happen in some form, but they should be working to limit it more, instead of brushing it off with inadequate coddling of the officials when it does happen. There are ways they can address the problems with egregious poor calls, and it shouldn't fall on the players playing to overcome one more obstacle when they already have many even in playing the sport at a professional level for our benefit.

If the league wants to be "all that", it should work towards doing so with professional officials accountable to someone in authority focused on review in the game. It's not like the NFL can't afford it, and it's not like the officials will get better at their jobs with someone making excuses for them.

Agreed, which is why I think every season that doesn’t end in a title is a failure. Unfortunately few people agree with that.

[Mace]

Agreed, which is why I think every season that doesn’t end in a title is a failure. Unfortunately few people agree with that.

No argument from me. Back to what you said, it is what it is.

[DraftBoy]

No argument from me. Back to what you said, it is what it is.

Agreed.

[Woodman]

The goal should be to improve.

[Typ0]

That is exactly what he said. They are always working to improve and the officiating is better than ever because of that effort. The problem with the officials is their value and culture open the whole game up to their bias. If they would make some attempt to deal with that we might start to see some much better officiated games.

[Historian]

The goal should be to improve.

Which means stop sending out the geriatrics...

[Woodman]

Which means stop sending out the geriatrics...

From a chronological viewpoint, medical treatment of the elderly (geriatrics) starts from the age of 65 years old.

How many we got left?

[Woodman]

The problem with the officials is their value and culture open the whole game up to their bias. If they would make some attempt to deal with that we might start to see some much better officiated games.

:cheers: Will we ever get there?

[TacklingDummy]

Yeah, never better.

****ing clowns.

[kgun12]

Just rewatch the AFC Championship game, the Bengals were called for everything, the Chiefs not nearly as much. I seen some ticky tacky holding calls on one team especially after a big play, and in the same game a d-lineman get assaulted by the other team and nothing called.

Look a this game tonight a ticky tacky call helps the Chief to a SB title!

[TacklingDummy]

Look a this game tonight a ticky tacky call helps the Chief to a SB title!

“Should have played better”

[Novacane]

What a terrible way to end a great game. That's all everyone other than Chiefs fans will remember. Maybe KC's defense makes a stop and we have the same result. Maybe Philly would have scored a TD. Maybe they'd have tied it and we'd of gotten to see OT. If officiating has never been better we'd have gotten the chance to find out.

[Woodman]

What a terrible way to end a great game. That's all everyone other than Chiefs fans will remember. Maybe KC's defense makes a stop and we have the same result. Maybe Philly would have scored a TD. Maybe they'd have tied it and we'd of gotten to see OT. If officiating has never been better we'd have gotten the chance to find out.

They took it out of the players hands and that's just wrong.

[TacklingDummy]

They took it out of the players hands and that's just wrong.

“Play better”

[Woodman]

“Play better”
Sometimes that's enough.

[YardRat]

It's hard to take this league seriously any more.

[Night Train]

I guess flag football has arrived.

[YardRat]

3 penalties on KC, 2 offsides and one false start.

6 penalties on Philly, OPI, Hands to the face, false start delay, offsides. Not a single offensive holding, defensive interference, defensive holding all game long until the most critical point of the game.

Horrible.

[Typ0]

What a terrible way to end a great game. That's all everyone other than Chiefs fans will remember. Maybe KC's defense makes a stop and we have the same result. Maybe Philly would have scored a TD. Maybe they'd have tied it and we'd of gotten to see OT. If officiating has never been better we'd have gotten the chance to find out.

That's the point though....so say it's "never been better" is false because of a BS call indicates there has actually been a time when the officiating didn't suck!

[DraftBoy]

3 penalties on KC, 2 offsides and one false start.

6 penalties on Philly, OPI, Hands to the face, false start delay, offsides. Not a single offensive holding, defensive interference, defensive holding all game long until the most critical point of the game.

Horrible.

I thought they did call defensive holding in the first half?

[Woodman]

3 penalties on KC, 2 offsides and one false start.

6 penalties on Philly, OPI, Hands to the face, false start delay, offsides. Not a single offensive holding, defensive interference, defensive holding all game long until the most critical point of the game.

Horrible.
The call should not have been made.

[Woodman]

Look a this game tonight a ticky tacky call helps the Chief to a SB title!
The crybabies got the call they needed.

[Typ0]

It was a BS call born from the Refs need to assert themselves to prove they are there. The NFL should have league officials who can override the Refs in real time using the replay process. They are going to need to get the procedures right and language right on the rules this one is going to prove very difficult but they really shouldn't allow the zebra's to steal the show all the time.

[Historian]

3 penalties on KC, 2 offsides and one false start.

6 penalties on Philly, OPI, Hands to the face, false start delay, offsides. Not a single offensive holding, defensive interference, defensive holding all game long until the most critical point of the game.

Horrible.

One that I remember, third and inches, maybe 4th and inches, they called Philly for procedure.

The camera shot clearly showed a KC helmet in the neutral zone.

In a close game, those little ****-ups can cost a win.

And I think what galls me the most is there are how many of them out there? Eight? Ten? I forget.

[kgun12]

One that I remember, third and inches, maybe 4th and inches, they called Philly for procedure.

The camera shot clearly showed a KC helmet in the neutral zone.

In a close game, those little ****-ups can cost a win.

And I think what galls me the most is there are how many of them out there? Eight? Ten? I forget.

I agree but until the ball is snapped they can’t call him in the neutral zone, but as soon as the offense moves it’s on them.

[kgun12]

I will say it watch a lot of college football and the refs do a much better job most of the time the their counterparts in the NFL!

[notacon]

As I posted in the Super Bowl thread (http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php/262456-Eagles-vs-Chiefs-Super-Bowl-57?p=5004439&viewfull=1#post5004439), that call was an abomination and literally ruined what was a great game.

This year’s Super Bowl will not be remembered for a winning play of a spectacular catch....an eye popping run....an unbelievable QB throw avoiding a rush and dropping a dime...an amazing defensive play....a pass rush that was caused a mistake....

It’s going to remembered by a “controversial” call (the word using in almost every report of the end of the game in all media )....that is another word sports media use instead of simply saying....”a ****TY, TERRIBLE, BAD, STPUD” call.

Any objective observer and all NFL fans want to see a competitive SB where the players decide the game. We did not get that. The REFS decided the game. Period. End. Of. Story.

It’s even worse than losing the coin flip and never getting your hands on the ball (which now will NEVER happen again in any NFL playoff) because at least the team that won the flip, got the ball, and then PLAYED THE GAME to a very high level and score a TD.

Not yesterday.

This leaves a bad taste in the mouth of anyone who enjoys the NFL....except KC fans.

The refs cheapened the game. They ****ed up....and made the end the game a joke instead of a genuine competition in the last two minutes seeing great players making great plays.

What a crappy way to end this season.


Here is what NFL coaches from around the league had to say about that crappy call…..

Patrick Mahomes and NFL officiating, both better than ever: Mike Sando’s Pick Six (https://theathletic.com/4182176/2023/02/13/patrick-mahomes-super-bowl-officiating/?source=pulsenewsletter&campaign=6117588)




Text messages from coaches around the NFL (https://theathletic.com/nfl/) were flying back and forth Sunday night after a call for defensive holding against the Philadelphia Eagles’ James Bradberry (https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/james-bradberry-EykSZJdYAKP5LVDg/) allowed the Chiefs to run down the clock before punching through a chip-shot field goal for a 38-35 victory (https://theathletic.com/4180027/2023/02/12/super-bowl-time-date-location-teams-channel-streaming/), their second Lombardi Trophy in three Super Bowl appearances over the past four seasons.

“Terrible! Not one holding called all game!” a game-management coach protested.

“Way to f— up a great game,” a former head coach raged.

“Late flag tells me the K.C. sideline called for it,” an exec speculated.

This Super Bowl edition of the Pick Six column reveals the officiating blind spot that prevented officials from reconsidering the call, as explained by people familiar with the mechanics. The furor over officiating in recent weeks (and decades!) compels such an accounting, but as another coach stressed, the world will move on quickly. The Chiefs will be rightly honored for willing their way to a victory that seemed remote when MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes (https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/patrick-mahomes-WWwiw0IQD5ozgrHf/) was limping off the field (https://theathletic.com/4189038/2023/02/12/chiefs-patrick-mahomes-super-bowl-ankle/) at halftime, his team trailing 24-14.


….snip….

Officials hadn’t called defensive holding all game, but with the score tied 35-35 and the Chiefs in the red zone with 1:54 remaining, deep wing John Jenkins (https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/john-jenkins-S7ebMI89czUl2HQs/) flagged Bradberry for restricting JuJu Smith-Schuster. What gives?



First things first. While the world decried the call, Bradberry himself admitted guilt (https://theathletic.com/4189280/2023/02/12/super-bowl-james-bradberry-holding-eagles/).


“It was a holding,” he said after the game. “I just didn’t know if he’d call it.”

Referee Carl Cheffers stood by the call during an interview with Pro Football Writers of America pool reporter Lindsay Jones, which is how referees always roll in these situations. It’s easy to see why defending their own is ingrained in officiating culture when the commissioner himself claims things have never been better (https://theathletic.com/4168870/2023/02/08/roger-goodell-nfl-diversity-concussions/).

Bradberry’s uncommon grace and Cheffers’ stock answer do not change that Jenkins, a nine-year NFL official, threw a flag in a situation when officials frequently do not throw flags, with legacy-altering consequences.

“You know how many times that route gets run and it is not called?” a veteran offensive play caller said. “It’s a play teams perennially send into the league and never get the call. Guys grab like that all the time. If it stopped the receiver from getting to the ball, I understand, but that was not the case.”

The resulting first down let the Chiefs run down the fourth-quarter game clock sufficiently to leave Philly with only eight seconds after Harrison Butker (https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/harrison-butker-LjxE5mANbjA9vuov/)’s 27-yard field goal.

“What we all want in that situation is for the officials to do their conference and pick up the flag and say, ‘There is no flag on the previous play,’ ” a game-management coach explained. “But the problem is, the crew does not have multiple sets of eyes on that play because the contact occurred before the ball was thrown.”

Jenkins, the deep wing, would have been the only official with eyes on Smith-Schuster and Bradberry when the flag was thrown. Other officials would have shifted their focus to that area of the field once the pass left Mahomes’ hands toward Smith-Schuster.

Because defensive holding is a judgment call, rules prevent the NFL’s officiating command center from using “replay assist” to spur a quick reversal without a formal stoppage. No matter that Fox’s 44 cameras dedicated for game coverage quickly provided replays calling into question whether such a call was warranted.

“There were two restrictions on this play, and neither was enough for a foul in my opinion,” the game-management coach said. “It looks bad because you want competitive plays at the end of the Super Bowl instead of Mahomes kneeling it down to center the ball for the kicker.”


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Twenty-four years ago, then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue made a contrarian assertion amid similar outrage over officiating.

“I think officiating is as good as it’s ever been,” Tagliabue said before Super Bowl XXXIII following the 1998 season.
Sound familiar?

“I don’t think it’s ever been better in the league,” Goodell said Thursday.

Goodell’s comments affirm prediction No. 6 in the Pick Six column (https://theathletic.com/4157315/2023/02/06/nfl-predictions-offseason-quarterback-moves/) from last week:

The big change in NFL officiating will be … nothing, unless there is a catastrophic breakdown in the Super Bowl.
Changes come to officiating — to the rules, anyway — when an incorrect ruling affects an important enough team or person. This was the case in the NFC Championship Game following the 2018 season when the Los Angeles Rams (https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/rams/)got away with defensive pass interference while defeating the Sean Payton-coached New Orleans Saints (https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/saints/).

Payton was sufficiently incensed and sufficiently powerful to push through rules subjecting such plays to instant replay. The cure wound up being worse than the malady, however, and the changes were scrapped after one year.

The call against Bradberry isn’t going to spur change when Bradberry himself did not protest it in real time or after the game.

“It was legit early in the down, but a little ticky-tack,” an offensive coordinator from an AFC team said. “It is hard to criticize beyond a couple days. By Wednesday, no one will even remember it happened except Philly players coaches and fans.

That’s a little optimistic, but when it comes to officiating, some things never change.

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[Mr. Pink]

The flag on Bradberry wasn't late.

Was said executive even watching the game?

It was thrown immediately.

[YardRat]

I thought they did call defensive holding in the first half?

Don't remember one, and didn't see it when reviewing the play-by-play.

[DraftBoy]

Don't remember one, and didn't see it when reviewing the play-by-play.

Could have misremembered.

[notacon]

The flag on Bradberry wasn't late.

Was said executive even watching the game?

It was thrown immediately.
Yes, it was.

I re-watched it on the All-22 film available on NFL+.

A defensive holding call is only valid while the QB has the ball. And the supposed “hold” (ticky-tack baloney) was done relatively early in the play.

The flag was not thrown until AFTER the ball hit the ground in the end zone.

It sure looked like the ref (who had a bad angle on the play, he was on the sideline ON THE GOAL LINE) so he could not possibly have seen the hand on the back of the receiver that supposedly (but not really) was “holding”.

The flag would be on time if the call was pass interference. If the flag was thrown “immediately” it would have been throw before Mahomes even threw the ball. Defensive holding call, the flag was, in fact, late.

[Woodman]

The flag would be on time if the call was pass interference. If the flag was thrown “immediately” it would have been throw before Mahomes even threw the ball. Defensive holding call, the flag was, in fact, late.



This is true! :cheers:

[Bill Cody]

Yes, it was.

I re-watched it on the All-22 film available on NFL+.

A defensive holding call is only valid while the QB has the ball. And the supposed “hold” (ticky-tack baloney) was done relatively early in the play.

The flag was not thrown until AFTER the ball hit the ground in the end zone.

It sure looked like the ref (who had a bad angle on the play, he was on the sideline ON THE GOAL LINE) so he could not possibly have seen the hand on the back of the receiver that supposedly (but not really) was “holding”.

The flag would be on time if the call was pass interference. If the flag was thrown “immediately” it would have been throw before Mahomes even threw the ball. Defensive holding call, the flag was, in fact, late.

By the letter of the rules it was a hold but as was pointed out it was a minor hold and did not impact the play. You need to have something a lot more egregious than that to basically end the game IMO.

[Woodman]

By the letter of the rules it was a hold but as was pointed out it was a minor hold and did not impact the play. You need to have something a lot more egregious than that to basically end the game IMO.

:10: I approve this fine post!

[sukie]

What would fox do with prime advertising spots in an unsold overtime? Overtime without ads?

[Woodman]

What would fox do with prime advertising spots in an unsold overtime? Overtime without ads?

Fire sale .... good observation!!

[notacon]

By the letter of the rules it was a hold but as was pointed out it was a minor hold and did not impact the play. You need to have something a lot more egregious than that to basically end the game IMO.

Yep. There are situations that "By the letter of the rules it was a hold” on almost every single play in every single NFL game, that are usually not called. To make that call at that time is unconscionable.


Will Leitch, from NY Magazine put is quite distinctly.....


An Anticlimactic Super Bowl Ending Blew the NFL’s Night Apart (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/a-dismaying-super-bowl-ending-blew-the-nfls-night-apart.html)




The NFL, for all its controversy, for all its cultural ubiquity, for all its violence, is a meticulously orderly organization. Even when the league is under fire for one thing or another — which it always is — it never feels as if anything is in danger of careening into chaos. The league is too powerful, too efficient, not to be firmly in control of all things.


….snip….


One could conceivably make the argument that this was the correct call from referee Carl Cheffers. The Eagles player, James Bradberry, had his hand on the back of Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and may have even closed his first in a “hold” motion. If that call came in the second quarter of a random regular-season Cardinals-Titans game, you’d hear the fan base of the team the call went against grouse for a moment, probably boo before the next snap — “Cheap call, refs” — and then forget about it.


But Cheffer’s call came on the third down of a tie game in the closing minutes of the Super Bowl, a Super Bowl that, with the wild crowd, Rhianna’s excellent halftime performance, and the two QBs’ heroics, was beginning to approach legendary status. If the call hadn’t been made — and no one would have even noticed if it hadn’t: You didn’t see the Chiefs receiver, or any of the Chiefs, protesting before the (late) flag was thrown — we would have never thought about it. The Chiefs would have kicked a field goal, and the Eagles would have driven down the field in the closing moments to try to tie or win it, and this face melter of a Super Bowl might have included an ending for the ages.


That is not what happened.

….snip….


The question of whether a referee should throw a flag in a moment like that is interesting philosophically. On one hand, he’s not there to judge the gravitas of a particular moment, to suss out its drama, to worry about whether the NFL is putting on a maximally efficient show. The referee is there to call the game, period. He saw a hold on the play, and he called it. (And Bradberry admitted (https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1624981920827293698) to the holding afterward.)

On the other hand … oh, for ****’s sake, man.

The NFL had a perfect story for its perfect night. But its maddening, erratic, “entertaining precisely because it’s so unpredictable” game got in the way. If the NFL had been in control on field the way it is off field, it would have zapped the ref right before he threw the flag, giving everyone the epic finale we were expecting and desperately hoping for. (They may zap him postgame anyway.) Instead, the ref — and, really, the game of football itself — blew the whole thing up. It’s endlessly frustrating. We’ll talk about it forever. We’ll yell at the NFL every time it shows up in highlights. But this is how it works. This is what sports are. Sometimes sports are glorious; sometimes we get our storybook ending. And sometimes sports cut us off at the knees at the worst, stupidest possible time. The NFL got something unforgettable on its Super Bowl Sunday, something it won’t be able to sand away. It was an incredible game; congratulations to the Chiefs. But also: For ****’s sake, man.

[Typ0]

By the letter of the rules it was a hold but as was pointed out it was a minor hold and did not impact the play. You need to have something a lot more egregious than that to basically end the game IMO.

That's the problem. The rules suck.

[Night Train]

As I and many here have stated, the Officials have to be athletic and far younger. Even the video end needs work.

No more Cliffs, who just came in from the barstool he's occupied for the last 35 years. They get in the way of many plays and can't see a thing. Out of position. Goodell can cluck like a rooster all he wants. We all have eyes and he's the owners pet parrot. The current crews are failing many weeks.