That was a poorly reffed game for both sides. Bills fans have to be the biggest whiners about refs though, so predictable.
That was a poorly reffed game for both sides. Bills fans have to be the biggest whiners about refs though, so predictable.
CommissarSpartacus (11-24-2015),Mr. Pink (11-24-2015)
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.
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.
My tebya razdavim
jimmifli (11-24-2015)
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.
Lone Stranger (11-24-2015),Victor7 (11-24-2015),YardRat (11-24-2015)
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.
CommissarSpartacus (11-24-2015)
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.
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.
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.
trapezeus (11-24-2015)
Pats td run should not have counted either
NFL officials also really blew James White's touchdown, in multiple ways https://t.co/ZaUpEh9wbf pic.twitter.com/g9z81wAgEC
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) November 24, 2015
Read it and weep. Yet another error from Mr. Sterastupid.
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.
"There ought to be a room in every house to swear in. It's dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that." - Mark Twain
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.
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.You think we as fans are frustrated when this happens, how frustrated do you think the players are?
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.
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.
Last edited by feldspar; 11-24-2015 at 10:59 AM.
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.
Victor7 (11-24-2015)
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.
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.