I've stated before and I'll say it again. Officials have a tough job. However, that does not excuse blown calls, especially blown calls that the NFL tries to excuse.
I started the refsuck site back in 2002 following the Brady Fumble/Tuck Rule call. That play is a classic example of the biggest problem I have with NFL officials. Coleman blew the call. You and I and everyone else in the world can look at that play a hundred times on replay. And maybe we see slightly different things. But here's what we don't see...we don't see "indisputable visual evidence" that the original call was wrong.
The original call was a fumble. According to the NFL rulebook, overturning a call on replay requires "Indisputable" evidence. It didn't exist...there is no indisputable evidence. Coleman blew the call. So fine, he's human, he made a mistake, right? Well the real kicker is the NFL came in and defended Coleman's call. That's the issue I have. If the NFL is going to defend its officials even when they are wrong (i.e. Super Bowl XL), then how can we really trust the system?
Hey Roman do High School officials have the luxury of replays. If they did shouldn't you get all the calls right. Maybe they should pay the refs a little more in the NFL so MORONS aren't making the calls or so they can't be bought. Does the name Tim Dohanee ring a bell. You probably think that's an isolated incident. Just go ref your high school football games and shut up.
I have not officiated football.
I have been a fan of football for over 30 years.
I have umpired baseball and softball for the last 14 years.
I think that qualifies me to answer your question.
I know that you disagree, because they are different sorts, but I can call a ball or strike on any close play, and I can call someone out on a "bang bang" play when they were safe.
Amazingly enough, in my 14 years of officiating, I haven't had a problem.
I inform teams that I will "let them play".
Just as a football umpire may allow some handchecking by a receiver, I allow a pitcher to hit the corners of the plate.
Because I inform both coaches of this fact, I am the one ump that hasn't received a written complaint in 14 years.
I have also done something that isn't usually done.
I have admitted that I was wrong.
I have had coaches come up to me and say "you blew that call".
I admitted that it was a judgement call, and they may be correct that may have not called the play correctly. But since it is a judgement call, and I do not have the luxury of a replay, that my call has to stand.
amazingly enough, I have not had any arguements after that from the T-Ball baseball league to the very competative 16-18 year old league to the State softball tournaments.
Of course I get the "YOU SUCK" from the team that is behind... If you have been in the officiating game for 10 years, you need to get used to that.
Call it like you see it, that is all you can do.
Once you learn to explain that to people, and insult the fans of the game, there is no arguement to be had.
You are human, I am human, and so is every other sports official.
Romanoutlaw, your analogy to a convenience store clerk is invalid. The consumer's relationship with a retail establishment is entirely different than with a service provider. A better analogy would be to compare a referee to a masseuse. One day, the masseuse, while servicing a customer, pinches said customer's ass. The customer then complains to management about the masseuse.
In keeping with the spirit of the NFL, the manager of the massage parlor would then stand by his masseuse's sexual misconduct by saying that "Pinching of the ass is an accepted massage technique at XYZ Massage Parlor." THAT is a coherent metaphor. Just like the NFL saying "Walt Coleman is not the biggest douche walking the planet, and all of his mongoloid-esque calls stand as perfectly reconcilable with the NFL Rulebook."
Like I said, I have no problem with the NFL reprimanding their referees in private - and that was an excellent article on the subject. But the problem most of us have is when the NFL supports a blatantly bad call, and not only doesn't punish the referees, but oftentimes REWARDS them with big games (how Coleman has presided over so many important games I haven't a clue).
Again, this is not a personal attack on you, and I don't think you need to be a referee to understand how difficult a referee's job is. But anyone with decent eyesight and an understanding of the rules can see that many of the calls that are questioned on this sight are legitimate gripes. I believe the host said it best when he said something to the effect of "we're only trying to point out flaws and failures in an attempt to improve the shortcomings of the system."
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