Basically, it's a hell scape for furious fans, far more volatile than our most volcanic IT IS HIGH, Aaron Boone threads. It chronicles humanity's brooding indignation towards the National Football League, perhaps the most evil corporation in the world. But it won't matter, not a whit. Nothing will change, ever. That's China Town, Jake.
In the end, two conference championships were decided as much by the referees as the players, as our most militaristic sport slides into a violent chaos that, like war itself, cannot be governed.
Comparatively speaking, baseball's issues with the home plate strike zone are a parking ticket. Cram 22 testosterone-laced, steroidal mutants into a mosh pit on every single play, and no handful of on-field umpires can keep play in line.
Yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers were called for 11 penalties, the Philadelphia Eagles four. This included an excruciating third quarter Philly drive that was kept alive by penalty after penalty - the master stroke being a roughing-the-kicker call in which a 49er was pushed into the punter. Frankly, it didn't matter: The game was decided after two SF quarterbacks went out, one with a concussion. The outcome was never in doubt.
In the second game, with overtime looming, the Kansas City Chiefs were awarded an extra 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that - in the end - was a push, not a hit. People can argue the call. What cannot be debated is that, once the penalty flag was thrown, the game was over. The Chiefs would beat Cincinnati by a field goal. A referee had decided the game.
This happened after a KC punt return where the refs missed a block to the back, what used to be called clipping. That oversight let the Chiefs start their drive at midfield.
In one case, the ref held his flag. In the other, he threw it. The result: KC goes to the Super Bowl to play Philadelphia.
Listen: The NFL is not rigged. Remember the XFL? That league was launched by pro wrestling moguls, and not even they could fix the games. The sheer pandemonium on every play is so breathtaking, so overwhelming, that it cannot be controlled.
As long as we live, losing fans will always grouse about the refs. Still, I'm glad the NY Giants weren't in the fray yesterday. To get so far, and then to lose because of a referee's discretion - I'd be brooding all year.
Which reminds me... Aaron Boone!
All of these leagues are just a step above the WWE when it comes to legitimacy. You have refs making 100K calling games that billions of dollars are wagered on. You think there could be more problems down the road?
ReplyDeleteI dunno. I saw that late push/hit on Mahomes after he was out of bounds and it was way out of line. Call it one of the other, in either case it was a glaring penalty. Felt bad for the amped-up guy who made the hit. He was decimated, crying on the bench for long minutes after the bench had cleared when the game was over.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I see we have Glyber signed up for another year. But in the article, the other arbitration cases were listed. Seems like Lasagna, Holmes, King and others are not exactly getting the bucks they deserve. So goes the business of baseball.
And then there was the article on ESPN about Aaron Hicks in left field. Just another shitshow year in the making.
Cashman sucks. Boone is an idiot. Hal couldn't care less.
I agreed that in the old days, the Mahomes push would have been a big yawn. But then, in the old days, you could do all kinds of other nasty things, like pretty much kneecap receivers coming off the line.
ReplyDeleteWith the rules today, he should have known better than to touch Mahomes once he saw he was running out of bounds.
The injuries are, I think, a bigger NFL problem. This is two games in a row now that Philly has secured basically when they knocked out the QB in the first quarter. Makes for real fun watching.
All the other major sports leagues have full-time officials paid a decent salary. Not so in the NFL. They use part-time refs who are teachers, lawyers, etc. that have experience in high school and college officiating.
ReplyDeleteThey are too old and slow to be able to be in the position to make calls because they can't keep up downfield or are blocked out on the play.
Solution: hire more officials in quantity. Hire people that are younger, stronger and faster. Make all of them full-time officials and pay them a good living with benefits.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what the solution is. I've been to football games. If you look off the ball -- away from the camera shot, in other words -- there are potential penalties On Every Play.
It takes a lot of discipline to do this. Your natural reflex is going to be to watch the ball. It is, after all, The Game (where the ball is, where it ends up, etc.).
And some officials ARE supposed to watch the ball. Others are supposed to watch the 21 guys who do NOT have the ball. This is a very, very difficult job to do.
This is not just JoeFOB's opinion. You can verify it yourself. Go to a game.
Question then becomes: Which penalties are called? What gets the official to throw a flag? Why does the official overlook certain stuff that is NOT overlooked on another play?
I'm not sure paying officials would fix this. Or putting 17 zebras out there for each game. It's very, very subjective.
Note that I am not questioning the honesty of the officials.
My question is: Does the official let something go (offensive holding by a lineman, for example) -- unflagged -- in the first quarter, and yet the same exact thing is penaliuzed in Q4? This is Not Spozed To Happen.
I admit to not knowing the answer.
It is kinda funny that BILLION DOLLAR industry like the NFLcan't have full- time refs who are in their 30's.
ReplyDeleteThe product might actually be better., but then how would they be able to pay Goddell his 63 Mil this year?
Yes to full-time refs.
ReplyDeleteOn the Mahomes play, the tackler made no attempt to pull up. That type of foul is one of the most visible; as physical as football is, sometimes you need to play with your head as well as your body.
Condolences to the 49ers, who lost FOUR QB’s this year. Purdue showed he could win at this level, but I seem to recall one of the knocks on him was his lack of size. A taller QB would have had a different arm angle on that play. Hope he can avoid surgery. Can you imagine if the Giants needed a #4 QB? Who would that be? Jake from State Farm?
In the NFL, a game cannot end on a penalty.
ReplyDeleteNor should a game be decided by one.
The East German judge was the critical player in the KC-Cinci game.
ReplyDeleteTrained by the 1972 Olympic basketball judge.
Even Jake from State Farm is wildly inconsistent.
ReplyDeleteThe first one....https://youtu.be/47cAxRX3aDg