NFL Week 13 thread: The league tries to hide its horrible officiating

[LongTimeListener]

Pete Morelli's crew so badly butchered the 49ers-Cardinals game last week that they've been removed from the Colts-Steelers Sunday night spot. They haven't been benched, though; they're just going to be on a game where the world can't see their incompetence.

Pete Morelli's Referee Crew Pulled from Colts/Steelers After Errors in Cardinals/49ers

Feels like last weekend was some sort of new low (or at least recognition of such) on how bad the officiating is. There was a crucial, game-changing blown call in damn near close to every game. It's hurting the entertainment value of the product, for sure.

As for the games, Carolina seems awfully low at -7 in New Orleans. No respect for the Dabbers. Seattle at Minnesota (pick 'em) looks like a good game; Arizona (-5 1/2) always has a rough time with St. Louis; and we can all avoid this thread between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and midnight EST so as to contain the Steeler contagion.

 

[da man]

Dabbers?

 

[da man]

And everyone thought the replacement officials were the problem...

 

[LongTimeListener]

Dabbers?

Don't tell me you haven't heard about how Cam is destroying sportsmanship and civility by dabbing.

 

[da man]

No, I missed all that. What's that, his dance?

 

[LongTimeListener]

Yeah. And First Take rails against it every day. It's their new mini-Tebow binky.

Which led to this on Monday morning:

ESPN's Robert Flores on why 'First Take' ignored Kelce's TD dance: 'Because he's not black'

 

[poindexter]

You start with the "what is a catch?" bs and you go from there... The officiating is breathtakingly bad, and I have never been one to dwell on refs.

Watch Mike Hogan's (non)catch for the Bills last week - grabs it, takes four steps, fumbles it, and falls on the fumble. Ruled incomplete.

How about this for a catch:
Control of the ball
Two feet (or a knee) in bounds

Who on earth decided to expand the rule book by the size of the US tax code to define a catch? Its got Goodell written all over it.

 

[da man]

You start with the "what is a catch?" bs and you go from there... The officiating is breathtakingly bad, and I have never been one to dwell on refs.

Watch Mike Hogan's (non)catch for the Bills last week - grabs it, takes four steps, fumbles it, and falls on the fumble. Ruled incomplete.

How about this for a catch:
Control of the ball
Two feet (or a knee) in bounds

Who on earth decided to expand the rule book by the size of the US tax code to define a catch? Its got Goodell written all over it.

I guarantee you the definition of a catch has virtually zero to do with the commissioner.

 

[poindexter]

I guarantee you the definition of a catch has virtually zero to do with the commissioner.

Fair enough. I know the catch rule, as applied to Calvin Johnson et al wasn't always in place. When did the league switch to the "Calvin Johnson" rule?

 

[exmediahack]

Yeah. And First Take rails against it every day. It's their new mini-Tebow binky.

Which led to this on Monday morning:

ESPN's Robert Flores on why 'First Take' ignored Kelce's TD dance: 'Because he's not black'

Anytime a white player dances, that's embarrassment enough.

 

[da man]

Fair enough. I know the catch rule, as applied to Calvin Johnson et al wasn't always in place. When did the league switch to the "Calvin Johnson" rule?

Just off the top of my head, wasn't it the "Bert Emanuel Rule?" Like from the '90s?

 

[Chef2]

Pete Morelli's crew so badly butchered the 49ers-Cardinals game last week that they've been removed from the Colts-Steelers Sunday night spot. They haven't been benched, though; they're just going to be on a game where the world can't see their incompetence.

Pete Morelli's Referee Crew Pulled from Colts/Steelers After Errors in Cardinals/49ers

Feels like last weekend was some sort of new low (or at least recognition of such) on how bad the officiating is. There was a crucial, game-changing blown call in damn near close to every game. It's hurting the entertainment value of the product, for sure.

As for the games, Carolina seems awfully low at -7 in New Orleans. No respect for the Dabbers. Seattle at Minnesota (pick 'em) looks like a good game; Arizona (-5 1/2) always has a rough time with St. Louis; and we can all avoid this thread between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and midnight EST so as to contain the Steeler contagion.

Morelli is way way way way the hell out of his league now. He's 64 years old now. (second oldest behind Hochuli)
Time and speed are catching up to Pete quickly.

 

[da man]

Morelli is way way way way the hell out of his league now. He's 64 years old now. (second oldest behind Hochuli)
Time and speed are catching up to Pete quickly.

Hochuli could kick his ass.

Just sayin.'

 

[Chef2]

Hochuli could kick his ass.

Just sayin.'

Absolutely correct.
Hochuli is still just as good as anyone.

 

[da man]

Absolutely correct.
Hochuli is still just as good as anyone.

No, I meant he could kick his ass. Physically.

But you're right, too.

 

[dixiehack]

Guess I know who will be calling Titans-Jags now.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Are the refs still part-time employees, as in they have other jobs besides officiating?

If so, might be time to make it a full-time gig.

 

[Chef2]

Are the refs still part-time employees, as in they have other jobs besides officiating?

If so, might be time to make it a full-time gig.

Yes. Still part-time.
Steratore and his brother run a janitorial company, plus Gene hop-scotches all over hell and half of Texas calling NCAA Basketball.
Hochuli is an attorney.
Walt Coleman is a milk distributor.

And yes......they need to be full-time.

 

[murphyc]

Are the refs still part-time employees, as in they have other jobs besides officiating?

If so, might be time to make it a full-time gig.

How would you make it a full-time gig? One game Thursday, one on Monday, rest on Sunday. Even if you had one crew do the Thursday game, a Sunday morning game, the Sunday night game and Monday night, that's still less than 20 hours a week.
Unless you included training or something else during the week.

 

[Chef2]

Guess I know who will be calling Titans-Jags now.

Gene Steratore.