Tuesday, November 20th, 2007...3:22 pm
Refereeing During Key Patriots Games
I’m a couple of weeks behind on this, but I was on a cruise without Internet access. I was lucky to be able to watch much of the game, but I missed the two big pass interference calls during the Mustard drill.
With regard to the game, I’d like to highlight the thoughts of many related to the seemingly bad calls against the Patriots by the referees. National Journalists, like the biased Bill Simmons and the unbiased Mike Fiorio (see point #3). It made this refereeing blog as well as a another Boston based blog.
I’d like to say this refereeing is something new, but it’s not. There are articles about how the 2005 Patriots season ended with bad refereeing in Denver (see this article, this one, as well as this one. In the end, the Broncos received favorable calls leading to 17 points in a game that was decided by 11. The refereeing wasn’t new even to even Patriots – Colts games. Read this article about how the NFL apologized for refereeing that lead to the Colts score in last year’s 38-34 AFC Championship game.
This time justice prevailed and the Patriots won the game. However, it required nearly perfect play at the end of the game. It’s a shame that this is what the Patriots have to fear that any close game might be swung by a big referee call for a 40 yard penalty leading to a direct score. The best way to combat this trend is to focus on playing 60 minutes and putting up a 30 point lead. Then they only have to worry about the journalists calling them out for bad sportsmanship.
3 Comments
November 20th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I think a good question might be “why are the referees so anti-Pats”? I suspect it’s because of Belichick’s disdain for the refs. I actually wish all of the refs were neutral robots, but they aren’t, and most of the blame for any anti-Pats feeling is probably due to the Patriots organization’s behavior.
And less we forget, the Pats were the beneficiaries of one of the greatest gifts in sports history, after the Immaculate Conception – “the Tuck”, or, as the rest of the sports world knows it, “the fumble that was called incorrectly.”
November 21st, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I admit that it should be ruled a fumble, but it was called how it was written in the rule book. The problem, if any, is with how the rule was written. It should also be mentioned that:
A) Brady was hit in the head on the play making it an illegal blow to the head and Oakland could have found themselves penalized an additional 15 yards.
B) The tuck rule itself could be considered a make-up call for the Sugar Bear Hamilton call and Oakland went on to win a title.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:48 am
[...] is a very curious conclusion after many talked about the bad calls against the Patriots during the Patriots – Colts game just a couple of weeks [...]
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