Watch this. Not just about this game, but all NFL games at risk.

[GoodBadUgly]

Wait for Mark Zinno to give his view at about 30 seconds in.

It's like I'm talking into a mirror. This is so true, yet so depressing about the state of the NFL.

Bad Officiating in Steelers-Rams Game Angers NFL Fans

Pittsburgh's win over the Rams darkened by severe ref errors, renewing apprehensions about the NFL's responsibility void and demand for improved officiating.

cdn.jwplayer.com

 

[Tano]

I don't know about this.

For the near future, he is right.

But I am seeing a lot more younger people not being interested in football at all.

And if they see officials continuing to make errors, I can see the younger crowd staying away.

 

[thirteen28]

Wait for Mark Zinno to give his view at about 30 seconds in.

It's like I'm talking into a mirror. This is so true, yet so depressing about the state of the NFL.

Bad Officiating in Steelers-Rams Game Angers NFL Fans

Pittsburgh's win over the Rams darkened by severe ref errors, renewing apprehensions about the NFL's responsibility void and demand for improved officiating.

cdn.jwplayer.com

I'm glad the officiating fuckups in that game have become a minor scandal. ESPN was all over this yesterday as well.

 

[FaulkSF]

Wait for Mark Zinno to give his view at about 30 seconds in.

It's like I'm talking into a mirror. This is so true, yet so depressing about the state of the NFL.

Bad Officiating in Steelers-Rams Game Angers NFL Fans

Pittsburgh's win over the Rams darkened by severe ref errors, renewing apprehensions about the NFL's responsibility void and demand for improved officiating.

cdn.jwplayer.com

Can’t get it to play in my mobile browser…

It finally worked. I also take issue with the flag being thrown on the pass interference where Akhiello barely brushes the receiver. Secondly, it was an uncatchable pass. It should have been 4th and long instead of replaying third down.

The officials need to do a better job.

 

[SWAdude]

We all saw Pickett was obviously short but I was confused if the refs were even allowed to review the play. Based on this guys passion they must have that option.

It was tough not to have a time out left to challenge the call. In hindsight if the right call was made we would have had a much better chance with the time remaining to score. I had no problem McVay using the timeouts the way he did.

The officiating is horrible almost every week, every game, in the NFL. That is a good point.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

nfl refs are just awful, for every team. that's why fans tolerate it and keep watching. we watch games and are perplexed about a few calls every game. the thing is they usually even out so fans are kept at bay.

it's only when the calls go one way that makes fans go hmmm. like tom brady got 99% of the calls during his career. without fail. i think that's why everyone hates him, because we have eyes and could see what was happening.

i knew it was coming yesterday but when it happened again the exact same way as 2019 i can't keep watching. one bad call is bad enough but when an even worse call is made two plays later benefitting the same team, that's not normal.

.

 

[GoodBadUgly]

...

The officiating is horrible almost every week, every game, in the NFL. That is a good point.

Hey SWAdude. Big thanks for all those SoFi pictures (back before it had a name). I loved watching that place come together.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify that my point is not about the refs being bad (I actually have sympathy for how hard the job is), but it is about the a-hole NFL owners who for some reason haven't implemented the most obvious solution.

How can you let millions of people watching your product see a blown call, but then let some crazy rule about it happening outside of 2 minutes mean you can't correct it?

It's not about refs being blind, it's about owners being dipshits. Just let NY chime in on key calls that tarnish the "shield" brand. Done. Done. Done.

 

[Jacobarch]

Surprised he didn't even bring up the phantom PI call.

 

[Merlin]

There's a big difference between "missing" a call and "creating" a call. When you miss a call it is a mistake. But when you create a call it shows clear and undeniable bias. This is where we're at with this league right now. There is a clear agenda to drive parity and to favor certain teams, it is not just the Rams however yesterday they were the clearest example of this in work.

 

[SWAdude]

Hey SWAdude. Big thanks for all those SoFi pictures (back before it had a name). I loved watching that place come together.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify that my point is not about the refs being bad (I actually have sympathy for how hard the job is), but it is about the a-hole NFL owners who for some reason haven't implemented the most obvious solution.

How can you let millions of people watching your product see a blown call, but then let some crazy rule about it happening outside of 2 minutes mean you can't correct it?

It's not about refs being blind, it's about owners being dipshits. Just let NY chime in on key calls that tarnish the "shield" brand. Done. Done. Done.

Thanks the shout out brother!

Happy you enjoyed those pics of the stadium. It has been an incredible journey.

I share in the difficulty of being a ref in this lightning fast game. I do not think there is some conspiracy overall but I do take pause at times.

There are answers to these issues or at least the opportunity to address this consistent problem.

Yesterdays late game call is certainly one that will always get much scrutiny. I am one that looks at the early mis-calls to be with an entire games fate on the line. But those do not get the same attention as the late game calls. And they should.

It is a league problem and we live in a time it can be further minimized. I am one not to think I have the answers but at least I would like to hear the same concern from the ones in power. And we have not.

GO RAMS!!!

 

[bubbaramfan]

Games get fixed. Been going on for some time. Owners don"t give a shit, They're making tons of money from the fantasy ff sites they own, mainly DraftKings and fanDual.

 

[LARams_1963]

Games get fixed. Been going on for some time. Owners don"t give a shit, They're making tons of money from the fantasy ff sites they own, mainly DraftKings and fanDual.

I sure hope you’re wrong. I can’t imagine a fix. With the sheer number of people that would be involved , and no one whistleblowing? Someone would give up the fix eventually.

 

[XXXIVwin]

I'm in the minority on this, but...

I am constantly amazed at how players get better and better, and therefore how insanely and ridiculously close many of the calls need to be.

Take Puka Nacua's sideline catch, for example. I mean, what human on earth could have possibly seen that call ACCURATELY in REAL TIME without the aid of slo-mo AND close-up replay? Puka's right toe was BARELY inbounds by the tiniest hair just a SPLIT-SECOND before the rest of his foot rolled out of bounds. Cripes, his shoelaces were almost out while his toe was in!

My point being... I think many fans have lost perspective on how INSANELY CLOSE so many calls have become.

When I go to a game, from far away, it's easy ti lose perspective on how FAST these guys are. I move closer, and then I see, "wow, they're elite athletes". On the field itself, the speed of play must seem BLAZING fast to us mere mortals.

Refs have to make split-second decisions on split-second plays with super-elite players with the tiniest of margins. And then we sit in our recliners and watch the super-slo-mo replays on our big screens and say "it was obvious."

IMO, referees haven't gotten worse over the years. It's that the pace of the game has led to constant razor-thin calls, and technology exposes the mistakes.

 

[Ram Ts]

Agreed ^^^^ problem is that while the players and sports has gotten better (bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic) the refs have (at best) stayed the same. The refs have not improved. They need to get better to follow along with the game.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Hey SWAdude. Big thanks for all those SoFi pictures (back before it had a name). I loved watching that place come together.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify that my point is not about the refs being bad (I actually have sympathy for how hard the job is), but it is about the a-hole NFL owners who for some reason haven't implemented the most obvious solution.

How can you let millions of people watching your product see a blown call, but then let some crazy rule about it happening outside of 2 minutes mean you can't correct it?

It's not about refs being blind, it's about owners being dipshits. Just let NY chime in on key calls that tarnish the "shield" brand. Done. Done. Done.

You don’t have to wonder why. If the tighten up the officiating then they cannot rig games. There is already telemetry in the ball that could be used for perfect spottting of the ball on every play. They choose not to use it.

 

[FaulkSF]

Solid points @XXXIVwin . Games move incredibly quick even at the HS level. I still have some questions on why calls were not made yesterday that were not difficult to make.

Q2, 8:05 left - Nacua hauls in a pass for a large gain and appears to be hit by the crown of Kazee’s helmet near the face mask. The fact that Kazee made no effort to wrap up and make a highlight hit should have warranted an extra 15 for targeting.

Q3, 9:00 left - Henderson scores a TD. After the whistle and he has already crossed the goal line he is met with a forearm shiver by Kazee to the helmet. He already scored no need for the hit, that’s not football. 15 yards added to the kickoff, targeting, and Kazee should have been disqualified at that point.

View: https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1716212831857897604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1716212831857897604%7Ctwgr%5Ef37d688da0b00f44f91833f4c3a8d8c0ffd228a2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheramswire.usatoday.com%2F2023%2F10%2F22%2Frams-darrell-henderson-touchdown-highlight-steelers%2F


Lastly, we know the fraudulent PI call on Witherspoon (easy no call). The official probably heard Tomlin barking in his ear. In the NFL, officials rarely flag teams for sideline warnings. This would create a precedence to bring sportsmanship including for coaches back into the game. I didn’t see any restriction on this play, it was a poorly thrown ball.

The one that was more difficult was the 4th down spot. As HS officials we are taught to crash hard from the flanks to get the spot correct. Did not happen here, could have been a factor.

Technology has greatly improved, it’s a head scratcher why the review didn’t call into the officials to mark the ball correctly, They do it all the time for punts that go out of bounds and long plays.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Solid points @XXXIVwin . Games move incredibly quick even at the HS level. I still have some questions on why calls were not made yesterday that were not difficult to make.

Q2, 8:05 left - Nacua hauls in a pass for a large gain and appears to be hit by the crown of Kazee’s helmet near the face mask. The fact that Kazee made no effort to wrap up and make a highlight hit should have warranted an extra 15 for targeting.

Q3, 9:00 left - Henderson scores a TD. After the whistle and he has already crossed the goal line he is met with a forearm shiver by Kazee to the helmet. He already scored no need for the hit, that’s not football. 15 yards added to the kickoff, targeting, and Kazee should have been disqualified at that point.

View: https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1716212831857897604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1716212831857897604%7Ctwgr%5Ef37d688da0b00f44f91833f4c3a8d8c0ffd228a2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheramswire.usatoday.com%2F2023%2F10%2F22%2Frams-darrell-henderson-touchdown-highlight-steelers%2F


Lastly, we know the fraudulent PI call on Witherspoon (easy no call). The official probably heard Tomlin barking in his ear. In the NFL, officials rarely flag teams for sideline warnings. This would create a precedence to bring sportsmanship including for coaches back into the game. I didn’t see any restriction on this play, it was a poorly thrown ball.

The one that was more difficult was the 4th down spot. As HS officials we are taught to crash hard from the flanks to get the spot correct. Did not happen here, could have been a factor.

Technology has greatly improved, it’s a head scratcher why the review didn’t call into the officials to mark the ball correctly, They do it all the time for punts that go out of bounds and long plays.

Yeah, you would know the answers to these as well as anyone, since you're a ref yourself and know how hard it is.

I don't know the minutiae of which calls are "reviewable" and which are not. I believe they tried making PI "reviewable" for a year a couple seasons ago, then decided it wasn't worth the delays and the added controversy?

And as for personal fouls and such, I don't believe those plays are considered "reviewable" as of now? (Although occasionally they will administer fines after-the-fact, the following week.)

As for whether or not the fourth-down call was "reviewable" or not, I haven't heard a real good in-depth explanation. It may be those calls are ONLY reviewable via a coach's challenge outside of two minutes. But it sure seems like video is sometimes used to "help" with certain calls prior to a formal "replay review."

 

[OntarioRam]

Just make any play that would result in a turnover, such as a 4th down stop vs. 1st down conversion, reviewable if it is close. It is the natural extension of how all turnovers are reviewed. It makes no sense that this is not the rule already.

I will not go so far as to say this blown call cost the Rams the game. Zero way to know if we go down the field and score. And we have more than our own mistakes to blame.

But the ending to that Rams-Steelers game was absolutely disgraceful. There is no excuse for it and it is unacceptable. How can you just rob a team of any chance at victory like that? "Over 2 minutes so no booth review" is such a stupid excuse one can only laugh. There should always be a booth review for plays like that.

 

[Varg6]

Teams shouldn’t have to rely on using a challenge flag for refs to get the right call on the field—a call that is an extremely important one to get right.

In certain situations like that, I can’t help but wonder why there isn’t a common sense review of certain plays. I think it’s reasonable to have close call 4th down plays get an automatic review—for the sake of the integrity of the game.

Not to mention, in this instance, had the refs not screwed up the call, it would’ve let to an exciting final drive. It’s what football dreams are made of, it’s why people watch. Refs take away those last minute opportunities to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

 

[majrleaged]

Hey SWAdude. Big thanks for all those SoFi pictures (back before it had a name). I loved watching that place come together.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify that my point is not about the refs being bad (I actually have sympathy for how hard the job is), but it is about the a-hole NFL owners who for some reason haven't implemented the most obvious solution.

How can you let millions of people watching your product see a blown call, but then let some crazy rule about it happening outside of 2 minutes mean you can't correct it?

It's not about refs being blind, it's about owners being dipshits. Just let NY chime in on key calls that tarnish the "shield" brand. Done. Done. Done.

Like a face mask non call that goes for a TD. Evrry body sees it but oh well. Not revewable. It could cost the better team the biggest game of the year but oops.