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

[majrleaged]

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.

And technology could fix most of them if they wanted to fix the problem. It is convenient the way it is.

 

[XXXIVwin]

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.

Absolutely agree with this.

All scoring plays are automatically reviewed.

All turnovers are automatically reviewed.

All "turnovers on downs" SHOULD be automatically reviewed.

EDIT: Holy cow, look at the wording of the dumb rule for 2023:

"The automatic review happens only if the offense fails to convert on fourth down. If the conversion is successful, any attempt to make it unsuccessful must be initiated by a coach’s challenge (unless the situation otherwise falls under the automatic-review umbrella)."

So the automatic review ONLY happens if the offense fails. So if Picket was ruled short, they
would have automatically reviewed it. But since he was ruled as gaining the first down, they couldn't review it unless there was a coach's challenge.

I bet a rule change for next year regarding "all fourth down plays" will occur.

HOWEVER... I gotta acknowledge that all rule changes can potentially create unintended consequences. For example, if ALL fourth down scrimmage plays (all of which of course *could* lead to change of possession) are automatically reviewed, could that lead to significant disruptions of play in the last minute of a close game? Suppose a team pretty clearly makes a fourth down conversion... would play need to be stopped for a review each and every time? (If it's only for "close" fourth down plays, how is "close" decided?) Would this play stoppage potentially give an advantage to whichever team wants to preserve the clock...?

Turnover on downs is now subject to automatic replay review

Successful fourth-down conversions do not trigger automatic replay review, however.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[Steve808]

I sure hope you’re wrong. I can’t imagine a fix.

Quote Roger Goodell: "I reviewed the tapes of the Patriots cheating in SB 36. I saw no cheating, so I went and destroyed the tapes".

 

[LARams_1963]

Quote Roger Goodell: "I reviewed the tapes of the Patriots cheating in SB 36. I saw no cheating, so I went and destroyed the tapes".

I should have clarified. I meant a game by game fix by the refs/league. To determine the outcome of each, or any/many games.

 

[dieterbrock]

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.

100% agreed

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

"Over 2 minutes so no booth review" is such a stupid excuse one can only laugh.

Seriously. What a silly, arbitrary rule. You’d think the integrity of the game would be more important to them.

 

[kurtfaulk]

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.

I disagree on the sideline catches. It's usually pretty easy to tell if they got their feet in.

The difficult ones are the defenseless receiver calls. I have no idea if the player got hit on the head or chest/ shoulder. How do the refs know? They definitely need video assistance.

What I'm amazed with is how accurate their ball placement is when a player is down. They're usually spot on, which makes their 4th down spot yesterday more dubious. There's no way they can get it that wrong.

.

 

[FaulkSF]

I disagree on the sideline catches. It's usually pretty easy to tell if they got their feet in.

The difficult ones are the defenseless receiver calls. I have no idea if the player got hit on the head or chest/ shoulder. How do the refs know? They definitely need video assistance.

What I'm amazed with is how accurate their ball placement is when a player is down. They're usually spot on, which makes their 4th down spot yesterday more dubious. There's no way they can get it that wrong.

.

The sideline catches are easy when it’s officiated correctly. Closest official should have the feet in bounds, next closest should determine if a catch was made. That’s not always possible, but a great call was made on Puka and Kupp’s catch.

I feel defenseless receiver is easy. Does the defensive player try to wrap up, or does he try to punish or “clean up” a play? In other words, does the defender lead with the hands, or a helmet or forearm?

They have seven officials on the field and an on site replay booth in their ears. Generally speaking I agree, but on long plays and punts that go out of bounds you’ll often see a respotting of the ball, which is likely coming in from the booth. Weird they didn’t do that on the tush push.

 

[GoodBadUgly]

The sideline catches are easy when it’s officiated correctly. ..

I agree, they are easier than others. But what we saw happen to Tutu's TD against the Bengals (called correctly, then overturned with absolutely ZERO evidence) proves they can mess up anything.

 

[Kupped]

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.

I think it's just bad referees.

I mean.. which is it.. do they want parity or to favor certain teams?
The Rams had the worse record and were playing at home.. you'd think a parity model would support them getting calls.
A bias model would have the Steelers being pushed because of brand loyalty.

I just go with the shitty ref model.

 

[dieterbrock]

I think it's just bad referees.

I mean.. which is it.. do they want parity or to favor certain teams?
The Rams had the worse record and were playing at home.. you'd think a parity model would support them getting calls.
A bias model would have the Steelers being pushed because of brand loyalty.

I just go with the shitty ref model.

I dont think its necessarily bad referees as much as the game has just gotten too fast and frankly too many new rules in place.
On top of that, with the addition of legal betting, so many are watching now with more vested interest than ever, so every "Bad call" gets blasted on social media right away.
Fantasy is more attractive than reality to many, so I guess its more comforting to blame a loss on a conspiracy instead of just accepting the result

 

[RamDino]

I agree, they are easier than others. But what we saw happen to Tutu's TD against the Bengals (called correctly, then overturned with absolutely ZERO evidence) proves they can mess up anything.

If a player makes a great play, like Tutu did, give him the benefit of the doubt. Stop looking under a microscope to see if his shoelace touched the paint. I don't mind the reviews, but the player who made the great play should get the benefit of the doubt if the replay is inconclusive.

 

[Merlin]

I mean.. which is it.. do they want parity or to favor certain teams?

I think both. The league values parity and they know that. Not like there are memos out there directing them but I think their calls favor parity in general.

But they also seem to be influenced by situation or teams at times. They were all in with the Steelers in that game. No way they don't pick up that PI otherwise.

Also I agree too much is on them. All are true to some extent I think.

 

[Mackeyser]

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.

Don’t care.

We don’t have full on AI machine learning as part of the broadcast along with tons of Analytics and sensors and cameras every damn where for the game to be reliant on humans. Eyewitness observation is less than 50% reliable.

This is literally what all that tech is for

The only thing holding it back is the NFL

Takes too much time from the game? BS. The users (refs) take too damn long using it

I’m sorry if the refs can’t see the obvious stuff directly in front of them and even more sorry that they suck using the tech so basic, it could be sold by Playskool to discern the closer plays

Honestly, we see better and quicker reviews in security offices all over this country and if guys looking at potato cameras can do better for $15/hr at seeing infractions than NFL Refs… I venture to say that the refs are the problem

Sorry to be a grouch, but I’m so over the state of refs never truly being addressed

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

We are trying to make the refereeing better, and the league has started to hire female refs. Just think, they could hire the best male refs from college, but they have to hire women now, who have literally no experience at the job.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Don’t care.

We don’t have full on AI machine learning as part of the broadcast along with tons of Analytics and sensors and cameras every damn where for the game to be reliant on humans. Eyewitness observation is less than 50% reliable.

This is literally what all that tech is for

The only thing holding it back is the NFL

Takes too much time from the game? BS. The users (refs) take too damn long using it

I’m sorry if the refs can’t see the obvious stuff directly in front of them and even more sorry that they suck using the tech so basic, it could be sold by Playskool to discern the closer plays

Honestly, we see better and quicker reviews in security offices all over this country and if guys looking at potato cameras can do better for $15/hr at seeing infractions than NFL Refs… I venture to say that the refs are the problem

Sorry to be a grouch, but I’m so over the state of refs never truly being addressed

You say, "eyewitness observation is less than 50% reliable", so I think we agree to a certain extent.

As to the question of why the NFL doesn't fully embrace technology to get every call right? That's a separate question and I'm not sure what to think on that one. Why hasn't MLB embraced a fully automated strike zone yet? Why doesn't the NFL used GPS location technology with a chip on the football instead of this antiquated system of "eyeballing it" with a ten yard chain?

Perhaps the NFL thinks that controversy SELLS. Fans get up in arms every damn week about various calls. Might the NFL not be in a particular hurry to reduce the fallible human element? I don't know. I personally don't believe the NFL tries to "rig" games. I personally don't believe the NFL tries to "guide" or "steer" outcomes either. But does the NFL recognize that ratings might actually go UP with all the attention and fan engagement from all the constant debating and controversies surrounding close calls? I don't know. Maybe they do.

 

[Bootleg]

This would all be moot if McVay hadn't foolishly burned all his timeouts. So there is a system in place to catch some of these bad calls.

The referees are knuckle-headed goofs, just like you and me, trying their best to judge a game that is happening way too fast. They are in an impossible situation that inevitably leads to bad calls. It's baked in the cake.

So, don't put your team in a position where a bad call will cause a loss. Missed kicks, interceptions, empty sets, lackluster play after they went ahead in the 3rd....the Rams have no one but themselves to blame for the loss.

 

[norcalramfan]

And of course, Goodell and the owners have crawled into bed with gambling interests. But hey nothing to see here, no refs could ever be bought. Goodell knows there’s a problem and he’s fine with it. He’s a POS imho. Okay rant over.

 

[oldnotdead]

THESE AREN'T NEWBIE REFS. HOW COULD THEY GET IT RIGHT FOR YEARS THEN SUDDENLY WHEN LEGAL GAMING IS EMBRACED BY THE NFL THE OFFICIATING BECOMES A COMPLETE FARCE. THIS ISN'T WRESTLING. ITS NOT A SOAP OPERA. THERE IS NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO SHAVE POINTS WHERE THEY CAN TO CREATE A SPECIFIC OUTCOME. THE FACT IT HAPPENS IN EVERY GAME EVERY WEEK TELLS ME IT'S INTENTIONAL A BAD CREW OK. BUT ALL CREWS BAD ALL THE TIME?

HOW ANYONE CAN BELIEVE IT ISN'T INTENTIONAL IS BEYOND ME. THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. I USED TO WATCH OTHER GAMES MY WHOLE LIFE. BUT THIS YEAR I ONLY WATCH THE RAMS AND I'M RETURNING TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL. i DON'T BUY NFL GEAR ANYMORE BECAUSE I TIRED OF THE OBVIOUS CORRUPTION. IT BREAKS MY HEART.

CONGRESS NEEDS TO TAKE AWAY THEIR ANTI-TRUST EXEMPTION. THEY NOW FIT THE DEFINITION OF A CORRUPT CARTEL.

 

[XXXIVwin]

THESE AREN'T NEWBIE REFS. HOW COULD THEY GET IT RIGHT FOR YEARS THEN SUDDENLY WHEN LEGAL GAMING IS EMBRACED BY THE NFL THE OFFICIATING BECOMES A COMPLETE FARCE. THIS ISN'T WRESTLING. ITS NOT A SOAP OPERA. THERE IS NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO SHAVE POINTS WHERE THEY CAN TO CREATE A SPECIFIC OUTCOME. THE FACT IT HAPPENS IN EVERY GAME EVERY WEEK TELLS ME IT'S INTENTIONAL A BAD CREW OK. BUT ALL CREWS BAD ALL THE TIME?

HOW ANYONE CAN BELIEVE IT ISN'T INTENTIONAL IS BEYOND ME. THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. I USED TO WATCH OTHER GAMES MY WHOLE LIFE. BUT THIS YEAR I ONLY WATCH THE RAMS AND I'M RETURNING TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL. i DON'T BUY NFL GEAR ANYMORE BECAUSE I TIRED OF THE OBVIOUS CORRUPTION. IT BREAKS MY HEART.

CONGRESS NEEDS TO TAKE AWAY THEIR ANTI-TRUST EXEMPTION. THEY NOW FIT THE DEFINITION OF A CORRUPT CARTEL.

"Suddenly" the officiating has become a farce? I don't agree with that. How can people forget just how awful the officiating has been for years and years and years?

Remember the craziness of the "control to the ground" catch rules? That rule made the NFL nearly unwatchable. Dozens and dozens of games were decided by a crazy rule that was difficult to understand and wasn't enforced consistently and didn't make any sense! I honestly think the officiating in the NFL has dramatically improved compared to the dark days (approximately 2014 to 2018 or so?) with that "control through the ground" bullshit.

NFL: A receiver going to the ground can have control, take four steps, it's still not a catch

Maybe some day the NFL will have a catch rule that the fans can understand.

www.nbcsports.com

The Tuck rule? SB 36? The Dez Bryant non-catch? The list of questionable officiating calls goes on and on and on, it sure isn't limited to the last 2 years.

And the point shaving happens "in every game every week"? Wow, that's a whole lot of conspiracy going on. Remind me, who exactly is paying off whom? The NFL owners seem to be pretty greedy fellows who prefer to win and make money. Have those greedy owners suddenly decided to collaborate and "take turns" with the cheating? Does Robert Kraft say, "your Cowboys can cover the spread this time Jerry, but next time we meet it's my turn?" Seriously, just how would this collusion work with the greedy owners who all want their piece of the pie? How the heck is it decided which owners get to choose which games to fix? And who pays all that money to keep all those dozens and dozens of corrupt referees to keep quiet? And how have they all managed to keep silent so far?

If the corruption in the NFL is as blatant and as widespread and as lucrative as you say it is... sounds like the sport will be ruined soon enough. And then the owners will have killed the golden goose. They'd be awfully dumb to risk it all like that. Wouldn't they?