NFL: No flags on officials

Mike Pereira, NFL senior vice president of officiating, agreed with all the controversial calls made by the officials during the Ravens' 27-24 Monday night loss to New England.

[Jimmy Swift]

By rule, only the head coach or a player is allowed to call a timeout," .. The Refs should follow the rule book . They could have taken 5 or 10 minutes to discuss it (like the Browns Feild Goal ) determined that Billick didn't call the time out, and not allowed the Time Out . Presto Changeo " Ravens Win. After All isn't "getting It Right " the important thing ?

[Jimmy Swift]

Since only The Head Coach can call a Time Out from the bench , and he didn't doesn't that mean that the Ref called the Time Out that gave The Patriots the game ?

[OldNavyChief]

For the first time since they snuck out of town I think I'll root for the Mayflowers this week. After the childish and undisciplined behavior demonstrated against the Patriots, the Ravens really don't deserve much support. It was good to see that #110 was exonerated by the NFL. Let's hope the fines are more than a slap on the wrist. The game was much more enjoyable watching the "blue and white" play on 33rd St.

[Dale Wills]

The excuse that they are giving about the timeout,,,can't tell who is calling it,,,is stupid. If they are not going to follow a rule, then change the rule..and don't keep bringing that both are black,,makes a person think it would have been different if they weren't....It shouldn't,,,it never should

[JOE GREEN]

I WOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED ANY LESS FROM THE VP, THEY WILL PROTECT THEIR OWN. BUT TO "TWEAK" THE RULES, RESULTED IN JUST WHAT WE USE TO CALL A " DO OVER" WHEN WE WERE KIDS. THESE GUYS ARE NOT KIDS, THIS IS A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY, YOU DON'T BEND THE RULES TO HELP OTHER TEAMS TO WIN. AND DON'T TELL ME THEY DON'T KNOW BILLICK FROM AN ASSISTANT COACH. IF THE PATRIOTS GO ALL THE WAY, THIS TIEING OF THE RECORD SHOULD HAVE AN * OVER IT.

[MobtownManiac]

The rule is that only the head coach can call a TO, but they've instructed officials that last-second TOs should be granted no matter who calls them. So, per the NFL official, a waterboy could walk past the ref & scream for the TO & it would get called.

Great system, guys. How about you pony up the dough for some full-time refs & stop screwing around with this Mickey Mouse setup?

[SellPete]

What a surprise that the refs side with their own! The refs didn't lose the game for the Ravens and the Ravens need to fix their "perception" problem. That being said, Mr. Pereira needs to stop talking out of both sides of his mouth.

It was "better to get the call right" than to apply the rules for the Cleveland field goal, but didn't care that they didn't get the call right with Ryan's time out.

It is better for the ref to walk away from controversey, but "sometimes it's hard to do that." There is no excuse for a ref not walking away just like there is no excuse for a player not walking away--except of course, the player gets penalized.

How about some consistency?

[Cornell]

MobtownManiac wrote:

The rule is that only the head coach can call a TO, but they've instructed officials that last-second TOs should be granted no matter who calls them. So, per the NFL official, a waterboy could walk past the ref & scream for the TO & it would get called.
Great system, guys. How about you pony up the dough for some full-time refs & stop screwing around with this Mickey Mouse setup?

You get alot of Cool Points for that!!1 Well Said!~!

[Unbelievable]

I can't believe there isn't more national scrutiny over this mickey-mouse explanation from the VP. Holding is a judgement call and probably should have been called on that play, but as people have noted the time out is ridiculous - either stick to the rule as it is written or don't make it up! This is why timeouts always used to be called on the field. STICK TO THE RULES!! Show me evidence for a precedent here where assistants have called time-outs earlier this season. No matter what the rule needs to be changed.

[Sick of Fans]

Multi-million? Try multi-billion. There's a lot more to why the Ravens lost...like the Ravens themselves, for example, but the refs have been ridiculously bad all year. I'm not just talking games involving the Ravens, either. Watch the Browns game last weekend in Arizona. Remember the Super Bowl XL. No game is safe from highly debated calls. There are too many weird loopholes leaving tons of margin for error.

Maybe it's because there are too many rules. Maybe the rules are too soft. Maybe it's because the refs have all the power. Whatever it is, it's ruining football. I'm so disgusted with the NFL and it's dismantling of the game. Pereira has to defend the situation, and it's not like it matters in the end. The game's over. One team wins. One team loses. It's not like they're going to replay a game. Pereira said that the PI flag on Heap in week 1 was the wrong call. Of course, he's sitting in New York, and penalties aren't reviewable, so game over. Maybe penalties should be reviewed from above. Every game is being reviewed live from NFL headquarters. There's a big room full of officiating analysts. The officiating is under a microscope, but penalties can't be challenged from above? Even when those people watching the refs are aware that it was a bad call? Maybe they should. Of course, then every game would be 5 hours instead of 3. But wait. Then they could make more money from commercials! Ha.

Anyway, we give the NFL so much money in merchandising, ticket sales, concessions, etc. We give them countless hours of our time, and yet we're still at a point where the NFL can't minimize the negative effect that refereeing has on the game. I don't have the answers, and I have a feeling we'll never see much difference because the refs are human, and judgment is too easily swayed by outside factors like emotion, idiocy, fear, criticism, etc. Refs barking back at players shows that. I'm sure Samari provoked the ref, but the ref got emotionally involved and he shouldn't. These guys are human, so don't expect anything to change.

I'm going to support my team, but it's really getting hard to support the corporation we know as the NFL. I'm just sick of seeing so many ridiculous calls year after year, team by team, game by game. It's the nature of the sport, but it's just so awful at the professional level...and that's sad, because it's worse everywhere else. Ha.

[Teapot]

Pereira said an official can't recognize whether it's the head coach or an assistant asking for a timeout if the official is watching the snap of the ball.

"Common sense says we're going to grant it to whoever calls it," Pereira said.

This has got to be dumbest thing I've ever heard of "Official's can't recognize whether it's the head coach or and assistant." Maybe next time Coaches are required to wear a name tag and their title on their chest. How in the world would you not know who the coaches are, don't the Officials go around or at least get familiar with who is who? I tell you what maybe next time I will climb down onto the field grab a headset and call the time hopefully they wouldn't grant it to me. Head chief of the refs just don’t want to admit it since it they don’t want to look stupid, practice what you preach. This goes for every game not just the Ravens.

[Cornell]

The just goes so show they don't abide by the rules. To later say you may need to adjust something means there is something wrong with the system. Sounds like Billicks double talk. Sounds like, "Cover my A** and I'll Cover yours ". The V.P. is a mouth piece for his own interest. I'd be asking that Squad, "How much did you bet on this one"? Two games had imcomplete pass calls for the exact same play and VP mouthpiece said they got those right. Which one is it? Gabbney was bobbling all the way. Movement of the ball is considered a incomplete pass period. I'd like to see him face to face and tell him, "Listen, Boy, You don't have clue as to what your doing". Time to put this one to rest. It's fallen on the deaf, dumb, and obviouly blind who seem to have an agenda. The head coach is the only person allowed by rule to call a time, so if you allow the field officials to alter that in the last minute why is that not in the rule book. Making up rules as you go along is not a good business practice. You can't go into any court of law with that arguement and win. The fans of all clubs expect better. Unless their winning of course! I need a bull horn at the next game! Time out! Time out! Oops my bad!

[Ken Myers]

Did any of you Ravens fans expect otherwise from the No Fun League with them clearing the officials? I didn't. Expect the huge fines to come in with the comments after the game Monday night. I wonder what the NFL would do if one of the players that will probably get fined took them to court with a Constitutional lawyer to get the fine dismissed over the First Amendment of the US Constitution-Freedom of Speech. They and every other professional league would crap their pants if this happened.

[NC Ravenfan]

I thought it was interesting the the VP said ALL the calls were right ones including the TD catch. They were only the RIGHT calls if you are trying to help the Patriots remain undefeated. I TIVO'd the game and I saw several defensive plays by the Patriots that were much more flagrant than the ones called on the Ravens. But not a yellow flag was thrown. And there was a major clip committed when the Pats were had a huge running play, The ref was right there - again - no flag. So don't tell me ALL the plays were called correctly. He should have said ALL the calls favored the Pats, thus, by definition, correct!

[Cornell]

JOE GREEN wrote:

I WOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED ANY LESS FROM THE VP, THEY WILL PROTECT THEIR OWN. BUT TO "TWEAK" THE RULES, RESULTED IN JUST WHAT WE USE TO CALL A " DO OVER" WHEN WE WERE KIDS. THESE GUYS ARE NOT KIDS, THIS IS A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY, YOU DON'T BEND THE RULES TO HELP OTHER TEAMS TO WIN. AND DON'T TELL ME THEY DON'T KNOW BILLICK FROM AN ASSISTANT COACH. IF THE PATRIOTS GO ALL THE WAY, THIS TIEING OF THE RECORD SHOULD HAVE AN * OVER IT.

I really don't think they will enjoy that situation as much as the past ones. If they have a conscious? That goes for Belichick on down! Bragging rights don't seem to have the same affect when you no you didn't play by all the rules. But with the powers that be, that may soften the blow! It has been made easy to cheat in all of todays sports. There should be hermits' after this season.

[John]

Could not agree more! I knew all along the NFL would back the officials. So, I guess because the ref said one thing and Samari said something else, the ref has to be telling the truth? I also find it amusing how he excuses the ref for not walking away but holds the players to a higher standard. This league is a joke! The rules apply when it's convenient for them. I have seen Brady berate officials many times this season and not once did he get flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

[Bo Didley]

I agree with you SellPete. Just more No Fun League hypocrisy. And I agree that Billick needs to stop blaming the refs for his coaching inadequacies that continually lose them games.I don't get all the boo hooing over the timeout. The Ravens called it regardless of the individual, and if Brady had made the first down and then the timeout was given, then everyone would be talking about what a great move it was to get the right personnel on the field. I give Rex Ryan a lot of credit for standing up and admitting he called it and being prepared to take all of the undeserved heat for it. His head coach needs to be able to do that.

The Ravens played a great 55 minutes. The offense just needed a first down or two at the end to put the game away, but suddenly Billick decides to go vanilla with the play calling and to take the game completely out of Boeller's hands which is what got them to that point to start with. Once again, Billick outsmarted himself. A couple first downs to milk the clock and the game never would have come down to who called the timeout, phantom holding calls, bobbled TD catches,or Bart Scott's meltdown. Let's put the blame right where it belongs. Billick's pathetic play calling during the Raven's last possesion.

[Jiminy Cricket]

I love this. If the timeout WAS NOT granted, and the stop WAS NOT made, You'd be whining about that. You guys are a bunch of big whiny crybabies...BABIES BABIES BABIES....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Typical Ravens Fan1]

Wah! Wah! I'm a Raven's fan. Wah! I'm a cry baby just like the team I root for. Wah! Where's my binky? Wah!

[jeremiah]

I admit the calls made at the end of the game were not all bogus. But come on. How many free chances did they get in a row?
Bart Scott explained there was tension growing throughout the game because of non calls of offensive pass interference the Pats always run in the form of pick plays and push offs with the helmet and chest, instead of the more obvious extended arm. They pointed it out before the game to the refs and during the game they felt dismissed when attempting to point it out. The play that Brady made on 4th down with his feet would have been converted anyway by a really suspect call on Rolle "contacting" Moss down field, when Moss put his helmet in his chest and dove on him like an open field tackle. Rolle grabbed on for safety while on his way to the ground. If Brady had been stopped a yard short, there really would be a S storm of controversy. Let it happen to the Steelers this week and watch how different the media runs with it.
I can see calling the illegal contact on Winborne that saved the game for them, but they did not even get that call accurate. He did not hold him, grab him or re-route the guy, so they could at least get the accurate terminology on the ticky tack call.
The calls that really bothered me were the non calls for offensive interference when Moss stiff armed C-Mack right before he dropped another TD.
The obvious block in the back on Bart that sprung Maroney to set up the go ahead drive.
The blatant holding that happened on Barnes on almost every pass rush including the 4th quarter sack.
The multiple pimp slaps upside Boller's fragile dome, in the pocket, including the TD to Mason and big play to Darling.
Yeah they let Mason get away with offensive interference on the last play of the game as a make up call, but by then it was already 13-4 in penalties and NE had one or two false starts.
Maybe the Ravens earned the rep of the modern day Raiders for the melt down in the Malice in the Heart fiasco orchestrated by Mike Carey, the only official with x-ray vision but can't understand the rules of football. Perhaps the fact that the officiating and complaining is the lead story about one of the best played football games I ever saw, will force the refs to give us a more fair shake next time around.