N.F.L. Admits Officiating Mistakes in Title Games

New York Times Blogs ^ | January 28, 2010 | TONI MONKOVIC

[PilotDave]

Worst Officiating I've seen in a long time. Overtime was particularily bad. Makes you say hmmmmmm....

[AGreatPer]

"and Pereira said McCary should have been flagged for getting Favre in the lower leg."

We all called that here on FR.

Heck the USA called it on TV, but NO, they saw nothing.

[VeniVidiVici]

On a Favre interception against the Saints, Remi Ayodele hit Favre high while Bobby McCray hit him low, and Pereira said McCary should have been flagged for getting Favre in the lower leg.

I don't watch a lot of football but watched this one. Some of the calls made to "protect the quarterback" were just BS. Play the freaking game.

Then they had this hi/lo hit on Favre, I was sure a flag had been thrown. No flag. Man, these guys are idiots.

[PilotDave]

Yeah, I thought the guy who went low should have been ejected. There was clearly a bounty on Farve...

[Dead Corpse]

Not as fake as wrestling, but getting closer every season.

[carton253]

If the shoe was on the other foot, I’m sure no one in Minnesota would have saw anything either.

[PilotDave]

But having N.O. in the superbowl after Katrina will be such a feel good story. I wonder if that was part of the Lousiana purchase. “You know Mary, we could maybe help your Saints into the superbowl if you just vote for healthcare.”

[Canedawg]

The NFL fined the dude $5000 for hitting the Jets’ sanchez late. It wasnt even flagged and it was blatant.

Had it been Manning, it would have been a 25 yard penalty and a $20,000 fine.

[Dead Corpse]

Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. It’d tick me off something fierce, but that is no longer surprising either...

[byteback]

I agree it wasn't good. 1st half the refs looked like they were all going for Favre to win. Some horrible PI calls. Then it evened out.

[WatchOutForSnakes]

Yeah, the refs made the Vikings turn the ball over 5 times. Awfully nice of the Vikings to participate in the conspiracy.

I thought the officiating in the first half was all in favor of the Vikes. The only call I thought was questionable was the pass interference call in OT. And if I remember correctly that was on first down so the Saints still might have done something there to get into field goal range anyway.

[VicVega]

"so the Saints still might have done something there to get into field goal range anyway.

Or scored a touchdown. It's what Brees had been doing all year.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Bad officiating is all part of the game and which makes sports as it is.

I'm sure people want instant video cameras to reduce the quality of play and prolong the game by an hour right.

[murron]

I can’t believe all the whining about the Saints beating Minnesota. I can’t tell you how many games the Saints would have won over the years if it wouldn’t have been for bad calls against them. There were horrible calls in the first half that went against the Saints. I thought the refs were trying to give the game to the Vikes. All I hear is sore losers. But this is from the land of Al Franken. What can we expect?

[Ingtar]

They did not in the same game when Brees was hit just as low.

[John W]

25?

[Canedawg]

lol

A slight exaggeration.

But if manning got hit like that you know he’d be crying like a little girl who got sand in her bathing suit.

[dalereed]

“There was clearly a bounty on Farve...”

Nothing new, we did that in high school 55 years ago.

[Huck]

Not as fake as wrestling, but getting closer every season.

It's actually faker than wrestling. At least wrestling is accepted for what it is--scripted entertainment.

[ScottfromNJ]

As Chuck Noll once said, “you have to play better than the refs”