[TexRef]

And before the most rabid of you start hurling personal insults against the officials, remember that a lot of Freepers are sports officials (including yours truly) and we do happen to take it a little personally. (Save your insults for people who really deserve them like Chucky and Hitlery!)

BTW, if you've never officiated before and think it's soooo easy, go to Start Officiating and become an official yourself!

[Tall_Texan]

We could have avoided the controversy if the replay official's buzzer was a 30-volt probe stuck up the referee's ass. At least then, if he buzzed the ref, 70,000 fans would all know it happened!

[Rodney King]

Cleveland must have gone for Gore. Just like the democraps are upset that all their efforts at fraud did not win them the presidency, these sore losers are upset that they did not win on a technicality after what was clearly an incomplete pass.

[BluesDuke]

Well, now I know why violent crime goes down in the United States over fall weekends: all the thugs are at or in the football games.

[HelgaHawk]

Ugh, ugh, UGH! The nerve!! This definitely is NOT the first time the zebras screw up a call, and it will most likely NOT be the last. I am so sick of this 'can't do no wrong' attitude regarding officiators. They make mistakes just like anyone else. Where I have absolutely NO RESPECT for them is when they cover their hineys so that they don't have to face the music and ADMIT THAT THEY SCREWED UP. They are not gods, they are not perfect. As far as I'm concerned, I wish they would go on strike again. I'm sure this kind of CRAP would not have happened with the replacement refs. At least they were trying to get things right.

[Big E]

Does anyone actually have the official NFL rules? I looked on their website, and all they have is a "rules digest", and a disclaimer which says that any discrepancies between the digest and the official rules will always be decided in favor of the official rules, which are apparently over 100 pages long. I couldn't find it anywhere else.

Without the actual rules, I can't say one way or the other if they made the right call or not. But I'm not going to just take the word of the NFL that's what the rule book says. I think the ref screwed up, didn't stop play before the subsequent snap, and then tried to fix the mistake by making up the rule on the fly. Since there was a riot, the NFL sure as hell isn't going to come out now and say the ref made a mistake, they're going to cover for him.

I'd love to read exactly what the rule book says about replay and when it can be done.

[classygreeneyedblonde]

DID U SEE THAT ...........IT HAPPENED AGAIN

[jeremiah]

The referee allowed the play to take place

End of story, the play took place, the officials didn't stop the play before, therefore the replay cannot be reviewed. It is simple. The intentions of the refs aren't the point, they blew it big time.

[RichInOC]

Ref, I'm not going to get into a urinating match with you on this. I'm not even a Browns fan. But until I see the rules that say otherwise, I'm sticking with my first take, based on what I saw and my understanding of the rules. And that understanding is that the officials cannot review a play after the next play has been run. Period. No matter whether a coach or the replay official calls for one. Not even if the ref thinks he got the page before the play. Not even if it's the last two minutes of the game and the offense is running no-huddle and spiking the ball. No exceptions. I saw another play start and end before McAulay reviewed the Morgan catch. I can't unsee what I saw. I'm not calling Pereira, McAulay and their colleagues liars. I am saying that what they say happened is not what I saw happen. It doesn't matter whether McAulay made the right call on review, because under the rules, he never should have been under the hood in the first place.

[discostu]

Sorry TR but they were wrong. The league can say they did right forever and I won't believe them. If a coach hits the buzzer to review a play and the ref doesn't do anything until the next play happens the coach is SOL, we shouldn't have a double system. This opens the door to all kinds of stupidity, how many plays can happen inbetween a ref challenged play and when the challenge takes place? The answer for coaches challenges is ZERO and until sunday that was the answer for refs and it should be the answer. They were wrong. Plain and simple. A play had occured therefore the previous play could not be reviewed and in doing that review they broke the rules.

[Bikers4Bush]

You're certainly welcome to your opinion however I don't buy the NFL's excuses.

Having seen the replay countless times the ball was caught, two steps were taken and the receiver was hit forcing a fumble which luckily landed back in his arms.

In addition if you watch the replay of the next play where Couch spikes the ball and you isolate (as they have done on the news for us here in Cleveland) the Head ref and Line Judge they CLEARLY do not look down at their buzzers until AFTER the play has already been run. What the booth says at that point is a non-issue. The play WAS run and run BEFORE the refs were notified.

In addition this was a young inexperienced crew sent to officiate this game. The calls from the outset were bad, missed, and in error. That game was beyond their control from the first whistle. Had you been there and seen the cheap shots, holding, illegal contact etc. that wasn't shown on the t.v. you might have a better understanding as to why what happened happened.

We pay to watch two teams play, not a bunch of refs make a name for themselves. It's time for these guys to go full time during the season and take their function seriously. They don't know the rules and in some cases make them up as they go along.

One last thing. If what they did was correct (as you've stated) why wasn't the time used by the Browns to run the spike play added back onto the clock after the review?

Why? Because the officials didn't know what the hell they were doing. That's why.

[Benrand]

If the officials had NOT reviewd that call, it would have been a foul against Jax. Pissy Cleveland fans, big surprise.

Any surprise since Butch "Miami" Davis started coaching the Clowns, all these players are getting arrested for drugs and guns? Nope...

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chi-townChief]

Bottom line #1:
The behavior of the few Browns' fans who got out of hand can't be excused; bottles should never be tossed onto the field. I'm sure a few of these guys received visits from Cleveland's Finest this week.

Bottom line #2:
The refs and the NFL with their arrogance and attempt at a cover-up definitely pulled a Clinton; the referees should be suspended for at least half of next season and the NFL should come clean about instant replay.