I’ve got to say I agree. I really don’t want to watch like I used to.
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Of course it is. This is what happens when you dont have a standard enforcement of rules, and instead you have a bunch of guys making shit up on the fly, then nitpicking the most stupid of details, then turning around and blowing a completely blatant penalty.
I know its a very Lions-ish fan thing to do to blame refs for penalties, but I think its clear that there are other teams getting worked over at a regular rate now. One thing Ive always wondered, I know the Lions arent a premiere team. Duh, right? Now, we think the Lions get jobbed because they are the Lions. What if, the Lions arent getting jobbed because they are Detroit, they are getting jobbed because they get stuck with the bottom of the barrel for officials? The NFL tries to put the best officials for the biggest games. Well, we arent in those.
Now, what have we seen happening the past 3 or 4 years? Officials are retiring and turning into analysts and commentators. The NFL is bringing in new guys. The new guys, are terrible. Now, even in the biggest games, youve got terrible officiating blowing obvious calls, and bigger named teams are bitching up a storm. Now, its a story that applies to the NFL
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It’s not the refs, it’s the league. The more complicated you make it, and the more judgement you put on someone in a split second, the more mistakes you are going to have.
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Yes, but when the league is the one making, and changing directions, it also shows that the NFL may not be “fixed” but its not far from it. The fact NFL refs are basically told to wait until the NFL offices make a call, you lose any sense or propriety that the league isnt hand holding games
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The rules aren’t complicated, you just have to understand what the rules are.
Rule #1 - In order for the teams in LA to make money, they need to be winners.
Rule #2 - Make sure the teams in LA are winners.
Seems pretty straight forward to me.
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First thing they need to do is make them full time officials. Then make them study film and teach them what is and isn’t a penalty. Fine them for bad calls. However, they need to be full time employees, first and foremost
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The Lions have had their share of really bad calls:
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The Samkon Gado fumble/holding in the endzone should have been a safety no matter what.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUW8nVZIFi8&feature=player_embedded -
If it wasn’t interference, it was definitely holding by Hitchens on Pettigrew in the playoff game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH6ZhvNnB9Y
Plus, Antonio Bryant going on the field without a penalty was unsportsmanlike conduct. -
On the 4th down conversion, Suh was blatantly held in the same playoff game.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/01/06/detroit-lions-dallas-cowboys-ndamukong-suh-hold -
The bad call that led to the Calvin Johnson rule. That was a TD catch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRQqN6UsRys -
Nevin Lawson 66 yard pass interference call.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/29/nevin-lawson-nfl-told-lions-66-yard-pass-interference-was-incorrect-call/
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Dez Bryant, but yes absolutely. Guy ran onto the field and touched an official. This was just as egregious. And lets not forget… THERE WAS A PENALTY CALLED. They picked up the flag… So they made the right call, and someone overruled it. That game was fixed, and the only redemption here is that they were equally jobbed when Dez Bryant got Calvin Johnson’d in Lambeau
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Even though is was largely a meaningless game during Dick Jauron’s tenure as interim head coach, the Samkon Gado one bothers me more than 3, 4, or 5.
If the Lions only declined the holding penalty because it was ruled intentional grounding, then why couldn’t the Lions have accepted the penalty (still a safety), when the ruling was changed?
Total hometown screw job.
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Exactly.
And on top of it, the League, fans, and media can instantly scrutinise your opinions and judgement with magnified, multi-angle, slow motion, replay to see if u got it wrong.
There have been some undeniably egregious misses though. This has very little to do with replaying what they missed.
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Expert officials - professionals. It’s been talked about for decades. Zero good reasons against the idea, and hundreds of blown calls that say they should.
People become NFL officials by being football fans. Who, outside of Detroit, are football fans? These dudes HAVE “jobbed the Lions.”
Sure, there are bad calls all over the place, but which teams receive the brunt of it. Does it look even when we play GB? Dallas?
Not close!
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How about the Seattle Game bat out of the back of the end zone and the Roughing call that led to the Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary play. Those are 2 more recent ones that still bother me.
I believe those 2 losses that year kept us out of the playoffs.
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I have always hated the Phantom Roughing call blow to head on Rodgers The hand never hit him
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Dude literally turned his own helmet sideways and faked it/acted. I was PISSED
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Tru dat. Some calls are just terrible, and lord knows we have experience with more than our fair share over years.
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While interpretation has become a bigger part of their job, now they have replay and contested penalty calls as what should be a penalty and have all the time in the world to get it right. THAT’s what is so incredibly frustrating for me as a fan. The Saints have been getting jobbed for whatever reason lately. Too bad, all any of us want is an even playing field.
Yote! I was hoping you would find your way over here.
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I would suggest that making rules to help officials takes the common sense out of what should be a simple call. When Calvin catches a TD, lands on two feet, lands on his butt and then only knocks the ball out as he is getting up is not a catch due to this ridiculous nonsense common sense is lost. Defensive players getter called for roughing the passer for simply hitting the QB is ridiculous. Trying to protect QB’s is a good thing in general, but these ridiculous calls that don’t take into account how a DE is supposed to stop all of his momentum and still make a play?
It is far past time for full time officials who can still move and get in position to make calls. We have too many officials that were never athletes and don’t seem able to comprehend how a player moves. Pushing off slightly is a problem as any normal athlete pushes a little to free their arms and hands to make a play and avoid being held.