The Problem With Not Blowing The Whistle

This is NOT true. The rules have changed, and they are no longer basic. The longer you think that narrative the farther you will be from reality. They are trying to swallow their whistles more in these situations. This was mentioned in the first Bear’s preseason game. Don’t remember the exact specifics, but I remember them going on about it for a few minutes and said, expect to see a lot more of that in the regular season.

That said things evolve. If you don’t, you get left behind.

I was referring to how players approach the game. Obviously, Goodell has fucked this league up to the point it has very nearly lost its credibility.
Seems like every rule change is a new way to decide the outcomes via ref/NYC.

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Don’t agree what narrative either. But it’s common one. Plenty people agree with you on it.

I’m no fan of his either. He’s turning it into the NBA. Mahomes literally did the equivelant of an NBA flop on a play that drew a roughing call that would have been 4th and long, instead kept a TD drive alive. Players are being rewarded for flops, much inconsistency with holding and PI, it’s getting worse, and the more popular teams benefit…just like how Lebron flops when he literally doesn’t get touched and gets sent to the line 20 times/game. Ridiculous. Lots of folks, writers and analysts included think the league is losing credibility and ruining the game with flags.

I’m with you, man.

First, let me say, I like Nate. Not like that…
Politically, we butt heads (you know, I just noticed there are two ways that can be taken, “we buttheads”).
We have very similar opinions on game day.
That should worry the NFL.:joy:

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This is the point Ive been trying to make to my friends. While true that the whistle didnt blow, the reason ALL of the players stopped playing outside of the guy who ran it back, is because the players saw the refs milling about and wandering on the field. During a play thats questionable, you will see a line judge whose sole responsibility is to mark where the ball is. If there is a play where there is a possible change of possession, you will see a judge staring at the ball and sometimes even a nod that a play is still alive. When someone gets on the ball and starts running, the line judge runs with him in case he is tackled they know where to mark the ball.

During the game, and I was watching intently, the line judge walked onto the field, as if to indicate where a play was down. He went over and began talking to the 2 officials. Then they all 3 noticed a Chiefs player took off and was running down the field. They stood and watched. Watch the reply and look for the line judge to indicate TD. You won’t find him, because he was standing around the Chiefs 20yd line watching along with everyone else. This is why no player gave pursuit.

Im fine with the call being a fumble. Id say its debatable, but if thats the call so be it. However, by the refs own fault, the call should have been a touchback for the Chiefs and 1st down on their 25. The refs absolutely screwed the play up by their actions. Then in an effort to not have happen what happened in New Orleans, they took the cowards way out and claimed the play was running the whole time. If it was, then you should be fined for not doing your job and following the play. However, we all know the NFL is literally making shit up as they go, and they have been for some time. Refs are all under paralysis by analysis, and basically pray to the god of Instant Replay to call the game for them.

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100% correct.

Tinfoil hat time…
Gamepass all-22. First 2 pics are from the sideline. These are literally 1 frame apart. Like, you see the guy reaching in the pile and it instantly goes to him downfield. Same with the endzone view (the 3rd and 4th pic).

The third picture I couldve taken from my vantage point. The ref on the far right by the Lions S is the sideline judge. He was the one responsible for walking in and marking the ball down location. He had walked onto the field, and was standing there watching the show. If the ball was live, he shouldve been staying on the sideline, and then running downfield following the ball carrier. Its clear in the pictures, he was not. The On Field Official is the ref standing next to Stafford. He followed the play for about 10 yards, and then the officials began congregating and trying to figure out what the hell to do.

One thing you won’t see, is the official indicating touchdown. They decided that later during the on field announcement. Why? Because then its a scoring play which A means no challenge flag can be thrown (Jim Schwartz rule) and B that it becomes automatically reviewed.

This is just one example of many of terrible officiating affecting a game. If the sideline judge had stayed on the side in his position, players wouldve kept playing. The fact the officials had come in to talk, is why the players stopped. The Chiefs player did what he was trained to do, and kudos to him for doing so, but I can’t fault the players for stopping when the officials themselves had stopped. Had Golladay picked up the Chiefs player and slammed him down, it wouldve been considered a cheap shot, started a fight and a certain 15 yard flag. The officials took the game out of the players hands, as we are seeing all across the NFL.

The refs didnt screw the Lions. The NFL is screwing the fans and teams by not being able to enforce the rules to a standard that everyone understands. Every sports league has bad/blown calls or controversial judgement calls. Only the NFL has multiple cases of it in nearly every single game, and certainly every single week. Even the NFL rules “experts” who are supposed to explain calls to the public, get it wrong more than 50% of the time and outright admitting they don’t understand why a call was made.

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During the Rams/Seahawks game there was a fumble without a whistle. I cant remember exactly but it was clear the play was over, guy was down. No whistle. Other team picked up the ball and someone unloaded on him. Huge hit in the back, guys head snapped back. Its complete BS and someone is going to get injured because guys are picking up the ball and no one knows if its really a live ball or not.

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That may be what it takes for them to change the rule, unfortunately. Golliday should have lit that dude up on the 1 yd line and/or went for the forced fumble punch.

But if he’d cost us 15 yards because of it (especially if Kerryon had been down), he would have been vilified by the media and fans, it was truly a lose-lose situation.

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I’d coach my guys to be villains in victory over failure in defeat.

I agree with you, but it is the league’s fault.

I expect they’re not coached to be villains or heroes, but to make the smart play. And that particular situation Golladay found himself in made it difficult to know what the smart play was.

NFL & Goodell ‘could’ change it by telling officials “you got away with it before…now you won’t !”
“you are paid officials and you will call the game by the rules every game for each and every team correctly from here on out OR you will be subject to fines and job termination.”

Thing is, he doesn’t care, UNTIL gross injuries start occurring and his ass is in the line of fire, about what HE himself is going to do about it. Until then, he’s a smarmy ego filled jackass that’s happy filling his pockets.

The idea is that WHEN THERE IS DOUBT, swallow the whistle and let it play out. What the refs did in Rams vs Saints is blow a whistle that had very little reason to do so. It was pretty clear it was a fumble, but at the very least the players kept playing initially because they didn’t know either. They over corrected in our game. Let’s be honest, they were begging for it to happen in our game. The chance to get redemption and have it go against a stupid team like the Lions made their dicks hard. It was the perfect situation where they could not lose. Put them in the same situation in week 4, but it’s against the Cowboys? There is no way they make that call.