Awful Call in Pats game

[Chief.]

Anybody watching the Pats, Falcons game? Falcons QB dove forward headfirst over the first down marker, the refs call that he stepped out of bounds!

This is more ridiculous Patriots favortism and I'm sure I have Atlanta fans to back me up on this.

[See Red]

Yeah... I wouldn't go as far as to call it favoritism, but it could've been.

He really wasn't close to the line and the ref was RIGHT there. If that ref can't make THAT correct call 2 feet in front of him, he's got no business being a referee at any level

[Chief.]

You're right, It might just be the stupidity of the referee, but it's still terrible.

[Cujo]

Yeah, saw that one too. The refs blew that one. Schaub for sure had the 1st.

[infrared41]

That's the biggest problem with the NFL. The refs always play far too large a role in the game. I didn't see it but I'm sure the Falcons got screwed. The refs always screw someone in an NFL game.

[Cujo]

The Falcons got screwed on that call, but I dunno if it had any impact on the final outcome. The Pats would probably would have won either way the the call went.

[ROCHitman]

Patriots favortism

I wouldn't call it that. If the official made a mistake then that's exactly it...he made a mistake. I haven't seen the play in question yet so I'm not passing my judgement along.

The refs always screw someone in an NFL game.

No, the teams screw themselves throughout the game. It justs SEEMS like it's the officiating crew's fault cause fans are to simple minded to remember what has transpired throughout the game.

For instance, you team could have given up a crucial sack on 3rd down leading to 3pts rather the 7 you would gotten had the sack not occurers. The next drive, you think the ref scewed your team with a bad a call. Game ends and your team loses by 3. Hey remember that sack your team gave up?? There's THE reason your team lost. Fans don't remember that stuff becasue it's so easy to blame the officiating.

You guys know me. I'll stand up for officials not matter the case as I am an official myself. However, I have noticed several critical mistakes in NFL games this season and many of my football officiating bretheren have noticed the same.

[STL FANATIC]

The Falcons got screwed on that call, but I dunno if it had any impact on the final outcome. The Pats would probably would have won either way the the call went.

I don't know where on the field, what point in the game the call occured, or whether the Falcons went on to get the first on that drive.

Depending on those, the call may or may not have impacted the game. I'll say that if the Falcons did not end up with a first on that drive, then the game very possibly could have gone the other way with the Pats just barely winning (again).

Who knows though. Bad calls do usually go both ways (some are bigger than others though), and it's always tough to speculate how the rest of a game would have gone if the call had gone the other way.

[TFoA]

The reason we lost is due to the fact that we allowed the Patriots to somehow get out of a 1st and 25 hole at their own 12, and basically let them poke us in the bootyhole the length of the field so Vinateri could hit the field goal.

But you can't say that the missed call didn't help

[NJTank]

The refs love the Patriots they give them every call now for 5 years, I think the Refs are gonna start wearing Patriotrs Blue Silver and Red soon.

[slapshot]

It's really sad to see all this anti-Boston/New England conspiracy crap thrown around just because one those teams wins a game. Red Sox win? Favoritism. Patriots win? Refs on the take.

Bullplop. All these games that people claim are won by the Patriots due to the officials' help were within the grasp of the opponent to win. From the Snow Bowl against Oakland to today's game against the Falcons, the opponents have had plenty of opportunities to win the game, only they sit back and complain about one call that doesn't go their way.

Atlanta didn't lose because of a bad spot (no, he wasn't out-of-bounds). Atlanta lost because they let the Patriots drive to inside the 20 in the last minute of the game. Atlanta also lost because two periods were dominated by the Patriots.

The Patriots won despite the fact they shot themselves in the foot with all the offensive penalties. Twice on the same drive the Patriots had made a first down only to have it nullified due to a penalty.

Didn't Atlanta watch game footage from the San Diego game last week? Would that be a good game plan to follow?

And Tank, if the refs start wearing red, blue and silver, that must make them Giants fans as well.

[Andy]

I don't think you can argue that a bad call doesn't change the pace or outcome of a game. Maybe not every bad call ever, but every now and then it can and it does. I don't know about this one because I haven't seen it.

My take on the issue is that as a team, it shows a lot of integrity to battle through bad calls and still win a game, and to take them in stride when they contribute to a loss. If you complain about them, you're just being a crybaby.

[NJTank]

This whole dynasty was created by the phonest call in the history of professional sports tuck my ass that was a FUMBLE!!!!.

[Cujo]

This whole dynasty was created by the phonest call in the history of professional sports tuck my ass that was a FUMBLE!!!!.

The refs screwed the Raiders out of that game, and that Raider team could and won a Super Bowl.

[infrared41]

Patriots favortism

I wouldn't call it that. If the official made a mistake then that's exactly it...he made a mistake. I haven't seen the play in question yet so I'm not passing my judgement along.

The refs always screw someone in an NFL game.

No, the teams screw themselves throughout the game. It justs SEEMS like it's the officiating crew's fault cause fans are to simple minded to remember what has transpired throughout the game.

For instance, you team could have given up a crucial sack on 3rd down leading to 3pts rather the 7 you would gotten had the sack not occurers. The next drive, you think the ref scewed your team with a bad a call. Game ends and your team loses by 3. Hey remember that sack your team gave up?? There's THE reason your team lost. Fans don't remember that stuff becasue it's so easy to blame the officiating.

You guys know me. I'll stand up for officials not matter the case as I am an official myself. However, I have noticed several critical mistakes in NFL games this season and many of my football officiating bretheren have noticed the same.

All I am saying is that the refs in the NFL do more to control a game than the officials in any other sport. I watched UCLA/Cal yeserday and there were a bunch of long touchdown runs. In the NFL at least 2/3 of them would have been called back for some stupid penalty. Think about it. What's the first thing an announcer says in an NFL game when there's a long kickoff return or a long run? No Flags. Why? Because in the NFL you expect any long play to be called back. NFL officials don't let the players play. They are involved way too much.

Defend them if you want but I still say they are by far the worst officials in all of sports. Not because they aren't good but because they are too big a part of every NFL game.

[NJTank]

Funny an Ohio State mentions bad refs in football cough 2003 Fiesta Bowl cough

[slapshot]

Jeffrey Maier

Chuck Knoblauch

[NJTank]

What about Chuck Knoblauch?

[slapshot]

I can't remember the year, it might have been 1995. Red Sox vs. Yankees ALCS. Jose Offerman was on first. Ball hit to Knoblauch at 2nd, totally misses a tag on Offerman by a couple feet. Tim Tschida rules Offerman out on the "tag", and it ends up being a double play. Sox lose game and series.

At the press conference Tschida referrs to him as "Knobby", says he ruled Offerman out because he thought Knobby had tagged him.

Don't say New York has not had its fair share of bad calls go their way.

[infrared41]

Funny an Ohio State mentions bad refs in football cough 2003 Fiesta Bowl cough

Hey you'll never hear me say that call in the Fiesta Bowl was a good one. All I ever say is that if Miami was so superior the game should have never been that close in the first place. It's not my fault that "the greatest team of all time"* couldn't blow out Ohio State when it mattered most. Needless to say I have no plans on returning my National Championship gear. It was a horrible call for sure but overall NCAA refs at least let the players decide the games.

We got a call and I'll take it.

* According to ESPN that season. Then again whoever goes undefeated is labeled by ESPN as the greatest team of all time.