The Goat Pen

Heh!

Former VP of NFL Officiating sharply criticizes SEC officials. Accuses them of being in contact with someone off-field who is helping to direct them in which calls to make

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-fo ... officials/

SEC responds with a "we are shocked and offended" terse statement

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-fo ... out-merit/

The guy is an idiot. That came out several weeks ago. He's wrong. The on field officials are all connected to each other and routinely talk during games, which is what the headsets are for. At the games, you can see them jabbering back and forth to each other.

The officials may be incompetent but the idiot conspiracy shit is ridiculous.

There was a play in the A&M-LSU game that made me think he was right.

One that didn't go TAMU's way, I would guess...

They talk to each other. I wish they would talk to someone else, though.

One that didn't go TAMU's way, I would guess...

Sort of? It didn't really go either teams way although LSU ended up OK. On a 3rd and 5 play A&M got a sack and forced a fumble which flew forward 10 yards. A couple different official blew their whistles and ran in waving their arms for an incomplete pass as the ball fell at the feet of an LSU lineman who picked it up while the whistles were blowing and would have gotten a few yards more for a first down. After a little bit the refs decided that it had been a fumble not a pass, and that it had been immediately recovered by LSU, but since the whistle blew it was dead where the lineman picked it up and they didn't gain any yardage after the recovery which made it 4th down and 1. Then more time passes, and play is stopped again and the officials announce that since the LSU player was not down, that the incomplete pass call was an inadvertent whistle which meant that LSU could either replay the down or take the ball where it was so LSU got to replay 3rd and 5. I didn't see it on TV, but from the stands all of the "fixing" (it did not go for a review) that occurred on the play seemed odd.

It appeared to me that the officials ruled it an incomplete pass on the field and then decided after the play and without an "official" video review that it was a fumble, which created a whole inadvertent signal situation that needed to be fixed.

The on-field staff chat and talk it through on the headsets. I wish they would communicate with the booth on those calls.


And as an aside, I absolutely hate the inadvertent whistle call in CFB. I think it needs to be reworked. Against Western Carolina, we had a jarring hit for a fumble, which we recovered. They ruled inadvertent whistle and gave WCU the ball back.

Yeah, that one almost cost ya'll the game...

It was 17-14!

But the thing is the absurd rule.

You have to cut down on the "inadvertency" of whistles. Once a whistle is blown there is no undoing the effect it has on players.

The fumble happened and then the inadvertent whistle after the ball had been recovered but before the play was dead.

Wasn't at some point there was a means of 'marking' the video when a whistle was blown? If so, then it can be determined the fumble was recovered before the whistle and the correct call made. Once the whistle is blown (inadvertent or not), the play is dead.

Rickert just orgasmed.

Were you there or something?

Purrty game in Cincy last night. Real Purrty game....

Watching first bowl of the season - Carolina wakes up after looking horrible. Still I wouldn't be surprised if the SEC goes 6-6 in bowls this year.

Not 6-6. 7-6. Hammer plays twice.

Hammer?
Yes, Hammer.

3-0 is a decent start.

Hammer bammer jammer all the same. Good team with terrible fans as a whole
U