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Goodell could correct the injustice if he wanted too


Road Runner

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Can NFL commissioner Roger Goodell change the outcome of Saints-Rams game?

by Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk, NCD2 hours ago

The controversy over the non-call of what appeared to be an obvious penalty in the New Orleans Saints-Los Angeles Rams NFC playoff game is still being talked about, especially in social media circles with the comments often ending in, "What can we do about it now?"

That’s not a question for the average fan, but it could be a question for Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, to answer.

According to the rules of the NFL, under Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1: "The Commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game."

Now, classifying the non-call against Nickell Robey-Coleman, who slammed into Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis near the Rams’ goal line, a "calamity" may just apply to the sensibilities of Saints’ fans (Robey-Coleman admitted in an interview following the game that it was pass interference), but what the rule states is that the commissioner has some extraordinary powers when it comes to NFL football games and their outcomes.

To drill down a bit more, another NFL rule, Rule 17, Section 2, Article 3, that outlines a commissioner’s powers states that: "The Commissioner’s powers under this Section 2 include the imposition of monetary fines and draft-choice forfeitures, suspension of persons involved in unfair acts, and, if appropriate, the reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game, either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred."

Will Goodell use the rule to reverse the outcome of the game? It’s unlikely, most think, though thousands have signed a petition asking for a rematch of the game.
 

 

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Regardless of the logistics of setting up any sort of a rematch, or replay of the last two minutes, Goodell will never pursue this because of the precedent it would set.

I don't see any way they could work this out logistically.  Thousands of people have things like plane tickets and hotel reservations for Feb 2-3 and that date can't be changed.  This rematch wouldn't happen before this weekend (probably) and then the NFC team would be hampered by the loss of a week of prep.  (NE would also be hampered a little though, because they wouldn't know who they're prepping for)

The NFL employs the refs and so therefore this is the NFL's fault - but all they're going to be able to do is add yet another rule to allow replay to look at this kind of thing.

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2 minutes ago, jsharr said:

I think they should just decide the game at the opening coin toss.  Heads you win, tails you lose.  

I've always thought the coin toss is stupid.  Why not just let the visiting team decide if they want the ball or if they want to kick.  Or just kick off to the visiting team.  Just like baseball.  Visitors bat first. 

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2 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

I've always thought the coin toss is stupid.  Why not just let the visiting team decide if they want the ball or if they want to kick.  Or just kick off to the visiting team.  Just like baseball.  Visitors bat first. 

But if they kick off, then one assumes they will play footballing and them human error could enter the arena and stuff.   Or maybe play the game, but not keep score and flip the coin at the end to decide the winner.

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And while we are at it baseball needs to reverse the results of the 2012 playoff game between the Cardinals and the Braves.  That's right, bring everyone back to replay the game, and the rest of the season, and the draft picks, and the free agency and return all the fan's money from then till now as history is rewritten.

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28 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs

It was none of these by definition.  It was a bad call or bad non-call.  I hate the call.  I am disgusted with NFL officiating.  It can't get any worse than it is but it just keeps getting worse.  They call things that never happen - by definition that should never happen in professional officiating.  They stand there and watch things happen and never call it.  They don't call things that should be called because they assume something else happened.

The official in the Saints/Rams game had ONE thing to watch.  ONE thing and he and his co-worker who was also directly watching the same action everyone else watched failed to throw the flag.

Get it right.

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Just now, Kzoo said:

Taking his nap.  Now back off kid... 

N00bs DON'T back off!  The dig deeper!

I'm might go make a suggestion to @Square Wheels that we limit redundant threads.  Maybe he'll give me some power to move that sort of riffraff into a hidden portion of the site!

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2 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

And then there's this phrase.  The BIG problem is that this crap is "accepted tactics encountered...."

We don't need that phrase.  

"...calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game."

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2 hours ago, Kzoo said:

It was none of these by definition.  It was a bad call or bad non-call.  I hate the call.  I am disgusted with NFL officiating.  It can't get any worse than it is but it just keeps getting worse.  They call things that never happen - by definition that should never happen in professional officiating.  They stand there and watch things happen and never call it.  They don't call things that should be called because they assume something else happened.

The official in the Saints/Rams game had ONE thing to watch.  ONE thing and he and his co-worker who was also directly watching the same action everyone else watched failed to throw the flag.

Get it right.

I wonder how much of this was due to an officiating plan.  It seems to me the refs were just letting them play and there were numerous non calls both ways.  I have to assume the top two officiating teams were working the championship games.  So did they "miss" calls or intentionally not call penalties they saw happen? And if so by who's direction?  

  I believe they had a plan to keep the flags in their pockets and that's what happened.  It led to numerous questionable no calls.  Remember the same player, Roby-Coleman got away with a no call earlier in the game so why not try again?

There were also very few/ if any holding calls made.  Most teams have a hard time containing Donald & Suh and there are at least a couple of holding calls per half.  I don't recall a single one against the Saints and both Donald & Suh were fairly quiet all game.  Super effective blocking? Probably not, I'm guessing they got held and tackled by lineman to slow them down and it wasn't called.

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"letting them play"  I HATE that phrase.  It's become terribly misused as an excuse for bad non calls.

When you let a cornerback drive his helmet into the helmet of a receiver, you are only letting one guy play, and he's not playing football.

The league has been moving in the direction that you can't breathe on a receiver.  In these playoffs, they've been allowing the pushing and smacking that always used to be allowed.  But they've (generally) called the more blatant contact that's had an obvious impact on the play.  Ad it's been consistent for both teams.  This one was was about as blatant as you can get, and had a direct and very serious impact on not only that play, but the game, the Super Bowl, 

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As Clay Travis said on his radio show this morning, Goodell is the worst commissioner ever.  He gets paid 45 million dollars a year.  For what?  The league has just experienced the worst performance by league officials ever, which probably determined the NFC participant in the Super Bowl, and he has nothing to say??? 

It has been three days and he is still in the closet avoiding the media.  No statement, no press conference, nothing.  

They could pay me only 4 million to be commissioner and I'm pretty sure I could hide from addressing the issue just as well as he has.   

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5 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

He gets paid 45 million dollars a year.  For what?

Goodell is like the HR department of your company.  He's not there for the employees. Not there for the customers. He is there for the owners.  He is doing a great job (in their eyes).  Want to complain? Don't do it about/to HR.

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OK.  It was a bad call.  There are thousands of reasons (millions actually) that the game cannot be replayed at this time.  Live with it.  Put some fixes in place to help reduce the number of errors in the future but remember that it will never never ever be a perfect system.  

Besides, football can't survive the concept of killing players much longer.

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Just now, maddmaxx said:

OK.  It was a bad call.  There are thousands of reasons (millions actually) that the game cannot be replayed at this time.  Live with it.  Put some fixes in place to help reduce the number of errors in the future but remember that it will never never ever be a perfect system.  

Besides, football can't survive the concept of killing players much longer. 

...but, until then :D "worst ever" Commish will keep the system moving ahead.

image.png.47cc52b15a72f61de01ee97b08a90246.png

image.png.47d383af8d4401f16ea27879f213b62e.png

 

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1 minute ago, ChrisL said:

One of the Rams O lineman was on the radio yesterday. Basically said yeah well how about that non facemask call that should have given us 1st & goal.... You want to replay the game, then replay back to that point.   

I like to think a 3 hour broadcast of a "game" gives hundred or thousands or even million folks a chance to talk/write/gesticulate about it for many more hours!  It is a huge gain for any economy to get to have whole shows dedicated to folks discussing this sort of thing.

You are all gonna be bitter once it is just robots and AI doing all this game playing to a high level of precision. No bad calls, no mistakes, no "human" error.

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Whether you league apologists like it or not, it was the worst NFL officiating screw up ever.  It certainly requires that the league commissioner address the issue, make an apology to the fans, claim the league is sorry and will try to make corrections as necessary to avoid any future reoccurrences, and maybe even try to explain why it happened.  At the very least, the Saints and their fans deserve an official apology statement from the head of the league.

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Just now, Road Runner said:

Whether you apologists like it or not, it was the worst NFL officiating screw up ever.  It certainly requires that the league commissioner address the issue, make an apology to the fans, claim the league is sorry and will try to make corrections as necessary to avoid any future reoccurrences, and maybe even try to explain why it happened.  At the very least, the Saints and their fans deserve at least an official apology statement from the head of the league.

I get it my team won but the apology needs to go to all of the fans, not just the Saints fans.  The Saints got screwed on the non PI call, no doubt.  But how would have the game looked with a couple of missed holding calls, two missed facemask calls etc.  The Rams could have been up by 20 at that point or down by 20. Who knows. 

The non calls both ways impacted the game and the Saints had a chance to win the game in OT and didn't.  They didn't play better than the refs called the game, the Rams did.  

Sucks I know and Saints fan doesn't want to hear it  but it is what it is.

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No game is won or lost on a single play or call.  Every single play is part of the equation.  Sure it was a bad call.  Every year has bad calls.  The Jerry Rice fumble against the Packers, the Dez Bryant catch, whatever.  It happens.  The refs are human and they make mistakes, just like all of us, except @Wilbur

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13 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

The non calls both ways impacted the game and the Saints had a chance to win the game in OT and didn't.  They didn't play better than the refs called the game, the Rams did.

Woulda, coulda, whatever.  Doesn't matter.  If the worst officiating screw up ever hadn't occurred, the Saints are probably going to Atlanta next week.

All I am saying is the Commish has pocketed about $125,000 in salary since it happened and for what?  He hasn't even made a statement of regret.  Crickets.

I am very good at doing nothing.  If they pay me one tenth his salary, I promise I will do nothing just as well as he does.  :)

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9 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

Woulda, coulda, whatever.  Doesn't matter.  If the worst officiating screw up ever hadn't occurred, the Saints are probably going to Atlanta next week.

All I am saying is the Commish has pocketed about $125,000 in salary since it happened and for what?  He hasn't even made a statement of regret.  Crickets.

I am very good at doing nothing.  If they pay me one tenth his salary, I promise I will do nothing just as well as he does.  :)

better even!

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The problem is that there are always more than one bad or controversial calls during the course of the game.  So if you change one after the game, you have to review/change all the others and then guess what impact most of them will have on the game.

Missing both penalties on the Ginn pass play was atrocious, but it needed to be corrected then and there or not at all.  Of course, the NFL doesn't have a procedure for protesting or reviewing that kind of non-call and THAT is where the real problem is.

The same goes with the roughing-the-passer penalty that kept the Patriots last drive alive, sending them to the Super Bowl instead of the Chief, where the replays showed Brady wasn't even touched. Roughing The Passer is NOT a reviewable penalty according to NFL rules.

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49 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

Woulda, coulda, whatever.  Doesn't matter.  If the worst officiating screw up ever hadn't occurred, the Saints are probably going to Atlanta next week.

All I am saying is the Commish has pocketed about $125,000 in salary since it happened and for what?  He hasn't even made a statement of regret.  Crickets.

I am very good at doing nothing.  If they pay me one tenth his salary, I promise I will do nothing just as well as he does.  :)

As @Razors Edge noted the commish works at the direction of the owners, not the public and they are happy with him.  Maybe he's being directed to STFU?

Hate on the commish all you want but as long as the owners agree to pay him to do nothing then so be it.

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29 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

. . . 

The same goes with the roughing-the-passer penalty that kept the Patriots last drive alive, sending them to the Super Bowl instead of the Chief, where the replays showed Brady wasn't even touched. Roughing The Passer is NOT a reviewable penalty according to NFL rules.

In defense of the refs on that one, they are taxed with enforcing the new rules prohibiting defensive players from breathing near the QBs head area. Anytime anyone got near a QBs head all year they were throwing flags. In live action, it was easy to think the guys overhand chop connected with Brady's noggin. That play in NOLA didn't need slow mo'. 

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5 minutes ago, Ltdskilz said:

In defense of the refs on that one, they are taxed with enforcing the new rules prohibiting defensive players from breathing near the QBs head area. Anytime anyone got near a QBs head all year they were throwing flags. In live action, it was easy to think the guys overhand chop connected with Brady's noggin. That play in NOLA didn't need slow mo'. 

So yanking on Goff's face mask when making a tackle is OK?

It was either poorly officiated or officiated that way for a reason.  Lots of no calls, like Jo Jo Natson pulling his helmet down back over his head after having it ripped off his head by a face mask tackle.  There was an earlier PI no call against the Rams and the Saints TE got taken out of the game for a clear helmet to helmet tackle.

Everyone is hung up on one no call and I get why but there were several missed/no calls that could have altered the game both ways.  

Can we agree to that or is everyone convinced the Saints just got screwed?

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1 hour ago, Ltdskilz said:

In defense of the refs on that one, they are taxed with enforcing the new rules prohibiting defensive players from breathing near the QBs head area. Anytime anyone got near a QBs head all year they were throwing flags. In live action, it was easy to think the guys overhand chop connected with Brady's noggin. That play in NOLA didn't need slow mo'. 

Exactly.  Almost all of the missed or phantom calls are close, high speed, easy to miss.  The NOLA play was so incredibly blatant as to be incomprehensible to miss.  And while those other plays effect the game in total, had that one call been made, the game was decided right then and there.  Throw the flag, Saints win.

Close calls are understandable.  Easy ones are not, people need to be punished for that.  Especially when they make such a huge difference.  The NOLA call may have been the most significant in history.

Eagles - Dallas: Goeddert takes a helmet to the ear hole while running a pattern, catches the ball, takes another helmet to the ear hole, scores a TD, it gets called back for OFFENSIVE PI.  No one around him to block the view, blatant, impactful though not a slam dunk game over.  Refs should have been disciplined just because it was so obvious.  But worse - opening kickoff Dallas fumbles, but ruled down by contact.  Okay, quick play easy to miss, but it went to the booth.  Who then ruled it WAS a fumble, but gave the ball back to Dallas because they couldn't decide who recovered.  There were 4 Eagles on the ball, not a single Cowboy, Eagles walked away with the ball.  This was the BOOTH.  Given 5 minutes and 9 camera angles.  Inexcuseable, again discipline is warranted.  And these weren't the only incidents , there's been a LOT of blatant misses and booth screw ups. 

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