Replacement Refs just handed Seahawks MNF Game

[Truth]

I cannot believe these refs are still allowed to take the field. A huge blown call for pass interference. Then a botched call on a BLATANT offensive pass intereference play on the last play. The ball was clearly intercepted, and the refs gave the catch to Seattle. ABSOLUTE GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!

[VegasRam]

First time in my life I turned a game off in disgust.

[r8rh8rmike]

The official who called the TD, was actually staring at Jennings with both hands on the ball, and Tate with one arm in the mix. He looked, thought about it, then called a TD. I'm almost speechless. Then they reviewed it, and upheld the ruling. And the push off? Has there ever been a more clear cut shove in the back? That game was a travesty of justice.

[ZiaRam]

Who the hell let a Foot Locker jabroni in the game on the last play of the game? Seriously that offcial that called it a TD absolute garbage!

[Nick]

If that's not the end of the replacement refs, I don't know what is.

[Ramblin` Ram]

in football (or what the majority on here would call s*ccer) they have no video replays to draw their judgements from..in over 30 years of watching sport of any form i haven`t seen a match up so wrongly judged outside of when Roy Jones jnr was robbed of olympic gold.

i don`t know where these refs come from exactly but i feel sorry for whoever has to play with them full time.

[BrokenWing]

Don't worry, the NFL is claiming they were totally correct.

[r8rh8rmike]

Don't worry, the NFL is claiming they were totally correct.

Of course they are -

NEW YORK (AP) The NFL has upheld the Seahawks' 14-12 win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.

The league said in a statement Tuesday that Seattle's last-second touchdown pass should not have been overturned.

The NFL says Seahawks receiver Golden Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference before the catch, which would have clinched a Packers victory, but that cannot be reviewed by instant replay.

The replacement officials ruled on the field that Tate had simultaneous possession with Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings, which counts as a reception. The NFL says that once that happened, the referee was correct that no indisputable visual evidence existed on review to overturn the touchdown call.

I guess one arm on the ball equals possession.

Interesting that the only voices you'll hear agreeing with the NFL reside in Seattle.

[MauiRam]

If that's not the end of the replacement refs, I don't know what is.

Don't hold your breath on this one Nick .. So far the NFL appears to be saying "tough titties." Stonewalling at its best ..

[RealRam]

A huge blown call for pass interference. Then a botched call on a blatant offensive pass intereference play on the last play. The ball was clearly intercepted, and the refs gave the catch to Seattle. Absolute garbage!!!!!!!!!

U N B E L I E V A B L E !

First, the missed push-off / offensive penalthy by Tate who CLEARLY pushes hard and with both hands against Shields, the CB (37) (in fact, he knocks him down as a result of that push on the back), then secondly, the mother of all MNF officiating blunders: To call the simultaneously possesion a Seahags TD!?!

Jennings had a two arm, full possesion of the football when he hit the turf. So what if Tate had one arm around the ball!?! That pass had been clearly INT'd as you said Truth. And that IS is the truth!


One of the worst calls in NFL history ... and it had to favor SEA!

[BrokenWing]

Just imagine if the Packers miss the playoffs by one game...

[TorontoRam]

The issues that the NFL and referees are arguing about are some of the following:
1. Large pay raises (up to around $250,000) for part-time work, which includes first class travel, luxury accommodations, and a large per-diem. Do they deserve it? I don't know!
2. Virtual life-time job security, since the NFL wants to hire two or three highly-competent and highly-trained referees as crews to form a AAA minor league in effect in the event that a referee(s) is incompetent or has a health issue or injury. Is that reasonable? I think it is!
3. The NFL wants to transfer the referees pension plan (for part time work mind you) to a 401k, which would track the stock market etc., which many employers are doing because it makes more sense financially. Is that reasonable? I think it is!
I don't think that NFL referees, especially who are part-time-workers especially compared with NBA and MLB officials, should be treated radically differently on the positve side for them than ordinary workers in America, even corporate executives who have been required to buy into many changes in their working conditions (pension plans, succession planning, no pay raises or lower pay raises), and the corporate executives are full-time employees. Just a few thoughts.

[RealRam]

As expected...


NFL admits error in Seahawks-Packers game but upholds result
by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports
Tue., Sept. 25, 2012

The NFL has released a statement regarding the final play of the Seattle Seahawks' victory against the Green Bay Packers in which the league endorses the actions made by the replacement officials and the replay review after the ruling of touchdown on Golden Tate's catch Monday night.

The key word being "after." As for the before, the wording is kind of fuzzy.

In the statement, the NFL says the officials ruled on the field it was a touchdown and not an interception by Packers safety M.D. Jennings, though as anyone who watched the play knows by now, that was one of two rulings on the play. The other one was an interception. No conference between the officials was held to get a consensus final ruling announced by referee Wayne Elliott.

MORE:Aaron Rodgers has added complaint about officiating

BOTTOM LINE:Oddsmaker says outcome caused half-billion dollars to change hands

UNION RESPONSE:Players association says there's little it can do about officiating

PILING ON:Lingerie league claims to have fired NFL replacements

TWITTER:Reaction pours in from players, outsiders


The statement acknowledges the ruling of a catch should've been nullified because of the [CLEAR] pass interference penalty that was missed when Tate shoved Packers defensive back Sam Shields in the back before leaping.

"This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference," the statement says, "which would have ended the game" in a victory for the Packers.

But we didn't need the league to tell us that. So back to the ruling of a catch.

The NFL says the replay officials were able to review whether it was simultaneous possession. This is reviewable only in the end zone and not anywhere between the goal lines. The NFL says it "supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review."

Again, what about the other on-field ruling of an interception? Why did one official's call outweigh another's?

The league's statement seems to side with the call of a touchdown by pointing to a few rules, including:

-- Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, in which the player catching the pass (whether offensive or defensive) maintains possession as he "touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands."

-- Item 1 of the same article, which states the player "must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone."

-- And Item 5 of the same rule that states, "If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers."

However, Item 5 also includes a sentence that would seem damning to the argument it was a touchdown and support the case for an interception: "It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control."

Replays clearly seem ["clearly / seem"?] to show Jennings had the ball in both hands and Tate then gained simultaneous possession.

In any event, the NFL has reiterated what league spokesman Greg Aiello indicated earlier Tuesday morning: "The result of the game is final."

Bold red, '[CLEAR]' and "Clearly / seem?" mine.

[Trevor]

I don't know whats worst, the Seahawks fans claiming that the officials in the game were right and calling Rodgers a crybaby or the actual call.. Yes, I just went over to their forum, wow, a very mature group and a knowledgeable one at that.

[Tez2010]

I can't remember; did the Rams and their fans admit that they shouldn't have won the 1999 Playoff game against the Buccaneers when Bert Emanuel's catch was erroneously ruled incomplete?

I consider some of you guys to be reasonable fans and generally like this forum, but your uninformed anti-seahawks at every turn is going to get pushback from this reasonable guy.

I was at the game and earlier in the quarter the Packers were handed many gifts on the "TD" drive that should have resulted in just a field goal except for bad calls by the replacement referees.

The best unit of either team was the Seahawks D, so the teams were even at best throughout the game. The officials were hell bent on handing one team the victory over the other and until that last 8 seconds, they had handed it to the Green Bay Packers (apparently America's most beloved team right now).

Had they not made the more obvious, blatant, high profile dodgy call in our favor, Green Bay would have won on an accumulation of dodgy, but subtle calls in their favor.

Had that last play not happened and the Refs swung it in Green Bay's favor would Rams NFL forum have all these comments? No. Would Aaron "integrity" Rogers be holding emotional press conferences? No. Would Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson be asking the President to overturn the results? No.

Would Victor Cruz go on Mike and Mike and tell Jermichael Finley that he should admit that he was not the victim of Pass Interference on 3rd down when he extended the drive to lead to Green Bay's TD? No (this is a reference to Cruz suggesting that Tate should admit it, as the ever upstanding Cruz would do - interestingly Cruz never admitted that he fumbled the ball against the Cards last year when he "gave up and set the ball on the ground", but hey, the high road is for the other guy, right?).

I'd rather have won outright and without the Refs, but I'd rather not have lost because of earlier Ref calls that handed GB a win.

You've got your chance to stomp us this weekend, since we are such a pile of crap fraud of a team, I am sure you are confident and will take care of business, right?

See you Sunday.

Was there all this outrage when we were robbed of a Superbowl? No.