re: Refs are making the NFL hard to watch

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Honestly, looks like they just made that call up because they didn't call the hit on Rivers before that. Not saying that hit should have been called either.

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If you watch the replay again, Watch the ref that threw the flag.

He was trying to get the flag out prior to the defensive back grabbed the WR's arm. The ref had a problem pulling the flag out, so it comes out late.

Whatever he saw/called happened before what we saw on the replay. Fox never show the full replay, just the arm grab at the end. Remember the call was holding not PI, which meant the ball wasn't in the air, when the violation occurred.

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I Agree they were bad misses, but neither of those calls would have bene for Walt to make. He is behind the O-line, so he would not have had a clear view of the hits. Both calls were missed by the line judge, would be curious to know if it was the same LJ that missed both calls.

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Very true. Kudos to you for knowing that.

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Do these crews stay together each week with the same personnel?

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True.

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And does not the whole crew get a down grade when the same helmet to helmet goes uncalled two out of the last 3 weeks together?

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Not sure. I think each official is individually graded.

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Does not Walt Anderson have some responsibility for the actions or lack thereof for his crew?

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Some responsibility but each official has his own area of the field that he is responsible for (apologies for assuming his gender). Walt can't cover the entire field himself and he has to rely on the other officials to make the correct calls in their areas.

When the playoffs start, the crews are composed of "all star" officials - those who have graded the highest. It's not the best crews; rather new crews composed of the highest grading officials during the regular season.

It's pretty easy to watch.

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Since, from what I gather, you're a ref.

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I am a football official, yes (I am primarily a Back Judge, though I have worked some Referee assignments).

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Do these crews stay together each week with the same personnel?

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In the NFL, generally yes. At least for the season. There is quite a bit of change on every crew from one year to the next, however. So Walt might keep one or two officials from his crew next year, but the rest will be new.

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And does not the whole crew get a down grade when the same helmet to helmet goes uncalled two out of the last 3 weeks together?

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It depends, but generally no. Individual calls are graded only on the covering official. The crew is generally graded on things like penalty enforcement, game management/control, etc. But individual calls are typically only affect the grade of one or two officials.

Fun fact, that's part of the reason officials started wearing hats - so that evaluators could more easily tell where they were looking by using the brim of the hat.

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Does not Walt Anderson have some responsibility for the actions or lack thereof for his crew?

Maybe as plays are fluid, he did have a view.

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Yes and no. The referee has his assignment and generally has no idea on things like PI, holding downfield, some helmet to helmet calls. If the evaluator determines that Walt had released his primary key and was in a clean up pursuit coverage, then maybe he could be held accountable as well, but usually no.

To more specifically answer this question, though, Walt has responsibility over the things I mentioned in the last question, penalty enforcement, game administration, etc. He really can't take responsibility for another official making a judgement call. That's on the other official.

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His crew keeps making the same helmet to helmet mistakes.

He needs to address this or not get a Superbowl assignment.

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The missed hit on Kamara was definitely a missed call by the deep wing official (can't remember if it was the F or the S that missed it). I didn't see the other one(s) you're talking about.

If the crew as a whole is consistently missing calls, then yes, it will be addressed by both the league and by Walt. And the crew as a whole, not the Referee, is assigned a Superbowl. So if the crew as a whole is deemed to be lacking, then they won't be considered and most of the crew will be reassigned next year to try to find a configuration that works.



I hope this answers the questions and helps clear things up for you.

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Has anyone considered the absurdity that we even know referee’s names and tendencies? We wouldn’t, if we didn’t have to.

That’s how far referees have inserted themselves into the game and determining outcomes. The average fan knows refs now. That, in concept, is ridiculous.

A few decades ago, no one knew their names, had discussions about which games they’ve worked, had concerns about which playoff games they would work... nothing like that. We couldn’t recognize a NFL referee even if he worked every one of our favorite team’s games.

It’s sad that referees get so much “screen time” now that they have notoriety. It’s a sign of a game that has become too complicated for its own good, and players and coaches who are obsessed with pushing each and every rule to the limit on every play. Can you blame them? The culture of the league is rules-focused, and it sucks.

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I think this is less of a result of officials "inserting themselves" and more of a development of the internet. "A few decades ago", we didn't have the breadth of knowledge available to us that we do now. How would you have found out an NFL officials tendencies and games worked 30 years ago? Track them yourself watching every game?

Bottom line, the officials are just trying to do the best they can with the rules and directives that the league gives them. If you are upset about the calls and the administration of the rules, be upset with the NFL, not the officials. Trust me, 99% of the time, they are calling it the way the league wants them to call it. Be mad at the league, not the officials.

I think the biggest issues most have are the inconsistencies, particularly for certain teams. Defenses that grab and hold a ridiculous amount (i.e. Cowboys and Seahawks) are rewarded with no calls on PI, Holding, illegal contact.

This is what has to stops. The team's MO for how they approach a game should have no bearing on how penalties are called. If the team chooses to push the limits, throw the flags and they will stop.

Also, the helmet to helmet calls are getting out of hand both ways, and it needs to be reviewable like in college. If the refs blatantly miss it, then the review officials should call it or overrule it and be consistent. That's how you show people you are really about player safety. Also, you don't punish a defender when the offensive player lowers their head causing the contact.