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Jeff Fisher's Opinion


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Jeff Fisher's Opinion

 

Fisher says refs get too much blame

 

By PAUL KUHARSKY

Staff Writer

 

 

Even his critics around the NFL admit that Titans Coach Jeff Fisher knows the rulebook as well as any of his peers.

 

Fisher, who is co-chairman of the NFL Competition Committee, conceded yesterday that the league had a tough weekend officiating-wise on Jan. 14-15 in the Divisional Playoffs. But he said he thinks much of the debate over officiating in Super Bowl XL was a result of the extensive media coverage of the game.

 

 

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"When you have the amount of coverage that the game is getting in comparison to 10 years ago, they have to find more and more things to talk about," he said. "Because of the enormous amount of coverage the game is getting, the officiating is getting scrutinized now more so than it has in the past."

 

Fisher said a Super Bowl referee and crew want to call a penalty-free game, but know they can expect every call to be inspected and analyzed.

 

"People come back and say, 'You can call that in a lot of different situations where it's not called.' Well maybe it's not seen," he said.

 

The coach has served on the competition committee, which guides the league through rule changes and discusses ways to improve the game, since 2000. He's been co-chairman since 2001.

 

Fisher said he believes attention on officials increased early in the 2005 season when penalties were up. He said that in the end, however, those numbers basically evened out.

 

A supporter of the replay challenge system, Fisher pointed to a fourth-quarter play in the Super Bowl that was initially ruled a fumble but was overturned on replay review as a classic example of the system at its best.

 

"But we're not drawing attention to that," he said. "There are always going to be calls that are missed, there are always going to be great calls that are never highlighted. But there are always going to be issues with officiating. That's the human element and that's part of the game.

 

"I believe the officiating department at the league level has done everything it can to improve the quality of the department, through its grading criteria, through its teaching and evaluation process.

 

"When you compare officiating now to officiating five and 10 years ago, I believe we'd say the officiating has improved."

 

Fisher on some of the controversial calls in Super Bowl XL:

 

• Offensive pass interference against Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson that washed away a 16-yard touchdown catch: "Offensive pass interference is called when a receiver extends the arm and initiates contact resulting in separation between he and the defender. In my opinion that was the correct call. Now the difficulty with the call is you certainly can go in and look at other instances where there is separation where it's not called. Well, oftentimes it's not seen. But as the interpretation of the rule is concerned, that is offensive pass interference."

 

• Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger's touchdown plunge that was upheld by replay review: "The issue is not officiating, the issue is replay. The call went to review and because there was not indisputable evidence under the hood, the ruling on the field stood. Most times in a challenge situation that's going to be the case. It's not going to be reversed because there is not overwhelming, indisputable evidence.

 

"In the official's opinion the ball crossed the plane. We can't say based on the replays we got on the network feed that it didn't. Maybe it didn't, but you can't say that. It wasn't a situation where the ball ended up a yard short of the goal line and it was a disastrous type call. That was a very close call."

 

• Holding call against Seattle OT Sean Locklear that washed away an 18-yard pass: "By definition it's a hold. There is contact, there was a grab, there was restriction." •

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Good info here.

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Jeff Fisher's Opinion

 

 

• Holding call against Seattle OT Sean Locklear that washed away an 18-yard pass: "By definition it's a hold. There is contact, there was a grab, there was restriction." •

 

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I heard Tony Dungy on TV yesterday say that it was a bad call. I think Fisher's towing the company line somewhat.

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It's totally surprising to see an NFL coach, go out on a limb and defend NFL referee's in a game he could give 2 $hiits about.

 

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I saw lots of links to opinions that went the other way. I was simply posting this for people to see a well-respected coaches thoughts on the situation.

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Everybody knows the what the rules are and everybody know what the replays show. If you have a replay offical replay every single controversial call/penalty between snaps, you could solve 90% of the problems and I'm sure it could be done properly with only adding about 10 minutes max to the total time of the game.

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I saw lots of links to opinions that went the other way.  I was simply posting this for people to see a well-respected coaches thoughts on the situation.

 

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Fisher heads up the competition committee.... he is just in defensive mode here now, trying to explain that it isn't sooooo bad. You can thank him for writing the rule that caused the Polamolu INT to be over ruled..... did you expect him to say "I suck."?

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I heard Tony Dungy on TV  yesterday say that it was a bad call.  I think Fisher's towing the company line somewhat.

 

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I would say from a purely black and white point of view, Fischer is correct. Technically the PI and hold were penalties...just because in some other games they aren't called doesn't mean they aren't penalties. Also, sometimes holding penalties aren't seen with those mass of bodies flying around the line of scrimmage. Sometimes a delay of game isn't called when the play clock hits 0, it has to be seen...kind of the same thing in my opinion.

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If Jeff Fisher is on the rules commitee and making these comments then obviously Jeff Fisher's covering the party line is part of the problem. Replace him with Tony Dungy.

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If Jeff Fisher is on the rules commitee and making these comments then obviously Jeff Fisher's covering the party line is part of the problem. Replace him with Tony Dungy.

 

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You know who else is on that commitee...... Mike Holmgren

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I'd also like to add that on the PI call on Jackson in the endzone, the ref didn't throw the terrible towel until the DB pleaded with him.

 

I am so tired of players pleading to the officials for calls, not only in football, (read: basketball players flopping on the floor, etc.). If you are trying to get a call that wasn't called or are acting (the best are the soccer faggs), then you are CHEATING.

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I would say from a purely black and white point of view, Fischer is correct.  Technically the PI and hold were penalties...just because in some other games they aren't called doesn't mean they aren't penalties.  Also, sometimes holding penalties aren't seen with those mass of bodies flying around the line of scrimmage.  Sometimes a delay of game isn't called when the play clock hits 0, it has to be seen...kind of the same thing in my opinion.

 

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That's all true, and usually all these "gaffes" go 50/50 to either team throughout a game.

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IMO, the calls that weren't made are just as important to the overall lack of this game passing the smell test. We all know that each and every play of a game could have a flag thrown for something, yet many do not. There will not truly be a mistake free game from either the standpoint of the players on the field or the refs. We are human, after all. HOWEVER, when the totality of the penalty calling favors one team over another, then we have a problem.

 

Are we to believe that Pittsburgh NEVER committed a holding penalty in that game? Are we to disbelieve was it visible to our eyes when we see Pittsburgh jump offsides repeatedly yet never have it called against them? It doesn't pass the smell test to me. Add to it that incomprehensible call on Hasselbeck for blocking below the waist and you get a big, huh? :D

 

This is what I'd like to see addressed so that I can have some semblance of reassurance that there are competent officials on the field.

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You know who else is on that commitee...... Mike Holmgren

 

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:D:D

 

I couldn't imagine anybody that would be more p*ssed off about the officiating fiasco in XL than him. Hopefully Fisher is putting up a face for the public and goes about quietly righting the ship. I have a feeling Holmgren will have a lot to say in the next committee meeting.

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I realize I'm probably REALLY late with my opinion, but here it is anyway:

 

 

1. The OPI call should have been ruled incidental contact. DJack didn't push off; both he and Hope were just playing paddy-cake. Both players were using their hands and Hope wasn't even looking at the ball. THAT'S why Jackson got separation -- because Hope didn't know where the ball was.

 

2. It looked to me that, while in the air, Ben got the slightest tip of the ball over the slightest front edge of the goal line. The call on the field wood have been upheld either way, certainly. I just don't think that play is an example of poor officiating. It's a classic example of as close as a play can possibly get without indisputable evidence either way. BUT this call didn't matter, since they would have scored on 4th down anyway. The QB sneak to get an inch -- it's as close to a 100% play as there is in football.

 

3. The Locklear Hold was VEEERRY borderline. Was it technically holding? Sure. But if it had gone uncalled, the "held" defender wouldn't have even blinked an eye. Honestly, that's sometimes the only way to determine real holding in the NFL. If the defender is being held BEYOND what he's used to, he'll go nuts. That play just shouldn't have been called.

 

4. Hasselbeck's block/tackle...huh? I have no idea why he was called for a penalty on that play and no one has explained it to me. Might have been the worst call of the game, considering a turnover PLUS good field position is almost always a team-killer.

 

5. The no-call on Stevens's catch and fumble was horrendous. He fumbled it FORWARD, and I can't say who would have recovered the ball, so I don't know which team would have benefited. Still, a relatively easy call to make and they whiffed. Plus, aren't officials ENCOURAGED to keep their whistles out of their mouths in a possible fumble situation? Friggin' morons.

 

 

Bottom line: the SB officiating was no better than in any other game, the refs had too much impact on the game, and, consequently, we'll never know who the better team was. That, my fellow football fans, is sad.

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