Fox Sports rules analyst on what went right, wrong in Week 1
Fox Sports made an inspired move when they hired former NFL vice president for officiating Mike Pereira. For four years, Pereira has explained difficult rulings and calls to the media. Pereira was full of knowledge and expertise this past weekend.
Pereira was the first to alert the media and the fans on Sunday during the 49ers-Packers game when the crew mis-enforced a penalty. Pereira agrees with those who say this is an inexcusable error and he says the entire crew should be downgraded for the mistake.
The former officials’ boss says Ed Hochuli’s crew made the correct call in the Jets-Buccaneers game when Lavonte David hit Geno Smith out-of-bounds with seconds left in the game, allowing the Jets to kick the game-winning field goal (video).
The NFL fined Ndamukong Suh $100,000 for a low block in Sunday’s Lions-Vikings game, and Pereira explains the rule. Pereira stays in Detroit and explains why Calvin Johnson failed to complete the process of the catch on a potential touchdown.
And finally, Pereira says there is no rule covering a communications failure between the coach and quarterback through the quarterback’s helmet speaker, like what happened to Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman. Pereira says the only rule of equity in communications systems is from the coaches in the press box to the sideline.
If Week 1 is any indication, Pereira will be busy again this coming week.
Image: Ray Michshaw/Fox Sports 1
This week’s officiating ended up much worse than Week 1 of last season, yet we do not hear the same vitriol flowing through the media. I have yet to see a comment about the R in the Jet’s game announcing the foul “Illegal kick by the receivers” when it was an illegal kick by the QB; or the same white hat announcing several minutes later, after a hold by receivers on a punt (Bucs) that the foul would be enforced from the “end of the kick – Jet’s ball.” Are you kidding me? Jet’s ball? Of course, after coming back from commercial it was Bucs ball, rightfully. Really? When will the glad handing stop?
The NFL should have cut probably a third of the officials from the current staff because time and again it has been demonstrated at least a third are not cut out to work this level – yet they remain on staff. Fat and out of shape and incapable of moving? They remain on staff. The league really needs to get serious and cut the one third of current officials that clearly can’t cut it, all the way up to the R level, and bring in a new third – ones that will actually learn the rules, enforce them correctly – and not rely on how “great”someone once told them they are.
I only watched the Green Bay San Francisco game this past weekend, but I watched the same game to open last season, and the officiating was much better this time around. I know the referees are getting beat up over the down mistake (and justifiably so) but last year the officiating was so bad, both San Fran and Green Bay were tearing out their hair by the end. There were so many missed calls, so many calls that were called that weren’t there, and so many clock issues, by the fourth quarter the game was a farce. There was even a delay of game called on the Packers with 2 seconds left on the play clock. Seriously, the referees were calling the penalty over the PA while there was STILL time on the play clock! (Aaron was pointing at it with his mouth hanging open.) Anyway, this year’s game was called much better. Granted, I’m just talking about the Green Bay openers the last two years, but for that small sample, I thought the regular refs were way better.
(I will say that even the regular refs have to get more consistent with the delay of game penalty. This past weekend, the play clock ran out before the Packers got off their play where their running back fumbled, but the refs let it go. Other times, the refs immediately call a delay of game when the clock hits zero. And sometimes they wait a full 2 or 3 seconds before they call it.)
Except that the NFL reviewed it and said their should have been NO FLAG on the 49ers, that it should have been the 49ers ball, 1st and goal. Hard then to argue that mistake really cost the Packers.
SoKrates, I’m a Packers fan, and I will fully admit that I think the 49ers deserved to win the game. I also thought they deserved to go the NFC Championship game last year, despite the Fail Mary costing the Packers a first round bye and a chance to host the 49ers in the second round. Green Bay had opportunities to overcome the referees’ mistakes, and they didn’t take advantage of them.
That said, the referees should never get the downs mixed up, and it’s not something that should be swept under the rug simply because it might not have affected the outcome of the game.