Tag: Alex Kemp

Referees call simultaneous horrible roughing the passer calls on Vikings, Panthers

The Vikings and Panthers were victimized by simultaneous horrible roughing the passer calls in two different games. Bravo, refs!

There’s no question that the putrid state of officiating is one of the top stories of the 2023 NFL season, and here we go again. On Sunday, virtually at the same time, the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers were waylaid by roughing the passer calls that did not stand up to close inspection.

The penalty against the Vikings came with 9:17 left in the first half. Defensive lineman Patrick Jones II barely touched Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, but Land Clark objected nonetheless. That turned second-and-26 into first-and-10, and game the Lions 15 extra yards.

The penalty against the Panthers happened with 8:44 left in the first half, when edge-rusher Yetur Gross-Matos was apparently a bit too rough with Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Again, you’d love to see any evidence of actual roughing the passer here. That turned third-and-1 into first-and-10, and gave the Packers 15 bonus yards. Bravo, referee Alex Kemp.

You can see both “penalties” right here.

Worst of the Week for Week 10: Patriots and Giants bottom out, more bad officiating, Frank Reich

Frank Reich, the Patriots and Giants find the bottom, more horrid officiating, and one weird fumble return. It’s time for the NFL’s Worst of the Week!

Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.

But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.

So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.

Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season.

Referee Alex Kemp disagrees with Gene Steratore’s take on Pat Surtain’s non-INT

NFL ref Alex Kemp said Pat Surtain getting his feet down first had no impact on his ruling. He also said it wasn’t simultaneous possession.

Story update: Gene Steratore later backtracked and said he was wrong about the play. See our original post below. 

The Green Bay Packers scored in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos when quarterback Jordan Love threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Romeo Doubs.

The play was ruled a touchdown, but ex-NFL referee and current CBS rules expert Gene Steratore said cornerback Pat Surtain should have been awarded an interception instead.

The game’s referee, Alex Kemp, explained his crew’s decision in an interview with PFWA pool reporter Jeff Legwold after the game.

“We ruled on the field that the Green Bay receiver controlled the ball while airborne and came to the ground and never lost control of the ball and therefore, by rule, it is a touchdown,” Kemp said.

Kemp went on to say that Surtain’s feet hitting the ground first has no impact on the play’s ruling. NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson also told Legwold that the scoring play was reviewed in New York and they agreed with Kemp’s decision.

Kemp also said that “simultaneous possession” did not come into play.

“That’s not what we ruled on the field,” Kemp said. “But had we ruled that on the field, it would still be a touchdown. By rule, simultaneous possession is a touchdown, or is a catch by the receiver.”

Touchdown or interception? You decide:

Kemp and Steratore clearly aren’t on the same page. Fortunately, the play did not end up deciding the game as the Broncos held on to win 19-17.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton ‘surprised’ by Pat Surtain-Romeo Doubs ruling

“I was a little surprised,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Packers receiver Romeo Doubs was awarded a touchdown on Sunday.

Alex Kemp made a controversial decision when he awarded the Green Bay Packers a touchdown in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Kemp ruled that Packers receiver Romeo Doubs caught a touchdown after he and Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain came down with the ball in the end zone.

After the game, Surtain said he thought he had it secured for a turnover, and CBS rules expert Gene Steratore said Surtain should have been awarded an interception after he controlled the ball with two feet down.

Broncos coach Sean Payton agreed with that sentiment, saying the call should have gone in Surtain’s favor.

“When you have two [hands] on it in the end zone, your feet down, I think we’re going to see that was something maybe that should have been called the other way,” Payton said after the game. “We kind of all grow up with the idea of tie goes to [the receiver] and who wrestles it out of the arms, but if you have two clean hands on it when you land in the end zone — I was a little surprised [by the call].”

Ultimately, the only opinion that mattered was that of the official calling the game, and Kemp ruled that Doubs possessed the ball for a catch and scored. Fortunately, that decision did not end up costing Denver the game.

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NFL assigns referee Alex Kemp to work Week 5 Saints-Patriots game

The NFL assigned referee Alex Kemp to work Week 5’s Saints-Patriots game. New Orleans is 3-2 in games he’s officiated, while New England is 4-1:

The NFL assigned veteran referee Alex Kemp to work Week 5’s New Orleans Saints-New England Patriots game; Kemp is one of the more-experienced referees around the league, having been promoted to the position back in 2018 after working four years as a field judge and side judge. New Orleans is 3-2 in games he’s officiated, while New England is 4-1.

Kemp’s crew is also one of the most flag-happy around. They average 20 penalty flags per game, which leads the league — but they have also had more penalties dismissed (4.3) than any other crew. However, they have called more fouls against visitors (9.5, leading the league) than home teams (6.3).

That doesn’t bode well for New Orleans. So which areas do they need to watch themselves most carefully? Kemp’s crew has penalized teams more often for false starts (3 times per game) and offensive holding fouls (2 per game) than anything else, but they also lead the league in face mask penalties (5 times in 4 weeks). Clean hands are going to have to be a point of emphasis this week.

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NFL referee from viral moment with Geno Smith made the wrong call

While it’s funny, it’s also worth pointing out that Geno Smith had a very legitimate gripe and the call the official made was horrendous.

“I’m talking to America, here.”

So said NFL referee Alex Kemp, who was officiating yesterday’s game between the Seahawks and Lions when Geno Smith interrupted him to complain about the call he’d just made. The moment went viral right away:

While it’s funny, it’s also worth pointing out that Smith had a very legitimate gripe and the call Kemp made was horrendous.

Here’s a clip of the play in question.

Obviously Smith did not intentionally throw the ball to an area where there were no receivers. Clearly this was an accidental miscommunication with Tyler Lockett, as everyone watching the game could tell.

While this was a dumb call that went the Lions’ way, the Seahawks got more than their fair share of bad calls in their favor this week – including a missed holding call on Smith’s game-winning touchdown pass to Lockett.

More Seahawks Wire stories

NFL Power Rankings going into Week 3

50 photos from Seattle’s overtime thriller in Detroit

5 takeaways from the Seahawks’ big win over Lions

NFL’s most flag-happy crew to officiate Week 18’s Saints-Panthers game

The NFL’s most flag-happy officiating crew will work Week 18’s Saints-Panthers game. The Saints are 3-1 in games played with Alex Kemp at referee:

The New Orleans Saints will close out their 2022 regular season with the same officiating crew on hand that started with them. Referee Alex Kemp and his crew will be on the field at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday as the Saints kick off with the visiting Carolina Panthers. The Saints last saw Kemp in Week 1’s last-second win over the Atlanta Falcons.

New Orleans is 3-1 in games that Kemp has refereed dating back to the 2019 season, with the Saints taking 36 penalties for 316 yards against 26 fouls for 206 yards on their opponents. They’ve won those games by margins of 34-31, 27-26 and 21-9 with a 27-25 loss thrown in the mix.

But let’s talk about this year. Kemp’s crew has thrown more penalty flags (235) than any other this season, with an emphasis on offensive holding fouls (36, or 2.4 per game) and false starts (33, 2.2 per game), so it’s a safe bet they’ll be watching offensive line play closely.

That should be more of a problem for the Panthers than for New Orleans. The Saints have taken the third-fewest penalties for offensive holding around the league (12), while the Panthers rank near the middle of the pack (17). Weirdly, the Saints have benefited from the third-most fouls for offensive holding on their opponents (25), with the Panthers again clocking in near league-average (19). However, the Saints lead the NFL in false start penalties (25) and the Panthers aren’t far behind (22). Both teams are tied for the ninth-most false start fouls on their opponents (18).

Hopefully we don’t see much of Kemp’s crew on Sunday. The more often they’re stopping the pace of play to get in front of cameras and slowing down the game, the worse we’ll all be for it. Let’s hope for a fair game with an unquestioned result — a big Saints win to go into the offseason with momentum.

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Referee Alex Kemp’s crew assigned to work Chiefs-49ers game

The #Chiefs pulled referee Alex Kemp and his crew for the first time since 2020 in the Week 7 game against the #49ers.

Fifth-year NFL referee Alex Kemp and his crew are set to officiate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 7 game against the San Francisco 49ers according to Football Zebras.

Kemp and his crew didn’t officiate a single Chiefs game during the 2021 NFL season. You have to go all the way back to Week 13 of 2020 against the Denver Broncos to find the last time that Kemp has officiated a game that Kansas City has played in.

In total, Kemp has only ever been a head referee for two Chiefs games and the team is 2-0 in those two games. He called a combined seven penalties for 56 yards against K.C. and a combined nine penalties for 69 yards against their opponents in those two victories.

With just five games officiated this season, Kemp and his crew have called the fifth-fewest penalties in the NFL with 63 total penalties for 503 yards of penalty yardage. Kemp also has the second-most dismissed penalties in the NFL with 16. This crew also officiates the home and away teams pretty evenly with 31 penalties called on home teams and 32 penalties called on away teams.

In terms of what this crew calls most frequently, defensive holding and false start penalties have both been called 10 times apiece this season. Offensive holding (9), delay of game (7) and unnecessary roughness (7) have all been called quite frequently as well.

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Texans 100: Facts and Figures for Ravens, No. 51-75

As the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens take each other on in Week 11, we take a look at referee Alex Kemp and Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

The Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens take each other on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at M&T Bank Stadium. As we get ready for the matchup, we take a look at Ravens coach John Harbaugh as well as the referee, Alex Kemp.

Facts and Figures for Ravens, No. 1-25

Facts and Figures for Ravens, No. 26-50

JOHN HARBAUGH FACTS

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

51. Harbaugh has the most 7-2 starts in Ravens history with two. The last start (2012) led to a Super Bowl win.

52. Harbaugh is 35-13 in November with a 23-4 record at home.

53. Brian Billick had a 2-0 record against the Texans while Harbaugh is 6-2, including playoffs.

54. Harbaugh is 48-43 against playoff-winning head coaches.

55. Harbaugh has started five different quarterbacks since taking the Ravens job in 2008, the second-most behind Billick’s 12 for most in team history.

56. Harbaugh is the only rookie head coach among the four hired in 2008 to still remain in the NFL, let alone at his original post.

57. Harbaugh is 46/103 on challenges for his career with an 0/4 record in 2019.

58. Harbaugh has not challenged anything related to pass interference since Week 2. He is 0/1 in 2019.

59. The Ravens are tied with the Jets for the seventh-most fourth down attempts with 12.

60. The Ravens have the ninth-fewest penalties in the league with 62.

61. Harbaugh is 1/7 active Super Bowl-winning coaches in the league and 1/6 to still be on the team he won the Super Bowl with.

62. Harbaugh is the only active coach whose immediate previous post was as a special teams coordinator.

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