Tag: Refs

Roger Goodell responded to the claim that the NFL and its refs have favored the Chiefs

Case closed!

When the Chiefs take the field at the Superdome for Super Bowl 59, they’ll be looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowl titles. And it’s safe to assume that much of the country will be rooting against that result.

Whether it’s been accurate or pure perception, fans have grown used to accusing the NFL of favoring Kansas City throughout the season and into this run to the Super Bowl. Despite failing to score 30-plus points in any game until the AFC Championship, the Chiefs finished the season with the AFC’s best record. And at times, it seemed like the Chiefs were beneficiaries of questionable calls.

On Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met with the media for his annual press conference ahead of the Super Bowl, and he was indeed asked if the NFL really favors Kansas City amid this dynasty.

It’s safe to say that Goodell was having none of that, calling the theory “ridiculous.”

And while the theory is indeed exaggerated, the NFL has to be aware of the perception. At the very least, officiating will be a huge topic on Sunday — especially if a crucial call goes against the Eagles.

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Cotton Bowl between Texas, Ohio State assigned ACC officiating crew

Texas vs Ohio State assigned ACC officiating crew.

There may be some good news for Longhorn fans at the Cotton Bowl. UT won’t have to worry about the game being officiated by the conference Texas spurned a year ago.

The College Football Playoff committee has announced the Cotton Bowl between the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns and the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes will feature an officiating crew from the ACC. The Big 12 will officiate the Orange Bowl between the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions.

Before the announcement it was thought the game in Arlington would either have an ACC or Big 12 crew. Texas fans have bad memories of Big 12 officiating after the Longhorns announced they were leaving for SEC greener pastures.

The crew for the National Championship Game hasn’t been assigned yet, which was expected to be released today. It’s likely to be finalized after the semifinal games. So there is a chance that Kevin Marr and his Big 12 crew could officiate the big game in Atlanta.

Texas had Big Ten officiating crews in both the first round game at home against Clemson and the Peach Bowl against Arizona State.

 

Referees set for Steelers vs. Browns Week 14 game

The officiating crew is set for the Steelers-Browns Week 14 contest in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) welcome the Cleveland Browns (3-9) to Acrisure Stadium for the last of four consecutive division games.

Land Clark’s crew will officiate the series clash finale between the Steelers and Browns. According to NFLpenalties.com, Clark and his officiating team frequently call false starts (30), offensive holding (22), and defensive pass interference (15).

Data reveals that the home team wins less than half the time under Clark’s command (41.7%). Clark’s last two Steelers-officiated games both resulted in a loss: Week 4 at the Indianapolis Colts and Week 13, 2023, against the Arizona Cardinals.

Pittsburgh aims to make it two in a row after crushing Cincinnati in Week 13. The Steelers lead the head-to-head series 81-64-1, and the Browns haven’t won in Pittsburgh since 2021.

The Steelers can eliminate the Browns from playoff contention with a win but will have to wait to clinch their own berth. If they win two more games the rest of the season, they will be in the playoffs, no matter what. Should Pittsburgh split the series with Cleveland, it will have an opportunity to clinch in Week 15 at the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Expect more Joey Porter Jr. penalties with Week 14 officiating crew

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. must be more disciplined vs the Cleveland Browns because of flag-happy officiating crew.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season. A key factor in this matchup will be the officiating crew, led by referee Land Clark.

According to NFLpenalties.com, Clark and his officiating team frequently call false starts (30), offensive holding (22), and defensive pass interference (15). Although Clark’s crew doesn’t lead the league in DPIs, they rank among the highest, which is particularly relevant for Joey Porter Jr. Clark’s crew called Porter just once for DPI in Pittsburgh’s Week 4 loss at Indianapolis.

Known for his physical play, Porter has struggled with penalties, drawing six flags (four accepted) in a recent game against the Cincinnati Bengals. These six penalties marked the most by an NFL cornerback since Week 3 of the 2022 season, though only four were enforced.

Mike Tomlin has expressed patience with Porter’s aggressive style, emphasizing the need to match opponents’ physicality like the Browns’ receivers. However, given the officiating tendencies, Porter must balance his assertiveness with clean technique to prevent penalties that could shift momentum.

Porter must be especially disciplined to avoid costly penalties that could benefit the Browns. Porter’s ability to adapt to the referees’ calling style will minimize penalties and limit the Browns’ offensive opportunities. A disciplined performance from Porter could be a deciding factor in the game’s outcome.

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Former official tries to explain unfair treatment of T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt cannot get a break from the refs.

We have all seen the replays of Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt beating an offensive tackle off the edge, only to see the OT put him in a headlock and grab his shoulders just to slow him down.

Then we look for the officials to throw a flag and unfortunately, it rarely comes. Typically when it comes to star players, they get preferential treatment from the refs like quarterbacks getting soft roughing calls and wide receivers getting away with offensive pass interference on many players.

But this isn’t the case for Watt. In fact, according to former official Gene Steratore, it works the other way around.

“There’s the phrase, ‘They’re holding on every play.’ Yes, to some extent, they are,” Steratore said. “Does it rise to the level of a foul? And a lot of times with TJ, just because he is just so good, it’s like, ‘Yeah, it did rise to the level of a foul again.'”

So is he saying the foul happens but because it’s Watt they don’t throw the flag? As if to imply Watt will never get a fair shake from the officials because he’s just too talented.

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On Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics, missed calls, referee egos, and technical fouls

Why does Tatum clash with the refs so often? And can he ever learn to answer the refs’ bad calls with his game (or at the podium)?

Fans of the Boston Celtics have by now likely seen star Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum‘s Snapchat story in which he called out the refs from Celtics – Cleveland Cavaliers Game 5 from their 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals series that saw the St. Louis native get mad over a foul that wasn’t called and the tech he got because of it.

Why does Tatum clash with the refs so often? Why does he not get the superstar treatment in the league he has been a top 10 player in for years now? And can he ever learn to answer the refs’ bad calls with his game (or at the podium)?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, explored this phenomenon on a recent episode. Check it out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Cedric Maxwell says that Boston’s Jayson Tatum needs to stop crying to referees

Maxwell knows a thing or two about how to work NBA officials on the court.

Boston Celtics legendary small forward and current-day NBC Sports Boston broadcaster Cedric Maxwell knows a thing or two about how to work NBA officials on the court. On a recent segment of the CLNS Media “Cedric Maxwell” podcast, the eponymous host and his cohost Josue Pavon speculate on what star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is saying or doing to the referees to force such quick whistles, technicals, and ejections.

Drawing on his own experiences as a pro in need of a friendlier whistle from the officials, Max offers Tatum some strong advice on how to remedy his relationship with the refs.

As a bonus, both hosts indulge in a hilarious moment of making fun of LeBron James’ best acting — or as they say these days, ‘selling contact.’

Check it out in the clip embedded above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics alum Rasheed Wallace on today’s referees

There may be no better Boston alumnus to comment on the rising tendency of referees to become part of a game’s narrative than former Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace.

For fans of the Boston Celtics and the rest of the NBA, this might be one of the worst seasons in recent memory when it comes to referees inserting themselves into the outcome of a game. The Celtics, in particular, have found themselves on the wrong end of some especially egregious officiating errors, and a handful of ejections that have raised eyebrows.

But there may be no better Boston alumnus to comment on the rising tendency of referees to become part of a game’s narrative than former Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace. Sheed recently took some time to share his thoughts on the crisis of refereeing impact the league this season on an episode of his Underdog “That’s What Sheed Said” podcast.

He also gets into some of the worst calls he ever witnessed as a player, and those who know Sheed know there were more than a few.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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An NFL rule explained how the Chiefs got away with holding before the Dolphins’ crucial roughing penalty

The refs correctly did not call this holding.

Despite looking like the league’s most dangerous offense for much of the regular season, the Miami Dolphins saw their 2023 campaign come to an end on Saturday in a frigid game at Arrowhead Stadium. And though the offense was quiet throughout the night, the Dolphins could’ve had a chance to get the ball back down 12 points with 13 minutes to play.

Yet, a no-call on an apparent holding and a roughing the passer penalty extended the drive, which result in a Chiefs touchdown. Dolphins fans were fuming about the no-call, but it turns out that the refs were correct to swallow the whistle on the play.

We do see an apparent hold by the Chiefs’ Donovan Smith on Justin Houston. But there’s a reason it wasn’t called: the rip-move exception. A rip move is a pass-rush technique where the rusher will rip through the protection by going low and swinging through in almost an uppercut motion.

Houston tried to do that on the play, and NFL rules allow offensive linemen to counter rip moves with blocks that would normally be called holding.

When the refs identified the rip move, they allowed for Smith’s hold to go uncalled. The Dolphins, of course, didn’t help themselves either by roughing Patrick Mahomes at the end of the play. That’s what really made the difference — the hold/non-hold would have resulted in a Chiefs punt had that roughing never occurred. A similar play happened last year during the Chiefs-Bengals game.

While the refs did call the play correctly, fans still had plenty of thoughts on the play and how little broadcasts mention the rip-move exception.

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum gets ejected after heated exchange with official

The Duke alum, who has a history of jawing with officials to poor effect, revealed postgame he chose that moment to make a point.

While most of the people reading this are too young to remember who comedian Rodney Dangerfield is, star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum also tends to feel like he can’t get any respect — at least from the referees. Ejected near the end of a blowout win vs. the Houston Rockets at TD Garden, the St. Louis native had felt he had not been getting calls for legitimate fouls on multiple drives.

When he voiced his concern vocally with one of the game’s officials, he received a technical foul for his trouble. This only agitated Tatum more, and he began to protest vigorously as he walked away from the ref, who gave him a second technical foul with its requisite ejection in the process. The Duke alum, who has a history of jawing with officials to poor effect, revealed postgame he chose that moment to make a point given the game was already in the bag for Boston.

If you missed that moment on the court or just want a second look, check out the clip embedded below of it put together by the folks at the “Chaz NBA” YouTube channel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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