It's time for the referees to hold post-game press conferences

[biggie.]

The lack of accountability these guys face is astounding.

They are rarely, if ever, fired for poor performance. Even if they are, it's a part time job and most of the refs have well-paying day jobs.

Players and coaches get fined for criticizing them publicly.

Players and coaches have to answer to the media about the game and the decisions they made, but not the refs.

Edited February 13, 2023 by biggie.

[SotanKing]

Doubt much happens in this case as the player himself admitted that he was holding

 

[DirtyDez]

That would be bad for everyone. 

[Mox]

Go to referees in booths until AI is ready to replace them. On-field refs have outlasted their use.

[Jakuvious]

They do get interviewed after, right? I thought there's just no video and nobody normally gives a damn. Otherwise, I don't know where like, this would come from:

 

[aussie_eagle]

14 minutes ago, Jakuvious said:

They do get interviewed after, right? I thought there's just no video and nobody normally gives a damn. Otherwise, I don't know where like, this would come from:

 

It was a hold, if every other small hold was called throughout the game. You can't pick and choose when to flag small indiscretions and then call one to decide the game. I'm not going to do it but I hope someone in the media does it - go through the game tape and look at similar situations where no flag was thrown and count them.

[TedLavie]

2 hours ago, aussie_eagle said:

It was a hold, if every other small hold was called throughout the game. You can't pick and choose when to flag small indiscretions and then call one to decide the game. I'm not going to do it but I hope someone in the media does it - go through the game tape and look at similar situations where no flag was thrown and count them.

I can't speak for the other holds as I, like you, am not going through every play like to find similar situation. And in theory I def agree with your argument, I just don't know if it applies in this game. 

What I know is that there's a visibile jersey grab, it's not a hand fighting situation. So the foul, however small it is, is very visible to the referee. I understand how frustrating it is, for you as Eagle fan, but to the rest of the public because the game is seemingly decided on a light call. But there's no way the refs don't call that if they see it. A jersey pull is just a clear cut case of holding. 

I am curious if there were any other cases in the game in which case, yes, they should have been called as well. 

[CriminalMind]

Bradberry got away with a hold in the first half and KC punted he didn’t get away with it on that play. 

such is life

[drew39k]

Does it suck for a game to end on a penalty? Sure? Does that mean they shouldn't have called an obvious penalty? Nope. 

It's not even a situation where the penalty was on someone across the field from the play. The wr that was targeted was slowed down by the hold, which prevented him from getting to the spot where the ball was thrown. It's entirely likely that if Bradbury doesn't grab and pull at him he gets the clean release and it's a TD. 

And more to the point,the eagles would have been better off if he hadn't held and it had been a TD since they would have gotten the ball with plenty of time to tie it up.

The only real argument I can roll with here is that maybe defensive holding should not grant an automatic first down, but then you'd have a lot more holding on third and more than 5. Not really a win either.

[Art_Vandalay]

7 hours ago, SotanKing said:

Doubt much happens in this case as the player himself admitted that he was holding

I don’t think anyone is debating whether or not it was a hold by definition. The issue is that that type of hold from DBs or O-linemen happen on nearly every play. Up to that point, the refs were only calling obvious/egregious penalties. Then on the biggest play of the game where the ball was uncatchable anyway, they call that ticky tack hold and effectively ended the game. If those types of holds were being called the entire game, it would be annoying but would be understandable since they set the precedent early. The call just wasn’t consistent on how they were calling the game to that point. It obviously sucks for me as an Eagles fan but it sucks for all the viewers who were watching an instant classic in the making, only for a ref to be the deciding factor.

[THE DUKE]

19 minutes ago, Art_Vandalay said:

I don’t think anyone is debating whether or not it was a hold by definition. The issue is that that type of hold from DBs or O-linemen happen on nearly every play. Up to that point, the refs were only calling obvious/egregious penalties. Then on the biggest play of the game where the ball was uncatchable anyway, they call that ticky tack hold and effectively ended the game. If those types of holds were being called the entire game, it would be annoying but would be understandable since they set the precedent early. The call just wasn’t consistent on how they were calling the game to that point. It obviously sucks for me as an Eagles fan but it sucks for all the viewers who were watching an instant classic in the making, only for a ref to be the deciding factor.

Go back and watch the AFCCG, Chase's jersey was getting yanked like that virtually every route.  That call in the biggest spot in the game after not calling that all game, effectively ending the game is all this Super Bowl is going to be remembered for.  

[Broncofan]

Honestly the goal should be that refs don't need to be interviewed in the post-game. 

[Broncofan]

As for the foul, the issue is this - they don't call the flag for 58+ minutes for plays like that, and then they choose to do it there.     That's why it comes off so poorly. 

PHI had many chances to win the game before it came down to that call.   They have plenty of other regrets today.   Just an awful, awful way to end that game.   It turned what was an epic back and forth drama to one that's going to overshadowed by the controversy of the call.  Unfortunate...to say the least. 

[Beck Bristow]

I'd say the obvious change to make would be using the same crews in the playoffs as the regular season, so consistency will be better. These "blown" calls aren't really blown, they're just inconsistent. 

[minutemancl]

1 hour ago, CriminalMind said:

Bradberry got away with a hold in the first half and KC punted he didn’t get away with it on that play. 

such is life

I've seen a few games this year where refs have adjusted at halftime to make the calls they should have been making in the first half.

I remember in the 2nd Giants/Commanders game, there were 2 or 3 plays in the first quarter where Washington clearly had a tight end in motion moving towards the LOS at the time of the snap. It was slight, but it was definitely happening. The refs missed all of those. In the 2nd half, the same thing happened. The refs finally called it. I'm willing to bet someone said something to them to the effect of "hey, watch out for that" and they did. I didn't see the play you are referring to, but I'm guessing a similar thing happened here. "Hey, watch out for 24, he got away with a hold there".