so true. i didnt think about that one. pretty ironic.

Everybody is hung up on this play like it is the end of the world. I think that if the regular refs had made the call, the right call by the way, everybody would be talking about it in a different light. If you watch the whole game you'll see that the packers should never have gotten that TD in the first place for two reasons.

1) On the TD drive there was a bs PI call on a third down incompletion that extended the drive.

2) Although the spot of the ball on the 1 and a quarter yard line was wrong it was the the call by the refs and not a first down... it happens. But then rodgers was spotted as not making a first down and it was overturned by a challenge when there was no substantial evidence to do so????? Rediculous.

The Seahawks deserved the win either way outplaying GB in the first half and tying the second half.

What everybody fails to realize is that the old refs missed just as many calls they just called the game differently in a way that everybody is used to... I think that they wouldn't call the OPI either as it is rarely called on the last play of a game and then they face the same challenge as the refs in this game.

I think what you aren't taking into consideration however, is the fact that regardless of all the piss-poor calls thus far. The last one was the only call that single-handedly decided a winner of the game.

I am of mind that the replacements weren't as bad as everyone made them out to be. Were they worse than the regular officials? Yes. From their seemingly limited grasp of how things work in the NFL to how the lack of respect from players/coaches negatively impacts the flow of the game. But was it bad enough to really hurt the game? I didn't think so.

Of course that was before this happened. Having bad officiating is one thing. Having games decided by the people who make the grievous calls in the first place is something completely different.

I've been watching NFL games for years. As such it's easy for me say with certainty that this call was wrong, AND that it hurt the integrity of the game. Never before have I seen a complete mess of a play (That's what that last hail mary was by the way.) end up being set as the official ruling on the field SO FAST.

Seriously, go back and watch it again. The back judge comes in and signals touchback/interception. The other comes in and confusingly signals touchdown. Where was the white hat (head ref) in this?

When two conflicting calls are made, the refs all huddle, and decide which will be the official ruling. This has to happen to ensure what the replay booth is trying to confirm. When you just seconds after this call get the official call of TD you have to wonder where the due process went. You have to question why these officials who slow the game down with their mistakes already weren't aware they needed to talk the call over before making it the official ruling on the field.


Beyond all that the biggest thing these new officials lack is control of the game. After that catch, did you happen to notice how nearly all of the Seattle coaches and players rushed the field? Since when was it acceptable to have so many people rush onto the field before the official end of a game? I don't think it's wrong to think the officials were intimidated by the 'Hawks when they came on the field and as such rushed to make a call.

We've seen it all season so far. The officials can't control the players, the coaches, or the flow of the game. Now if the players don't respect them, why should we?

Last night the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks weren't playing football against each other. They were playing against the officials, because no matter what either team did the officials were going to decide who won the game.




P.S. My bad for the long winded rant, but really there is very little one can say about this situation that doesn't end up as an essay.

Actually, the back ref was calling for a timeout not a touchback and the only active call on the feild was touchdown. I think the first half was ok... some bad calls but no more than when the old refs were in. It was the second half that really killed the seahawks where 10 pts were basically handed to the packers when they were stopped on third down 4 times in two drives. The defense of the hawks manhandled that Oline and GB was obviously holding on for dear life just to stop the seahawks in the second half and Seattle was called for more holding on offense than GB was??? BS I think this ref issue is a problem but I also think the Seahawks would have been ahead by more if they didn't have so many drives killed by BS penalties.

@yungf4st- hey man, if you're a Seahawks fan then I can understand you sticking up for your boys today. They definitely outplayed GB for most of the game, but to say that the refs got that last play right is ridiculous. Super obvious offensive PI, even in live speed, and clearly an interception, or an incompletion had they ruled that Jennings was out of bounds. At no point did Golden Tate have anything remotely resembling possession of the ball. Also that PI call directly before that was completely awful as well, and the Rodgers first down looked like a good call to me, and I was facing Rodgers in FF this week so trust me, I wanted him to be short. Just be happy with the win, it's not the 'Hawks fault that the refs suck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsK1MnAvrPI

watch 1:15 to 1:25

I agree that there was an OPI but those never get called on a last play hail mary.

My point is that when you look at it even in slo-mo you can't discern that jennings touched it first. I think what has people hung up is that it looks like jennings has "more" possession when they are on the ground but that doesn't matter. Tate caught the ball at the same time Jennings did and mantained control with at least one hand all the way to the ground... in the heat of the game you're watching that as a ref all you see is a silmutaneous catch and when you watch the replay there is no indisputible visual evidence to overturn it.

I know what I saw last night, I saw an INT called a touchdown, an int taken away from G.B., which would have been the game right then and there.. Not to mention the ofp that should have been called on Rice. I know Seattle's D played a great game but regardless, it looks like they would have lost had the officials not botched the call. One thing could have changed the whole outcome through, if Jennings had spiked the crap outta the ball instead of padding his stats, incomplete pass, game over...

yea, def shoulda swatted the ball, thats pretty fundamental football in those type of situations. then again, look what happened when a defender dd that the day before in the tenessee-detroit game...OT.

that being said, there is absolutely no way for an argument of simultaneous possession. i agree that in real time its hard to tell for sure....when watching on TV! these refs were right there, especially the one in the back of the endzone. like the guy said, take your timeand discuss it in that situation. how thes guys havent dicussed a procedure for these type of situations is beyod me; they all know how bad they've been blowin it. or maybe the NFL has just been blowin smoke up their *****.

Agree with most of what's being said.

I guess I still don't see Tate getting hands on the ball. I see him (after both players land) wrestling for control of the ball from Jennings, but I never once saw a point during the catch where A) Tate seemed to even have full knowledge of where the ball was. B) Where his right hand was ever on the ball and not on M.D. Jennings wrist.

The call was just wrong. I get the argument of, "Well a bunch of calls have been wrong for the past 3 weeks." I agree. Though arguable none of those calls mattered as much as this one.

It was a serious call to the refs. They that night were going to be the ONLY ones to determine who won and who lost in that game thanks to circumstances... And they blew it. Not only did they make a bad call, they made a BAD call horribly fast.

The old refs weren't perfect, but they did keep the game in control. Rushing to a decision because the 'Hawks staff and players rushed onto the field to celebrate is just wrong. There should have been a time-out. The refs should have ALL discussed what they saw, a ruling on the field needed to be called by the lead ref... AND THEN the booth needed to review that call.

I was more upset over the manner with which they handled it all, than the call itself. Perhaps its a luxury afforded to those of us not fans of either team, but as a fan of the NFL I know this is a blemish on the season I wont be forgetting anytime soon.