What Can Be Done About The Officiating?

[Tank 92]

Before folks start with the "stop the whining" comments, this thread has nothing to do with losing any game because of the refs.

It is painfully obvious, even to uninterested observers, that the officiating in Ravens games is tilted to their opponent. Without trying to figure out the reason(s), what can the Ravens front office and the Ravens community as a whole do to try to affect a change. Losses, bad play, bad coaching are all parts of any sport at one time or another. But watching obviously biased calls and non-calls week after week is ruining the spirit of the game. What can be done?

[CorvusCorax]

I say personally hand the ball to the ref with a big smile, and say "here you go".

Either that or:

[Flacco-the-Unitas]

We could give-em Ochocinco dollars.

[Shawn`]

Here's the solution:

We teach our CB's how to cover a receiver properly so they don't draw the pass interference.

[Moderator 2]

It not just the Ravens games, this ref crew did a MNF Miami and missed a bit of holding too. If you watch any games there are missed calls in all games and the 2 biggies that Harbs had overturned today proved that. Either simplify the rules and let them play or full time refs, you are not going to be able to discount the human element.
I thought it was telling Periera was not on the NFLN defending his refs last week.

[PuRock]

[quote name='Shawn`' date='08 November 2009 - 08:56 PM' timestamp='1257731785' post='278070']
Here's the solution:

We teach our CB's how to cover a receiver properly so they don't draw the pass interference.
[/quote]

Never happen. The talent isn't there. The only way to counteract this is pressure. So maybe stir up the pot down their near the D-line.

[Tank 92]

[quote name='Moderator 2' date='08 November 2009 - 08:57 PM' timestamp='1257731831' post='278071']
It not just the Ravens games, this ref crew did a MNF Miami and missed a bit of holding too. If you watch any games there are missed calls in all games and the 2 biggies that Harbs had overturned today proved that. Either simplify the rules and let them play or full time refs, you are not going to be able to discount the human element.
I thought it was telling Periera was not on the NFLN defending his refs last week.
[/quote]

They didn't seem to miss the holding and PI calls against the Ravens.

[TSizzle00]

[quote name='Shawn`' date='08 November 2009 - 08:56 PM' timestamp='1257731785' post='278070']
Here's the solution:

We teach our CB's how to cover a receiver properly so they don't draw the pass interference.
[/quote]

What good is that? Ocho got a PI call that the Bengals CB did the exact same thing to Mason NO flag. The stuff our CBs do to draw penalties you see every game. The fact is there is holding and PI on almost every play and the refs choose when to call it. Ravens Oline held flag was thrown ok fair, Bengals Oline holds back to back no flag.

[CorvusCorax]

I believe the old saying is "Kill 'em with kindness".

[neepo13]

[quote name='Shawn`' date='08 November 2009 - 08:56 PM' timestamp='1257731785' post='278070']
Here's the solution:

We teach our CB's how to cover a receiver properly so they don't draw the pass interference.
[/quote]

Our db's deserve every thrasing they get but the P.I. calls are one thing that I am very hesitant to hold against them because the refs calls of P.I. are so inconsistant. We saw that in this game. Washington hooked Johnsons hand on an overthrown ball and he got flagged for P.I. Almost identical situation except Mason has Joseph beat and Joseph hooks the hand, no flag.

You cant "teach them to cover properly" when the refs dont even know what P.I. is. If they dont know what they are going to call P.I. how the hell are our guys supposed to know?

[poedacrow]

...Ahh...this is an easy one...

Play superb and flawless football on all three sides of the ball. Stifling defense, productive offense, efficient and error free special teams, and the poor offciating, whether real or imagine becomes a moot point.

As evidence:

Today our guys were penalized 7 times for 80 yards...
Last week against Denver we were penalized 8 times for 94 yards.

Everyone knows the resultant out come of each game...I won't belabor the point.

But I think it does at least suggest that when a team mans up, everybody is clicking and on the same page, then that TEAM becomes nearly invincible. I'm not trying to be flipppant (hope I don't come off that way) or suggest that the offciating doesn't matter.

Just that a championship caliber team (Ravens) will manage and conquer adversity.

[RavensClaw52]

I think a lot of it has to do with how quickly players start whining and going up to the refs doing the hand gesture for a flag to be thrown. I think that should be a unsportsmanlike penalty starting next year.

[jschultz]

Yeah, I'm getting really sick of all the players crying to the refs for flags to be thrown and then seeing late flags fly in.

[Flacco-the-Unitas]

Personally, I dont think players should be able to rally for calls. I think they should just be concentrated on playing FB. Is it going to happen? Probably not. Although it would be nice to be able to fine a ref for a blown call. Players get fined for making mistakes. Why not refs? Of course, we would have to make them full time at that point (which they should be).

[RavensClaw52]

[quote name='jschultz' date='09 November 2009 - 01:50 AM' timestamp='1257745855' post='278383']
Yeah, I'm getting really sick of all the players crying to the refs for flags to be thrown and then seeing late flags fly in.
[/quote]

Exactly...late flags...if you have to think about it, then it more than likely didnt happen. That goes for us too, I hate it when our guys get up screaming to the refs like when Mase overreacted.

[jschultz]

Refs absolutely should be full time and they should be hired / fired based on their performance and be evaluated by an officiating council on a weekly basis. Also, blown calls and non-calls should be publicly announced. I'm sick and tired of poor officiating ruining games and there being no public accountability for it.

In fact, I'd be all for replacing officials on the field with a bunch of well placed / mobile HD cameras, automated sensors, computers doing real time reconstruction all to help off field refs make [b]all[/b] the proper calls on every play. If that made them do a better job, then I'm all for it. I have [b]zero[/b] attachment to Zebras on the field. I'd go so far as to have a ref assigned to every player on the field watching only them for any/all infractions.

The real truth though is that if every foul was correctly called very few plays would get off. For me that points to the rules being overly ticky tacky, subjective and complicated.

[CecilRavensFan]

How how bout win the damn game? In New England with those calls, we marched down the field and Clayton literally drops the ball. If we'd a won the refs wouldn't have mattered. Don't see why we can make that the case qith games whewre there are bad calls

[20ravens52]

I just want to know how Jared Gaither gets called for holding while driving a man forward away from the line of scrimmage, and why Terrell Suggs obviously got held on several times rushing the QB and NO CALL any of those times.

The logic isn't there on the Refs part. They are obviously trying to make the Ravens look bad and nothing is being done about it. It's really getting me POed

[smashmouth]

They need to implement a better scorecard for officals. Right now they get graded and those who "win" referee the playoffs and/or superbowl. Thats more money in there pockets. But every crew is getting worse then wheather men, they just dont do anything right and can keep there jobs.
If Ray Lewis can get fined 25k for a hit, legal hit at that, then ref's can get fines for wrong also. They dont even need to publicly annouce it for all I care, but if they dont get paid for being wrong, then they better be right, right?
If they wanna keep being wrong and getting fined and dont care, then there taking bribes, fire there hinneys. Low market teams, and alot of newer teams seems to be the ones who are getting screwed.

[Radinho84]

it´s not that we are the only team that gets those PI calls every week. i watched the miami game yesterday and it was the same there.
also it doesn´t belong to this threat: those two dolphins corners smith and davis showed up great this game. they were both on the board when we picked....(sorry for posting this in here)

back to the theme: every team gets bad calls ( except the new england cheatriots) u have just to live with it and not complain about it. pressure the qb every play and u help our secondary a lot. they can keep their guys in front and that will limit the needs for plays which are followed by penalties in every football game around the globe.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

Perhaps start throwing in some Soccer dives, try milk the officials. I don't know, it seems like the referees just don't like our team.

[smashmouth]

[quote name='Radinho84' date='09 November 2009 - 03:21 AM' timestamp='1257754876' post='278435']
it´s not that we are the only team that gets those PI calls every week. i watched the miami game yesterday and it was the same there.
also it doesn´t belong to this threat: those two dolphins corners smith and davis showed up great this game. they were both on the board when we picked....(sorry for posting this in here)

back to the theme: every team gets bad calls ( except the new england cheatriots) u have just to live with it and not complain about it. pressure the qb every play and u help our secondary a lot. they can keep their guys in front and that will limit the needs for plays which are followed by penalties in every football game around the globe.
[/quote]
Its more then just the Pats that get calls there way, alot of the big market teams does. Anyone watch the Vikes aganist the Steelers last week? Vikings got 6 flags on one drive while they was driving to win, one flag I have never heard of in my life, not on the defensive side of the ball I dont think its been heard of.
I figured the Vikes with Favre wouldent be a victem of yet another Steeler crew.

Your right about the blitz, but ive been saying all along, even last year. we dont have the Blitzers, Suggs is not elite, never really has been. His rookie season was his best as a pass rusher.Rex Ryan was so good at hiding our weakness on defense with his scheme.

[ravens1977]

[quote name='RavensClaw52' date='09 November 2009 - 12:27 AM' timestamp='1257744440' post='278367']
I think a lot of it has to do with how quickly players start whining and going up to the refs doing the hand gesture for a flag to be thrown. I think that should be a unsportsmanlike penalty starting next year.
[/quote]
I second this great idea. Any type of "trying to influence the refs decision" is an automatic 15-yard and $5000 fine each time. GL to Tom Brady now.

[PSL541]

[quote name='Shawn`' date='08 November 2009 - 08:56 PM' timestamp='1257731785' post='278070']
Here's the solution:

We teach our CB's how to cover a receiver properly so they don't draw the pass interference.
[/quote]

THANK YOU. What can be done about the officiating? Stop being so BAD and take the refs out of the equation.

[Corvus]

I don't see how you can still complain about penalties, obviously our team is not as good as we thought and racking up penalties with stupid mistake after stupid mistake is a sign of that.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

[quote name='CorvusCorax' date='08 November 2009 - 09:20 PM' timestamp='1257733207' post='278124']
I believe the old saying is "Kill 'em with kindness".
[/quote]


that back judge seems to be up in the LB area he could get caught in a safety blitz lol

[tgo82]

Let me first start by saying that we shot ourselves in foot several times during this game. But to deal with the poor officiating the refs need to be fined. I started a poll on this.

[I AM LEGEND]

[quote name='TheRavenouseD2008' date='09 November 2009 - 09:16 AM' timestamp='1257772607' post='278498']
that back judge seems to be up in the LB area he could get caught in a safety blitz lol
[/quote]

lol maybe we can assign Laundry to do it since he dosent like making clear cut interceptions

but I've Been saying this forever and will continue to say it...THe Ravens are the most picked on team in the NFL and have been that way for a long time. This in no way is to take pressure off our HORRID secondary play..they stink...yes we know this..but throw In The fact that for some reason were picked on doesn't help

now let's be honest and get down to the facts of why were picked on

1. The inability of certain media,football figures and fans to put Ray Lewis's Murder charge behind him where it's suppose to be..let's be honest besides the ravens fans we've probably heard 100,000 Ray Lewis murder jokes..I've heard it from fans, radio host,etc

2. Other unfavorable characters we've had on the team in the past including are fearless leaders Brian Billick and Rex Ryan This also includes CMac, Jamal Lewis who served time, Bart Scott and others. I've also heard 100,000 jokes in the past about our team being thugs,jailbirds,etc..

3. 2007!!!! Monday night football against the pats really Hurt us... We came out of that game with a really bad image...the biggest being crybabies..Bart throwing flags..Mason complaining about sorts of racism..

I felt like we could a break on some of these things once we started to shed some of the "problems" I.e. Billick,Cmac,Ryan, Scott....and to be fair in a way we did..last year I can't recall any feelings of being picked on except for when we went up against the Steelers and let's be honest alot of teams have that feeling when u go up against the Steelers.

But our old issues seem to have resurfaced this year and guess when...right after the Pats game when we went back to our old ways about complaining...Ray got sucked in,so did Harbaugh..and it seems like the flags have been flying every since.

Now needless to say our secondary sucks but add that with our image and it's a deadly mixture..

That one ochocinco PI came so late yesterday it made me sick..

Any time you have a veteran reciever such as Mason who gets treated like a rookie Wideout we have a problem..


However something needs to be done on a higher level involving the owner and league that can put some of these issues on the table and show them that the ravens as an organization and the Ravens fan base will no longer stand for it.

If Brady can complain about a flag during the game

why can't w complain about a flag after the game

[Flacco-the-Unitas]

Flags don't score TD's. But they sure do help! I'm tellin' ya, we'll just dye some dollar bills orange and call them "ochocinco dollars". The ref that collects the most of these gets to officiate the superbowl. I really think a ref needs to be in the box office surrounded by cameras. That way, they can catch the same things we see on TV and make appropriate calls. Players crying for flags needs to stop. Officials throw flags. There should be a huge fine everytime that happens. And then add to the list of improvements: make refs full time and accountable monetarily. Maybe 10 years from now, ONE of these things might happen.

[kidrock]

I have absolutely hated threads that complain about the officiating in the past. But now, I just seem to be noticing way too much. You wanna know why our d line doesnt get pressure, its because JJ and Pryce get held every other play. I have no problems with the flags on the secondary, they are extremely hard calls to make. But when someone is being held by the head and jersey by 2 people at once, that is huge.

Even though we played like garbage most of the game, are you telling me that a few holding calls against the Bengals in the beginning wouldnt have helped us down the road. If they actually called it, then they would stop holding and we would be sacking Palmer. Instead, it just got worse.

For us, we have a guy driving a begal forward on a run and thats holding???

(Side note, I have no problems with any other calls/no calls made by the refs)