[News] Questionable Referee Calls Hurt Ravens

[BR News]

Chris Johnson wasn’t whistled down, John Urschel wasn’t checked and Jeremy Ross’ knee not called down.

View the full article

[dorie80]

I'm not one to complain about calls but this game was decided by the referees. The Urschel call was bogus... Ross's knee clearly down, Chris Johnson should have been blown dead, and Webby made a great play on that throw to Fitzgerald and got flagged for it. The other pass interference on the ravens was clearly a penalty but Webb made a great play on the ball... Also there was a play where David Johnson ran out of bounds with about 3:40 to go and the clock didn't stop... The Ravens actually played well (apart from the last Flacco Interception and a semi-stuttering offense) but lost because of the calls

[AirforceOne79]

At 1-6 who really cares at this point about questionable calls, i mean really? Still had a chance at the end to tie and blew it with bad play calling. 

[cjmosley57]

Agreed, the fact that Gruden was openly questioning every call as a national announcer shows the ridiculousness of the calls. And even though Flacco threw that game ending pick, the game should never have been decided by that. Either we win big, or we just need a field goal (if you let the refs get away with half their ridiculous calls). Regardless, the NFL should have downgraded that ref team mid-game.

[RavensScientist]

referees definitely ruined the game. same loss but feel much better that the last game. was a good fight. many bright spots. just let the young guys play, and we will have a bright future!! Go Ravens!!

[Purple&Black]

The silver lining is the team probably played it's best all year, and against one of the best teams in football. The Ross Fumble AND The Chris Johnson Run Were Pretty Much A microcosm of our season

[TheConquerorWorm]

At 1-6 who really cares at this point about questionable calls, i mean really? Still had a chance at the end to tie and blew it with bad play calling. 

Can you share what the play calls were? All I saw was no time for ANY play to develop because the Cards were coming free almost every play. Looked to me like Flacco had to throw the ball up not to take a sack - like 8 plays in a row. I'm pretty sure that "drop back, let all pass rushers come free and throw the ball up to not take a sack" is not a play call that Trestman put in.

[reed20fence]

I'm proud of our team's performance for the most part. Can't scapegoat Pees on this game. There were a few mistakes on defense but for the most part it was a solid, good outting. Even offensively, we kept chugging away.
So in my book boys, you're 2-5. You beat the Cardinals tonight. What you lost to were the Cardinals and an incredibly incompetent crew of referees who are quite likely the worst in the NFL. They not only blew huge, massive, game-changing calls against us, but you could tell the Cards were upset with some clear phantom penalties and flags too.
The Urschel call and Johnson debacle were enough to break any teams back. Add in the Ross 'play stands' ruling when the replay clearly shows his knee is down at a point when the defender is stilll trying to snatch the ball and you just can't overcome those odds.

Still, yet again, despite all the baggage, we kept it a close game right to the end.

Edited October 27, 2015 by reed20fence

[Asmodeus71]

Those three calls made it so we weren't only playing against a team that has a complete offense when playing well with our defense having as weak of a secondary as we have, but against the refs, more injuries taking out the strong side of the o-line and a team with a really good pass rush. As bad as this season is going it would have taken gods to win this game. The Ravens almost put it in overtime to earn a chance to be gods for one night. No shame in this game. Some things could have been done better but unlike many on here I am still going to take pride in the good my team shows.

[PlAyLiKeArAvEn96]

I hate refs with there bull crap not paying attention when they need to,bad calls on us just killed our chances. But,Flacco pick just sums up this miserable season. I still ride for this team,but not the staff and Harbs losing the confidence of the fans that he knows what he is doing as a head coach. With out real leadership this quad is dooomed.

What's sickening about comments like this (& whoever agrees that Harbaugh has lost the confidence of the fans/team, somehow during one rough patch) is: You guys do realize that we have lost by one score (or less) in every. single. game, right? You do realize that ONE bounce-of-the-ball, ONE bad call, ONE weird review going IN our favor instead of against us like it has all season, we could easily be 7-0? We could be 7-0, playing precisely the same way we've played, giving up the same points & plays, converting when we do, missing when we don't, etc. Some games, some season you just can't explain all the bad fortune you get - this is one of those times. We could play better. We wish we didn't have 75% of our team on Injured Reserve. We wish at least half the calls would go our way and we didn't start off 5 of 7 games on the road with 4 west cast trips. . .but oh well! It doesn't mean somehow that Harbaugh has, all-of-a-sudden, become a liability to this team. He hasn't lost anyone's confidence. . . .that actually watches the games, not just the final score. GO RAVENS! 

[HayintheBarn]

Playing bad football hurt the Ravens.

[Asmodeus71]

I'm not one to complain about calls but this game was decided by the referees. The Urschel call was bogus... Ross's knee clearly down, Chris Johnson should have been blown dead, and Webby made a great play on that throw to Fitzgerald and got flagged for it. The other pass interference on the ravens was clearly a penalty but Webb made a great play on the ball... Also there was a play where David Johnson ran out of bounds with about 3:40 to go and the clock didn't stop... The Ravens actually played well (apart from the last Flacco Interception and a semi-stuttering offense) but lost because of the calls

The Webb call at least from my eyes he did hook and turn the guy but the hook and turn were after the ball was deflected and was behind them. The chance of a catch was over before the receiver was turned. 

[ravensrock89]

Hate when we lose especially to the refs. I think we lose more to them than our opponents. Never ever see New England ever have a bad penalty against them, its always the same teams, makes you wonder. hmmmm

[AirforceOne79]

Can you share what the play calls were? All I saw was no time for ANY play to develop because the Cards were coming free almost every play. Looked to me like Flacco had to throw the ball up not to take a sack - like 8 plays in a row. I'm pretty sure that "drop back, let all pass rushers come free and throw the ball up to not take a sack" is not a play call that Trestman put in.

 

I guess you conveniently forgot about that illegal formation play that moved the Ravens back 5 yards, that's bad playcalling. That can't happen in that situation, the calls need to be coming in more fluidly. People grasping for straws blaming the refs, instead of just being realistic and calling like it is. The team isn't that good this year on all fronts, stop looking for excuses.

Edited October 27, 2015 by AirforceOne79

[RavensFootballFan]

Yes, some calls hurt us, so did a fumble, dropped passes, missed tackles, a messed up shifting by either SSS or Boyle that took off 10 seconds and added 5 yards which contributed to a desperate last pass instead of two or three more plays. Can't blame the Urschel call that the refs botched as that would only add 4 more points onto Tucker field goal, we still would have needed a TD. Thing is, the Ravens played hard and we came up short, there is no one play or even two or three plays, offense had chances and there were 3 and outs, defense had chances and got beat at times but both sides also did well at times. It is 60 minutes of football, not a few bad calls.

[ravens4life86]

So mad after this game. Atleast Eligible WR blown call by REF cost momentum and likely 7, then the Big Run which should a been Forward Progress. Its how they FIX NFL! BS Penalties and non calls which are Gamechangers.

Secondly, IMHO...Ravens were the the better team for 2,3rds of the game. Now I understand KO and Monroe got injured during the game... But we dominated Time of Possession first half, and Forsett was running all over them.

Why Trestman only ran 4x the second half? He is clueless. I understand the injuries to left side but you have all world Yanda and Wagner still to run behind.

Then highly questionable play calling in certain situations like calling a reverse, then run back to back on 2nd and 3rd and long.. On the boarder of FG Range when you need a good 10 yards to get a FG in not have to punt..thats a throwing situation.

So

[blindbat]

I thought this was professional football this is just horrible NFL fine these refs send a message to these highly questionable penalties NFL you fine the players all the time!!!

[ravenstime]

O.k., the refs blew at least 2 calls. However, if Joe was thinking a little clearer, he might have thrown that ball into the 2nd row, instead of a 50 / 50 ball. I know that Crockett is a tall receiver and that was a good play, but we had 1 or 2 more chances to make a better throw. I wish he'd have air-mailed that one out of the end zone. I am happy though that we threw the ball into the end zone and not short, again. Whenever we're near the 5 yard line, it really makes little sense to throw it short of the Goal, especially when the clock is running out. That play before, when there was the penalty, only gained 1 or 2 yards, and those plays should go in the end zone; I can almost hear Madden yelling that from the booth, years ago!

[Jim Giampaoli]

The call against Urschel was a fix. The refs saw him as an eligible receiver. I think I'm right on this... Belichick in the playoff game bringing in ineligible receivers and getting away with it. Not blowing the whistle on the 62 yard run, after Williams clearly had stopped Johnson's forward motion was criminal.

[reed20fence]

Look at it from a bigger perspective. The League is trying to help groom our young team. They haven't experienced what the Ravens of old learned. In this league, when you're the Ravens, you have to beat your opponent and the League with its cronies.

Us against the World isn't just some chip on our shoulder that you inherit the day you walk in the castle as a player or become a Ravens fan. It's a second nature that you're forced to develop having experience heartbreak after heartbreak by this League and its minions.

You have to be so beastly and good that not even the refs can bail out your opponent. And one day these same youngins we curse now will get to that level.

[ravenstime]

I agree with you, reed20fence, we should have nailed Johnson while Williams was holding him. You have to play to the whistle, we've all heard it said before.

[TheConquerorWorm]

I guess you conveniently forgot about that illegal formation play that moved the Ravens back 5 yards, that's bad playcalling. That can't happen in that situation, the calls need to be coming in more fluidly. People grasping for straws blaming the refs, instead of just being realistic and calling like it is. The team isn't that good this year on all fronts, stop looking for excuses.

That wasn't bad play-calling that was bad execution. Most of the time that happens because players don't hear the call from the QB and not because the coaches don't get the play in. In fact the speakers in the QB helmet are cut off with 15 seconds on the play clock. That tells me the play was in, either the players didn't hear the call or didn't know where to line-up (the more likely with all the shuffling of new guys in the starting line-up). Blaming the play calling is worse than blaming the refs (especially when you have no actual clue what play was actually called). Bottom line, this is just not a very good football team right now.

[omar586]

when it rains it pours

[ravens533]

I was listening rather than watching the game. On the Williams/Johnson play, I could clearly hear a whistle while Johnson was down the first time. It was only one official that blew a whistle but that play was blown dead. Why that was ignored is something I do not think I will ever understand.

[HailFlacco5]

Oh please. We need to perform, and we did not. Plain and simple.

[Ravensfolyfe]

What's sickening about comments like this (& whoever agrees that Harbaugh has lost the confidence of the fans/team, somehow during one rough patch) is: You guys do realize that we have lost by one score (or less) in every. single. game, right? You do realize that ONE bounce-of-the-ball, ONE bad call, ONE weird review going IN our favor instead of against us like it has all season, we could easily be 7-0? We could be 7-0, playing precisely the same way we've played, giving up the same points & plays, converting when we do, missing when we don't, etc. Some games, some season you just can't explain all the bad fortune you get - this is one of those times. We could play better. We wish we didn't have 75% of our team on Injured Reserve. We wish at least half the calls would go our way and we didn't start off 5 of 7 games on the road with 4 west cast trips. . .but oh well! It doesn't mean somehow that Harbaugh has, all-of-a-sudden, become a liability to this team. He hasn't lost anyone's confidence. . . .that actually watches the games, not just the final score. GO RAVENS! 

That's how i see it and don't care how you feel.