Here's how I think the NFL needs to react to last night's disaster (1 Viewer)

[Muleskinnerblues]

The two or three officials responsible for this egregious non call MUST BE FIRED!!! They should also be investigated for any betting on this game in which they obviously controlled the outcome. This MUST happen along with any apology from the NFL in order to satisfy me.

 

[SaintsFan11]

The problem wasn't the rules! The PI occurred right in front of two referees who were looking directly at the play. The Rams player said a ref told him it was tipped, but the ball wasn't anywhere near any Rams player. The problem is that we got screwed.

We know that the NFL didn't want a playoff game to be determined by a penalty. So they went out of their way to "let them play," but if someone commits an egregious penalty on a pivotal play, YOU HAVE TO CALL THE PENALTY!

The only way that a penalty review could work is having the league office overrule a call or no-call when it is obviously wrong. You could have someone on the team as the designated penalty challenger (someone less in the trenches than the Coach, like an owner or GM, so that it's not used strategically but only when truly necessary), and the challenger requests that the NFL review the call from the league office. The game pauses, allowing the NFL to either decline to review it based on it being a judgment call (i.e., they don't second guess calls that could go either way, as so many calls do), or it can review the play and confirm or overturn the call (or no call).

The NFL would be opening Pandora's box by allowing a challenge rule for penalties broader than that, but there's got to be a way to have some accountability. My guess is that the refs would've thrown the flag if they knew the play could've been reviewed.

 

[Cajun Mike]

The problem wasn't the rules! The PI occurred right in front of two referees who were looking directly at the play. The Rams player said a ref told him it was tipped, but the ball wasn't anywhere near any Rams player. The problem is that we got screwed.

We know that the NFL didn't want a playoff game to be determined by a penalty. So they went out of their way to "let them play," but if someone commits an egregious penalty on a pivotal play, YOU HAVE TO CALL THE PENALTY!

The only way that a penalty review could work is having the league office overrule a call or no-call when it is obviously wrong. You could have someone on the team as the designated penalty challenger (someone less in the trenches than the Coach, like an owner or GM, so that it's not used strategically but only when truly necessary), and the challenger requests that the NFL review the call from the league office. The game pauses, allowing the NFL to either decline to review it based on it being a judgment call (i.e., they don't second guess calls that could go either way, as so many calls do), or it can review the play and confirm or overturn the call (or no call).

The NFL would be opening Pandora's box by allowing a challenge rule for penalties broader than that, but there's got to be a way to have some accountability. My guess is that the refs would've thrown the flag if they knew the play could've been reviewed.

3 refs!

 

[DrChek]

One more thing the league needs to do:
Next Superbowl hosting bid needs to be awarded to New Orleans.

 

[Grant Backer Two]

Allow the referee from Thibidoux to ref EVERY Saints game next year!!! ONLY way feasible to solve this!!

 

[Treybad]

A system were someone in a booth calling flags, will make the game so unbearable in my opinion... Need reduce the times this can be in play, like only on scoring plays , 4th down plays, and under 2 minutes left in the half or game..... maybe have this only with 2 minutes left in a game for regular season games and the before mentioned in playoff games... or just allow the refs review calls, this way they can throw a flag and then pick it up after a review maybe add more refs on the field 7 refs watching 22 players can be tough... although maybe add 4 more refs but let them view the game by cameras?

 

[sgilbert313]

It's easy they have more than enough technology.

High speed 4k or even 8k cameras and TV's that are reviewable by refs.

Implementation of an artificial intelligence that watches the entire field for penalties and a head ref who watches that from the booth to step in and tell the ref on the field to drop a flag so it can be done in real time or to tell the AI that it's not a proper flaggable offense.

An ethical commissioner who says player safety and means it will step in when all those safeguards fail to replay a down if there is a complete breakdown in proper officiating.

Officials that are not paid by the league but by the teams as a collective, thus no way for any bias towards the NFL.

Restart the officiating crews from scratch with those who messed up last night being permanently banned from any saints game, if not outright fired altogether.

I think that's just a start and I may honestly see if I can get my hands on some AI software to do just what I said.

You are over complicating things. The refs just needed to look up at the Jumbotron and see the obvious. They just need to learn that swallowing your pride and admitting a mistake while there is time to do something about it is entirely possible.

I hope the entire officiating crew gets fired.

 

[Excelsior88]

You are over complicating things. The refs just needed to look up at the Jumbotron and see the obvious. They just need to learn that swallowing your pride and admitting a mistake while there is time to do something about it is entirely possible.

I hope the entire officiating crew gets fired.

For that one instance yes, but when everything else fails someone above them NEEDS to step in to overturn their idiotic non call.

For other instances what difference does it make, they have the money to pay for one more ref in a booth to watch a screen with AI enabled to tell them when a call was missed. It may be overly complicated but apparently so was that blatant pass interference / not pass interference

 

[Saintina]

Nothing can be done to fix yesterday's debacle, obviously. Those in the media who are trying to muddy the water with "what about" scenarios concerning other calls/noncalls earlier in the game and other mistakes the Saints made during the game miss the point entirely, and they are only rubbing salt in the wound. It's not possible to explain this away. The team and its fans were robbed and life isn't fair. Those are the facts today and they will not change.

That stated, for my own purposes, I am trying to identify the conditions under which I can see myself returning to the NFL as a fan. So far as I can tell there are 3 things that must happen, at a minimum:

1. An unequivocal statement must be issued by the NFL acknowledging the blown call. Hearsay about a call between Payton and the league after the game is not enough. This statement can be short and to the point, but the NFL PR folks need to be very careful about any kind of hedging or CYA nonsense in the statement. For me, the league needs to confront and own the mistake, or it will permanently lose any shred of credibility it currently has (I know many here will contend it already has no credibility, and fair enough).

2. Some consequence needs to be felt by those responsible for the officiating. I don't know exactly what this needs to look like except that, at a minimum, those responsible for the non-call on the field cannot be allowed to officiate another playoff game. Perhaps other heads need to roll too, but I don't see how any outcome short of this works.

3. The NFL needs to take concrete steps this offseason to improve the officiating process so this cannot happen again. As with point 2, I do not know exactly what this change needs to be and it will probably take months of debate and review to determine the details. That's process/review period is ok with me, as long as the eventual outcome is a better system.

If all 3 of those things occur, I can see myself coming back. If any of those 3 things do not occur, I doubt I will be able to continue as a consumer of the NFL's products.

Rant over.

You forgot number four... the Saints need some kind of compensation for what happened.

 

[Section41]

One more thing the league needs to do:
Next Superbowl hosting bid needs to be awarded to New Orleans.

New Orleans already received the last Super Bowl that got awarded. You want two in a row?

 

[Saintina]

New Orleans already received the last Super Bowl that got awarded. You want two in a row?

We need the next Super Bowl. Everybody else can move to a year later.

 

[Section41]

We need the next Super Bowl. Everybody else can move to a year later.

That’s not possible. That would cost the league and cities billions.

Now, if you want to take away LA’s upcoming Super Bowl and give it to New Orleans, you’re talkin my language.

 

[VPCajun]

Nothing can be done to fix yesterday's debacle, obviously...

Too bad, SP didn't insist LAST NIGHT that Goodell enact that clause to re-start the game at the 1:41 mark.

That is, re-start it last night while all the players,etc were still in the stadium!

 

[Quiet Storm]

Here's what I think should happen..

First off, u can't review every play that might be a penalty..especially holds on the line, those go on all the time.

Here's what should be done..instead of 2 challenges, give teams 3 challenges and make PI's and targeting a reviewable play.

A play like yesterday shouldn't have to be reviewed because it was so obvious, but if Payton had a challenge to use there, he could have use it.

If college can go back and look at "targeting" then why can't the NFL?? PI's wouldn't be really hard to look at either. The PI against Ginn was missed and the TLL, both "key" 3rd plays that would have kept drives alive. I really don't know how u miss some plays that are so obvious.

 

[daMixter]

Last week my Eagles fan brother in law texted me Monday saying”Man, woke this morning and it hurts”. I smugly didn’t reply. Now I know how he feels. Let’s get over this. Boo Ya SB 54, Mr. Brees’s Swan Song.