There needs to be a thread of the officiating today

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

The Bills were completely out of their element today and their whole entire roster was decimated w/ injuries including their top 3 CBs on several series. Josh played like crap, but had zero run game to help him out. McD was completely outclassed by a SB winning coach. With that being said…

 

What the hell was that? Bills had 11 flags for 109 yards (Jags 8/56) thrown and seemingly every single time the offense began clicking. Just one after the other like clockwork. I know it’s low hanging fruit to pick on the refs, but today was as bad of an officiated game as I’ve ever seen. 

[MPT]

Those 3 BS personal fouls in a row were insane. Really lets one team know they are not going to get a fair shake all day.

[LabattBlue]

Yawn.   Bills lose = whining about the officials. 

[Yobogoya!]

Pretty sure the flags stopped completely once the Bills could no longer mathematically beat the spread.

 

Just sayin… 

[BBFL]

Wasn’t the best that’s for sure but there was a substantial amount of times we could have taken the game from the Jags and pulled out a W. 
 

Lackluster for the whole first half from the Offense. Seemed like it kinda switched a little as the game wore on… O finally made an appearance when the D had finally reached its breaking point. Schedule/travel played its part but again, there was ample opportunity to leave there victorious. 

[Dr.Sack]

Remember with every drive extending flag it allowed more of our defensive players to be injured. That guy was doing his job. Goodell makes $60m a year and seemed to be enjoying from his luxury box. 

[RichRiderBills]

Here was my summary from 2nd half thread...thought I'd post here:

 

A few calls I'll note: 

 

- 1st TD was no good. Zay's real time TD seemed to show significant bobble and jostle out of bounds that was cut off in all replays. Play did not seem to be reviewed. 

 

- Want to add the hands to the face on the Bills that extended that early drive was also ticky tack. 

 

- The jags 3rd down completion that was clearly an incompletion. No football move was completed, yet the terrible call was reviewed and mind numbingly upheld. A back breaker. 

 

-Kincaid 3rd down catch (2nd or 3rd drive) that was clearly a conversion, but called short. Mind you stunningly not challenged by McD. 

 

- A half a dozen holds on the Bills that were ticky tack. I thought most those Torrence holds late were bogus. Most of these had no replays , and if they did nothing stood out. 

 

-Several PIs that were ticky tack. 

 

- No call on the clear bat out of bounds on the Bills onside kick. It was obvious. It is a rule. 

 

- Just want to say that I think Hyde's defenseless hit PF "could" have been called. But again, a ticky tack call in a crucial down, given the movement on the ball. 

 

Just don't recall a game with such poor officiating. It was too much yellow, and 75% of them did not need to be called. 

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by RichRiderBills

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

29 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Yawn.   Bills lose = whining about the officials. 

Officiating def plays a part especially in a close game like that. Jags had 2 turnovers also and Lawrence was sacked 5 times so I don’t want to hear how the bills “deserved” to lose. Both teams had their fair amount of blunders. 

[stevestojan]

If there was an “NFL Script” there is truly no better story the league could sell than the Bills finally winning a SB. 

 

If the script included the Jaguars doing anything, they must have been scab writers that crossed the picket line. 
 

Curious which specific penalties you all think were called incorrectly. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

28 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

Here was my summary from 2nd half thread...thought I'd post here:

 

A few calls I'll note: 

 

- 1st TD was no good. Zay's real time TD seemed to show significant bobble and jostle out of bounds that was cut off in all replays. Play did not seem to be reviewed. 

 

- Want to add the hands to the face on the Bills that extended that early drive was also ticky tack. 

 

- The jags 3rd down completion that was clearly an incompletion. No football move was completed, yet the terrible call was reviewed and mind numbingly upheld. A back breaker. 

 

-Kincaid 3rd down catch (2nd or 3rd drive) that was clearly a conversion, but called short. Mind you stunningly not challenged by McD. 

 

- A half a dozen holds on the Bills that were ticky tack. I thought most those Torrence holds late were bogus. Most of these had no replays , and if they did nothing stood out. 

 

-Several PIs that were ticky tack. 

 

- No call on the clear bat out of bounds on the Bills onside kick. It was obvious. It is a rule. 

 

- Just want to say that I think Hyde's defenseless hit PF "could" have been called. But again, a ticky tack call in a crucial down, given the movement on the ball. 

 

Just don't recall a game with such poor officiating. It was too much yellow, and 75% of them did not need to be called. 

 

I forgot about that 3rd down “completion.” That’s a play I’ve seen all the time and it’s always called the same way as an incomplete pass. Now they wanna rule it a catch? What a joke. 

1 minute ago, stevestojan said:

If there was an “NFL Script” there is truly no better story the league could sell than the Bills finally winning a SB. 

 

If the script included the Jaguars doing anything, they must have been scab writers that crossed the picket line. 
 

Curious which specific penalties you all think were called incorrectly. 

I never said it was a script. It was horrible officiating the same way a player has a bad game. 

[purple haze]

The officials were way too involved in the game.  If the Bills weren't the team playing I would have turned to a different

game because the constant flags are unwatchable.  There were a lot of tacky-tack calls against both teams.  It's a

football game.  People will get touched.

 

That said, the Bills let an easily winnable game slip through their fingers because of a lame offensive output.  They

lacked energy and execution.  That's not on Dorsey.  That's on players on the field.

[buffalo2218]

On Lawrence's second fumble, Zay Jones swatted the ball out of bounds. Isn't that a form of illegal touching?

[Punching Bag]

Jaguars were constantly hitting in head and post whistile.

[Solomon Grundy]

1 minute ago, purple haze said:

The officials were way too involved in the game.  If the Bills weren't the team playing I would have turned to a different

game because the constant flags are unwatchable.  There were a lot of tacky-tack calls against both teams.  It's a

football game.  People will get touched.

 

That said, the Bills let an easily winnable game slip through their fingers because of a lame offensive output.  They

lacked energy and execution.  That's not on Dorsey.  That's on players on the field.

Rich Eisen commented on how the ref was being seen too much

[Punching Bag]

1 minute ago, buffalo2218 said:

On Lawrence's second fumble, Zay Jones swatted the ball out of bounds. Isn't that a form of illegal touching?

 

Illegal touching is when you go out of bounds and are first player from your team to touch.

[buffalo2218]

Just now, Limeaid said:

 

Illegal touching is when you go out of bounds and are first player from your team to touch.

I thought that pertained to swatting the ball as well, I know it's not legal, just thought it fell under that call

[sdevo]

Would have like to see a replay of the Oliver call hands to the face on jags first TD drive that extended the drive not sure if it was third down but it’s the third down calls that are just killer I thought the replays in key plays were lacking on the coverage of the game.

Edited October 8, 2023 by sdevo

[Punching Bag]

I wonder if Bills will get an apology letter or their will be an experiment in not sending them any more.

[Yobogoya!]

1 minute ago, buffalo2218 said:

I thought that pertained to swatting the ball as well, I know it's not legal, just thought it fell under that call

It is illegal to swat the ball, but that play in real time it’s hard to say he wasn’t just reaching for the ball to grab it and momentum takes it out of bounds when he misses. 
 

Plenty of far more egregious calls to be mad at this game imo. 

[LABILLBACKER]

It felt like 30 flags came out today.  Did these clowns get a commission per flag.  The outcome of today's game was decided by Goodell's little failed experiment. And it cost us dearly losing key players. Losing Milano is devastating. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

2 minutes ago, sdevo said:

Would have like to see a replay of the Oliver call hands to the face on jags first TD drive that extended the drive not sure if it was third down but it’s the third down calls that are just killer I thought the replays in key plays was lacking in the game.

Agreed. A replay should be showed of every single penalty so these weak officials can be put on blast. 

[Albany,n.y.]

1 minute ago, Limeaid said:

I wonder if Bills will get an apology letter or their will be an experiment in not sending them any more.

They're going to need to write an apology book, a letter won't cover all the hosing.  

[RiotAct]

Just now, LABILLBACKER said:

It felt like 30 flags came out today.  

probably close to that, actually.

[BuffaloBillyG]

59 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

The Bills were completely out of their element today and their whole entire roster was decimated w/ injuries including their top 3 CBs on several series. Josh played like crap, but had zero run game to help him out. McD was completely outclassed by a SB winning coach. With that being said…

 

What the hell was that? Bills had 11 flags for 109 yards (Jags 8/56) thrown and seemingly every single time the offense began clicking. Just one after the other like clockwork. I know it’s low hanging fruit to pick on the refs, but today was as bad of an officiated game as I’ve ever seen. 

I try not to complain about refs too much. We see the plays at a slowed down speed and perfect television angle. They have a split second from one vantage point with bodies flying all over. Reffing a game is not as easy as it seems from the couch. On top of that a very unscientific research tells me that many fans who complain about officiating have very little knowledge about what the rules actually are. 

 

That said, today there were several calls that I wasn't completely sold on. And making it more difficult to know is that the broadcast did a completely horrible job showing replays of what happened. 

 

One thing I can say is that 2nd and 3rd team players are usually more susceptible to commiting fouls due to lack of reps. As are players that are fatigued (like, you know, jetlag). So, some calls I may agree were not the best but the idea that tired backups made a lot of fouls isn't far fetched.

[Billever76]

18 minutes ago, stevestojan said:

If there was an “NFL Script” there is truly no better story the league could sell than the Bills finally winning a SB. 

 

If the script included the Jaguars doing anything, they must have been scab writers that crossed the picket line. 
 

Curious which specific penalties you all think were called incorrectly. 

The NFL is auditioning the jags as Londons potential team....jags are gonna relocate and what better place than London and the nfl expanding their product to another continent 

[78thealltimegreat]

I remember Greg Cosell saying one time the game is getting way too fast for the officials to officiate. That’s what’s happening now. 
The officials too often want to make the game about themselves. It’s not surprise that in the Super Bowl you hardly see any calls. 

[RobbRiddicksTDLeap]

55 minutes ago, Yobogoya! said:

Pretty sure the flags stopped completely once the Bills could no longer mathematically beat the spread.

 

Just sayin… 

Shhhhhhhh, you’re saying the quiet part out loud…

[stevestojan]

3 minutes ago, Billever76 said:

The NFL is auditioning the jags as Londons potential team....jags are gonna relocate and what better place than London and the nfl expanding their product to another continent 

So because of that, the officials were out to get the Bills today? So what, when the Jags eventually move there, the redcoats are welcoming a team with a good record over there? 

[GoBills808]

They didn't effect the outcome but they definitely detracted from the game

 

Just way too many flags

[Big Turk]

All the games I've watched have been a penalty fest...WTF is going on?

[Billever76]

14 minutes ago, stevestojan said:

So because of that, the officials were out to get the Bills today? So what, when the Jags eventually move there, the redcoats are welcoming a team with a good record over there? 

I mean winning brings fans...winning can turn even the staunchest critic eventually soften up....London is a soccer city as is all of europe....but you put a winning team consistently on the field over there and maybe football becomes a bit more digestible...it's no secret the nfl wet dream is to expand their product globally

[BillsFan130]

How did Josh play like crap?

 

Like I don’t really account one bad decision/throw.

 

Sure he did under throw diggs on the INT, but he also had a guy in his face while throwing it 50 yards downfield 

[Neo]

1 hour ago, Dr.Sack said:

Remember with every drive extending flag it allowed more of our defensive players to be injured. That guy was doing his job. Goodell makes $60m a year and seemed to be enjoying from his luxury box. 

Did it also protect our offensive players?

[oldmanfan]

Rule changes and refereeing are ruining the league.  Take the roughing call when no Josh got hit.  Ridiculous.  The call against Poyer - the WR ran backwards into him.  What was he supposed to do?  We did not lose the game because of the refs, but the inconsistency in calls is wrecking the league.

[RobbRiddicksTDLeap]

37 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

They didn't effect the outcome but they definitely detracted from the game

 

Just way too many flags

Outcome is debatable. If a penalty extends a drive for a team, and changes momentum, it certainly effects the flow of the game. 
 

It also effects the point spread. That can’t be debated. I’m not a gambler, and I can clearly see that. 

Edited October 8, 2023 by RobbRiddicksTDLeap

[pennstate10]

2 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

They didn't effect the outcome but they definitely detracted from the game

 

Just way too many flags

Ah, I think the officials did effect the outcome of the game today.

 

Hands to the face on Oliver?  Unneccesary roughness on Poyer? 

 

These were both key 3rd down calls, and both bad calls.  The first led to a 4 pt swing, the second cost the Bills a possession.

 

Look, I dont think there is a vast conspiracy in the NFL fixing games.

 

But I do think there are serious problems with the competence of the officials.

 

Here are a few ideas:

1)  Accountability-  These guys get paid $200K+ for a part time job.  Be accountable.  In many lines of work (GE) the bottom 10% of workers are fired every year.  I watch a lot of college football.  There are hundreds of college officials who could replace these guys and do just as well. 

 

2)  Give them better guidelines.  Tell them if there is any question, dont throw the flag.  In grey areas, dont throw the flag.  No One goes to a game hoping to see lots of flags.

 

3)  Fix some of these grey area rules.  "hands to the face" occurs as often as holding.  Its also called as randomly as holding.  I've never heard of an OL being injured due to "hands to the face".  Just remove the rule. 

 

4)  A defensive flag on 3rd down that bails out the offense is basically a change of possession.  Review these flags, just like you do turnovers.  The review time could serve as a TV time out so the overall length of the game doesnt change. 

[GoBills808]

1 minute ago, pennstate10 said:

Ah, I think the officials did effect the outcome of the game today.

 

Hands to the face on Oliver?  Unneccesary roughness on Poyer? 

 

These were both key 3rd down calls, and both bad calls.  The first led to a 4 pt swing, the second cost the Bills a possession.

 

Look, I dont think there is a vast conspiracy in the NFL fixing games.

 

But I do think there are serious problems with the competence of the officials.

 

Here are a few ideas:

1)  Accountability-  These guys get paid $200K+ for a part time job.  Be accountable.  In many lines of work (GE) the bottom 10% of workers are fired every year.  I watch a lot of college football.  There are hundreds of college officials who could replace these guys and do just as well. 

 

2)  Give them better guidelines.  Tell them if there is any question, dont throw the flag.  In grey areas, dont throw the flag.  No One goes to a game hoping to see lots of flags.

 

3)  Fix some of these grey area rules.  "hands to the face" occurs as often as holding.  Its also called as randomly as holding.  I've never heard of an OL being injured due to "hands to the face".  Just remove the rule. 

 

4)  A defensive flag on 3rd down that bails out the offense is basically a change of possession.  Review these flags, just like you do turnovers.  The review time could serve as a TV time out so the overall length of the game doesnt change. 

Poyers hit is always a flag

 

Didn't see the Oliver call but also didn't see the rtp on Allen/Allen play so imo bad officiating was a wash

 

 

[Gunsgoodtime]

3 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

Illegal touching is when you go out of bounds and are first player from your team to touch.

I mean most of us learned what illegal touching was by at least the age of 12 right?  

[thewookie1]

Refs were awful and at times seemed to be in the Jags pocket. Rarely can refs cause continuous controversy like they did today. Unlike the last two Chiefs games where they bailed out KC with one specific call; the Bills were jobbed the entire 1st Half and then got beat up some more in the 2nd when the refs finally noticed the Jags were also breaking rules. 
 

Ed Oliver’s 2 penalties were nonexistent/ticky-tac 

 

Knox literally gets tackled on a play which doesn’t get a flag yet Johnson arm fighting down the sideline does.

 

The mysterious offensive pass interference on Davis’s 1st touchdown catch. 
 

Zay Jones batting a ball on the fumble was ify but the one on the inside kick was blatant. No flags.

 

We lost a timeout even though a Jags player was hurt; I’ve never seen to team not get their TO, in those circumstances, back prior to this game.

 

They ruled 2 bobbled balls to be catches for opposite reasons.

 

Poyers hit was ugly but should not have been called due to the situation. The ball was deflected and Poyer didn’t run into the play; he was literally standing and lowered his shoulder to brace for impact. Defenseless receiver calls are supposed to prevent a WR from getting destroyed by a full sprint DB as they hang in the air or the like. Not when they fall into a defensive player.

 

I will say the Allen vs Allen call was absurd as well but 1v10 on calls isn’t exactly a fair or reasonable exchange.

 

 

[transplantbillsfan]

After watching the Chiefs and Vikings game, I agree. Completely ridiculous. Sure seemed like refs wanted Chiefs to win.