Blown Call

In my Evidence class, my professor told our class that the first rule of objecting during trial is: Don't do it. Shocking as this might be to those of you who are familiar only with TV courtrooms, this rule makes sense because nothing is more frustrating to the jury than a lawyer who constantly interrupts a witness's interesting testimony and narrative with boring legal jargon they do not understand. I bring this up because Referees should be taught this exact same rule when it comes to making calls, especially near the end of a game. Don't do it! Much like the courtroom, nothing is more frustrating to a fan of the team or of the NFL than a referee making a call at the most exciting part of the game. Plus in some circumstances, it does more than just frustrate fans, it affects the standings.

Because referees do not seems to be taught the "Dont do it" rule, a lone whistle decided the winner of what might have been the game of the year.

I am not sure if any of you got to watch the Chargers-Broncos game, but hopefully you got to see highlights of a truly great game. Basically, it was a great comeback by the Chargers until there was about 30 seconds left, and the hard fought battle ended in what might be the worst blown call all year.

I mean, haven't we come a long way since the dreaded days of the Tom Brady "tuck" rule?

Say what you will about shoulda's and woulda-s, the game was over the minute the men wearing black and white gave Jay Cutler one more shot. The Chargers thought they had won the game; this time prevailing over a last minute, threatening drive. But, you could just see the wind being taken out of their sails when the call was ruled incomplete and there was nothing they could do about it. Overcoming a call like has to be harder than finding a job with more security than the Lions general manager position.

If you watch that play where Jay Cutler fumbles the ball it is so clearly a fumble that it baffles me that a referee could possibly think otherwise. I mean his throw practically went backwards. But, the point is, even if it were a much less clear cut play, the referee still should not have blown the whistle because that play is only reviewable one way, and that is if he determines the action to be a fumble.

A similar play happened in the Michigan-Miami game, however they decided that "by rule" the play would be replayed. This option makes even less sense. I suppose the only real option would be my initial suggestion. Don't do it.

The Chargers are now 0-2 because of a whistle that never should have been blown.

They could still win their division, but that isn't the point. 16 games is not a lot of games in a season, and any more than zero blown games is completely unacceptable, especially in the video review era.

So, when it comes time in March for the NFL to take a look at rule changes, maybe the first rule they should suggest is don't blow the whistle. Then, just like the future lawyers who took my evidence class, the referees might learn the right way.