[Steve615]

The league announced today that they will downgrade veteran referee Ed Hochuli,after a controversial call towards the end of the San Diego @ Denver game yesterday.Hochuli acknowledged that he erred on a call late in the game.
Under the league's evaluation system,an official's grades impact his status for potentially working during the playoffs,and ultimately whether he is retained by the league or not.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3589407

 

[kevinwmsn]

That blown call cost the Chargers a game, maybe more.

 

[bobukcat]

That blown call cost the Chargers a game, maybe more.

No doubt about it - that game would have almost certainly have been over even if the Chargers didn't return the fumble all the way back for a TD!

On a side note my wife has a picture of her and a friend with Ed on the field before a game from several years ago. The guy has the guns on him equal to a lot of the players on the field, but he blew that call as bad as it can be blown!

 

[n3ntj]

Ditto. That call was unbelievable! SD should have gotten the ball on their 10 yard line, not given it back to Denver.

 

[durl]

The blown call resulted more directly in the Chargers loss but couldn't you also point to the 4 other TDs allowed by the Chargers defense as a contributing factor?

Inadvertent whistles happen from time to time. This one just happened to be at the end of the game inside the Red Zone.

Hochuli seems like a good referee. I'm not defending his mistake but at least he admitted to it and he knew how to apply the rules for the situation. I believe the rule regarding inadvertent whistles will be changed in the off-season.

 

[koji68]

So he made a mistake. Big deal. He's just human.

The problem is that the rules don't allow for the mistake to be rectified. That's not his problem.

I would like to see the rule changed to this: All balls that fall to the ground behind the line of scrimmage are fumbles even if it was a forward pass, unless the ball is blocked or tipped by the defense.

 

[morphy]

I agree that the call was blown, and that it cost the Chargers the game. But Ed Hochuli is one of the best refs ever. He's probably getting run through the ringers just in the weekly review alone, even before any official punishment gets handed down (aside from the lower weekly grade).

The Broncos aren't the first team to win a game because of a blown call. Just ask the Raiders after the infamous "Tuck Rule" game.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

That blown call cost the Chargers a game, maybe more.

If we go back to the way-back machine... before instant replay in the NFL at all... there was that infamous Jets non-TD scoring TD that won the Jets the game... ultimately at the end of the season keeping (I believe Seattle maybe but not 100% sure) out of the playoffs as the result of a tie-breaker scenario... and the coach of that team was fired after the season for failing to improve and making the playoffs.

We'll never know now if that coach would have continued to improve the next year or not... because a bad call kept his team out of the playoffs and cost him his job.

 

[Msguy]

What good is an instant replay review if they can't overturn a call that they had already made? These instant replay rules are crazy. I think the referees should all be able to view the questionable play and get together and make the right call no matter what. Instant Replay is No Good when you can't change a call like in the San Diego-Denver game. The NFL should be able to step in and change a call and if need be the outcome of a game. San Diego should have won that game and Denver should not be 2-0. For The Record I'm not a fan of either San Diego or Denver. What I am a fan of is Football and I think Instant Replay should be used for getting all calls right even if a whistle had been blown by the refs. And Another thing. I don't like the rule of No Challenges under 2 minutes either. Why have Instant Replay if they can't go back and get it right? I feel just like Norv Turner Feels. That is unnacceptable. I bet we won't see Ed Hochuli doing playoff games this year.

 

[Tigerman73]

Problem is he blew his whistle and as the rules are set up right now when the whistle blows the play is dead. Since the whistle was blown before possession was gained by San Diego by rule the ball still belonged to Denver. Hochuli should have seen that the ball came out before he started forward w/ his throwing motion making it a fumble. Instead he ruled it an incomplete pass. He actually overturned the forward pass ruling and ruled it a fumble but didn't give the ball to SD since it was a dead ball.

 

[ARKDTVfan]

That blown call cost the Chargers a game, maybe more.

wrong!!!!!!!!!! SD not stopping Denver on 4th down or the 2pt conversion cost them the game

 

[bigshew]

wrong!!!!!!!!!! SD not stopping Denver on 4th down or the 2pt conversion cost them the game

So if Denver turned the ball over 4 times, but the ref blew each call and gave them the ball back each time so they could score you'd still blame the loss on SD not stopping the 2 pt conversion?

 

[ARKDTVfan]

So if Denver turned the ball over 4 times, but the ref blew each call and gave them the ball back each time so they could score you'd still blame the loss on SD not stopping the 2 pt conversion?

yes

 

[Steve Mehs]

wrong!!!!!!!!!! SD not stopping Denver on 4th down or the 2pt conversion cost them the game

110% agreed! The Chargers had the game in their hands regardless of the call. They had two following chances to stop the Broncos and get a win, they failed. And then there was the ensuing kick of where they had 20 seconds to play with. Between this game and last week against Carolina, maybe Turner should take a look at the defense in the final minute of play and they might actually win a game this year.

 

[Steve615]

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2008/sep/15/chargers-hochuli-earns-most-hated-status/?chargers

 

[Kansas Zephyr]

So if Denver turned the ball over 4 times, but the ref blew each call and gave them the ball back each time so they could score you'd still blame the loss on SD not stopping the 2 pt conversion?

You never know, Shanahan, knowing it was a blown call, may have gone for 2 to give SD some payback, with a chance to still win the game.

He'd never tell.

 

[VegasDen]

I am hard pressed to see how they can change the rule on an inadvertent whistle. Since Pop Warner (or maybe before) players are taught to stop when they hear a whistle. Failure to do so can result in serious injuries (and penalties). Same holds true for other "whistle sports" like basketball or hockey.

Thus, I don't see how any change can avoid creating what the rule book calls an "unfair advantage." Who is to say, in reviewing a play, that a player making a move to recover a fumble didn't slow/stop upon hearing a whistle? It would be totally unfair for a replay/field official to "assume" a player would have recovered a fumble after a whistle (inadvertent or not) had blown.

The Chargers got a bad call....but their defense lost the game not the officials.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

The Chargers got a bad call....but their defense lost the game not the officials.

If people applied that equally to all things, I might be convinced... but it doesn't get applied equally. Plus, one blown call can change the game especially when that call comes at the very end of the game.

As for the inadvertant whistle... I agree, it is hard to correct the inadvertant whistle... but that isn't what we should be fixing. What they SHOULD fix is stopping that whistle from blowing prematurely.

It's one thing when a 400 lb guy is going to take off the QB's head and the ref actually thinks the play is over... but in the Chargers' game Cutler was in no danger at all... so no reason for the ref to blow the whistle prematurely. At the point he blew it, there was no compelling reason to do so.

Hard to correct the whistle... but easier to stop that whistle from being blown. I say that if refs were required to put the whistle in the pocket between plays... and before blowing it would require reaching in, pulling out, and then blowing the whistle... just that extra second or two could make the ref think twice about blowing early. When it is often sitting in his mouth the whole time, it is far too easy to react.

Think about the "red" button the President has for the nukes... Wouldn't it be more prudent to stand away from the button and go near it only when necessary? OR do we want someone hovering his hand right over the top "just in case"? I prefer a little distance so we can be more sure the button press was carefully considered.

 

[VegasDen]

Hard to correct the whistle... but easier to stop that whistle from being blown. I say that if refs were required to put the whistle in the pocket between plays... and before blowing it would require reaching in, pulling out, and then blowing the whistle... just that extra second or two could make the ref think twice about blowing early. When it is often sitting in his mouth the whole time, it is far too easy to react.

I agree. I officiated high school ball for a number of years. One thing they tried to instill was the use of a "finger whistle" versus the whistle on the lanyard. With the latter the official usually has the whistle in his mouth (like basketball officials). Thus, it's potentially too easy to blow that inadvertent whistle. A "finger whistle" (like those used by hockey officials) is worn on the hand....so you have time to "think" as you pull your hand up to your mouth....thus less potential inadvertent whistles.

I watched the referee in the Dallas/Philly game....he used the "finger whistle". Once, when McNabb was potential "in the grasp" I saw him slowly bring his whistle upwards (it was a slowmo replay)....but his hand dropped when McNabb broke free. That "second or two" you mentioned was clearly illustrated.

 

[Supervolcano]

The whistle in mouth vs. hand has an upside and downside.

Sure, in the hand gives ref time to "judge" better, but also remember that the clock rolls until whistle is blown.

I'm not defending or condemning anyone.
I'm just saying .... damned if they do and damned if they don't.