AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2006 > September > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USInstant-replays: They’re only ‘human’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I guess college football’s instant replay system comes under the heading of “Be careful what you wish for.”
The idea of the system, which began two seasons ago, was to eliminate the catastrophic mistake - the one that determines the winning or losing of a game. Officials are human and the game on the field, one official told me, is faster than anyone really knows.
But the same technology that allows a replay official in the booth to review every play also allows the public to make their own judgments. And when the replay official clearly gets it wrong, like the guy from the Pac-10 did Saturday in the Oklahoma-Oregon game, there is no place to hide. He’s like a 5-10 cornerback trying to cover Calvin Johnson. The poor guy has no chance.
The Pac-10 replay official, Gordon Riese, has received death threats to him and his family. Let’s don’t go into how sick that is, only to say that if the feds can trace the call, that person should do some serious jail time.
What about the play in the LSU-Auburn, you ask? As it turned out, that was a totally different animal than Oklahoma-Oregon. A pass interference call came late against Auburn that was reversed on the field. It was big because it gave Auburn the ball back in a crucial time of the game.
Replays showed contact on the LSU receiver. But that play, which was not reviewable by the replay official in the booth, was changed on the field because the correct rule was applied. Before the ball got to the receiver it was tipped by another defender, making it uncatchable, the SEC officials ruled. If the ball is uncatchable, then there can be no interference. That’s the rule.
Everyone here needs to stop and take a deep breath because at the end of the day it is just a damned football game. The Pac-10 official is thinking about quitting because of the threats and what this is doing to his health. I don’t care who you pull for, that’s not right.
I feel for the kids at Oklahoma because, like all football players, they worked really hard to get ready for that game. In this case the only explanation they get is that an adult made a mistake. But one of the passages into manhood is learning that sometimes in life bad things happen. The test is how you cope with the adversity.
And this applies to fans and players and coaches and everybody. If the worst thing that happens in your life is losing a football game because of a bad officiating call, then consider yourself blessed.
Let’s move on.
Comments
By RxDawg
September 19, 2006 04:20 PM | Link to this
That is sad. Probably just some p** students and not serious. I remember when Terrance Edwards droped that pass against UF. When he returned to Athens there were lots of nasty messages on his answer machine. Once word got out about this, major support came out for him from the university body. So most people are level-headed about this and realize the facts: its a game, these are not pro’s. I guess a few bad apples ruin it for everyone.
By Wozzo the Wonder Dog
September 19, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this
* Jasper Sanks didn’t fumble!*
By Joe
September 19, 2006 06:25 PM | Link to this
Maybe the tipped pass meant that pass interference couldn’t be called. However, has anyone ever heard of holding? Shouldn’t the Auburn player have been flagged for that?
By BLEADING WHITE & GOLD
September 19, 2006 06:51 PM | Link to this
I agree that death threats are stupid and should be punished, and I agree that it would be sad if he retired because of death threats. However, those were two very bad calls that were very visible on replay. Getting the call wrong on the field does not concern me that much, that’s why we have a review process, but if a replay official can not get those two calls right maybe it is time for him to retire! What was he looking at?
By mb
September 19, 2006 06:53 PM | Link to this
Don’t forget, Joe, in the AU/LSU game that in real time the gap between the contact and the tipped ball was probably a third to a half a second. If a penalty is called every time a player is held for that length of time, we’ll never get through a game.
This is a case where instant replay impairs the judgement of the fans. It shows us that the initial contact did, indeed, occur before the tip. At full speed, however, they basically occurred at the same time…and if that’s the case it’s a judgement call for the officials.
In the long run, the call did NOT influence the outcome of the play…there was no way the receiver was going to catch the ball. Had the call gone the other way, however, it would have done what the play had no chance of doing…sustain the drive and possibly affecting the outcome of the game. And that would have been a shame.
By BLEADING WHITE & GOLD
September 19, 2006 06:58 PM | Link to this
To Wozzo the Wonder Dog: No, Jasper Sanks probably did not fumble but by SEC rules if the officials did not positivly see otherwise they are to call it a fumble. They did not see it so they called a fumble just like they were supposed to do by rule! They were punished incorrectly! They were SEC refs without an agenda, GET OVER IT!
By size matters
September 19, 2006 08:46 PM | Link to this
Ok MB, I accept what you say, but you better be ready to accept when it doesn’t go your way. Personally, I understand what you are saying but I’m not sure I like your logic. If replay is not going to be used to get the call right when the replay shows clearly (no matter how slight the seconds) that a different result should occur, then what the heck do they have it for. Your last point is bit of a red herring.. penalties are called all the time (especially holding) when the hold had absolutely nothing to do with the outcome of the play. Plus, that particular point was not asserted by either the refs or the replay official. That was your own assessment of the replay which by your own admission should not have been used on the play. You would be better off to just accept that Auburn got a lucky call and hey, that’s football and it has been part of the game forever… LSU will get one their way probably against Fla, and I can guarantee that they won’t be complaining on that one…
By mb
September 19, 2006 10:06 PM | Link to this
Point taken, Size…and as a football fan, I’ve had ‘em go for me and against me, and will again. You’re right, it’s just part of the game. Not saying I won’t grouse a little, but I’ll get over it.
That said, I’m still not sure I completely understand what is and what is not a reviewable play.
Have to give props to my LSU buddies, though…they’ve all said that that play isn’t the one the stopped them from scoring the rest of the game. Good guys.
By SignalMtnDawg
September 20, 2006 01:31 AM | Link to this
Tony - you are correct, it is only a game. However, the Pac-10 official should resign or be fired. He made two mistakes that my 12 year old son figured out correctly before the Offical - supposedly a rules expert - ruled incorrectly.
It was obvious that the Oregon player interferred with the OK player and ball before the 10 yard limit on the onside kickoff. What was this “official” looking at?
The tipped pass a few plays later should have negated the pass interference call. Not only was it very noticable in real time. But to see this play over and over again….and to see the flight of the ball go from tight spiral to wobbly….NO EXCUSE for this poor performance of an official.
The bottom line is the bottom line. OK could potentially lose hundreds of thousands of dollars due to a drop in bowl opportunities with this loss due to “home field - conference friendly officiating”.
This was an absolute insult to all of the players on the field and to all true college football fans that want integrity and player safety to be the top priorities of each game and to this great sport.
This official has to go. He did not just make a mistake - he obviously got caught up in the game and let the situation cloud his judgement.
By techfowl
September 20, 2006 02:07 AM | Link to this
SignalMtnDawg - I can’t believe I agree with a Dawg, but there you have it.
One loss means an entirely different bowl, or not a bowl at all for some teams. The payout differences are over a million dollars from top to bottom, and 2.5 million (IIRC) from very top to no bowl at all.
It’s a business, whether we like it or not. What would any other business do if tampering by an individual cost them that amount of money? A lot more than firing a guy.
So - let that official retire from the profession. It would make my day to have consistently poor officiating rewarded with rights revoked. And reward those who are consistently accurate. It’s a VERY small price to pay for one guy vs. what it costs an entire program or conference.
I don’t expect to keep my job if I make bad decisions that cost my company (or another that I deal with) money.
I have no issue with a guy making a mistake here and there on the cuff. The game moves fast. But bad decisions even with the aid of instant replay? If so - ditch that guy and find a guy who doesn’t do that. It shouldn’t be that hard.
By steve
September 20, 2006 08:08 AM | Link to this
sec officiating is still by far the worst in the land. aub. vs. lsu and poor ol’ vandy (and they were the home team) vs. ark. did anyone else not think that aub. got away with several late hits out of bounds? and vandy got shafted late in the game on an ark. pass behind the line of scrimmage
By ml
September 20, 2006 01:23 PM | Link to this
Just a comment. The LSU tipped pass and the overturned interception against LSU was incorrect in one of the cases. If the tipped ball made the ball uncatchable, then the interception definitely qualifies as making the ball uncatchable by the receiver. On the other hand, if the interference occurred before the interception of a potentially catchable ball which was the reason for overturning the interception, then the interference by the Auburn defender occurred before the ball was tipped as stated by the league office (the ball was also catchable before the tip) and this should have been ruled pass interference. It appears the league office twisted the interpretation to make the referees appear to have made the correct call and the sec officiating to look good on national TV.