Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.'

SmashMouth · 09-09-2019, 11:50 PM

Al Riveron was left to clean up another officiating snafu at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Monday night. This time, at least, it didn’t cost the Saints a game – or a trip to the Super Bowl.

Drew Brees was furious. Sean Payton was rather calm. And Cam Jordan waxed philosophical, after the officials in Monday night’s 30-28 Saints victory over the Texans saw yet another half end with fans, media members and Saints coaches and players confused about what appeared, at least on the surface, to be a fairly simple call to make when broken down.

After the Houston extended its lead to 14-3 with just under two minutes left before halftime, New Orleans found themselves facing 3rd-and-17 from their own 30-yard-line with 48 seconds to go, trying to muster some amount of offensive momentum after two early stalled red zone drives. Brees found Thomas fending off Bradley Roby on the sideline right around the first-down marker and fired a dart into his mitts, before Thomas fell toward the sideline and stretched the ball toward the marker, giving the officials their first in a series of decisions to make.

Initially, the refs decided he was inches short, sending Brees storming to the line with one timeout left and close to 30 seconds to go to attempt a quarterback sneak. But the refs whistled him off to look at the spot 15 seconds after the play was ruled dead.

“But it shouldn’t have been a booth review. It was pretty obvious he made the yards to gain,” said Saints head coach Sean Payton. “We would always move the chains in the past.”

Once the refs emerged from the hood, things got much – much – more complicated. Officials deemed Thomas had cleared the first-down marker, but because play was stopped with the clock rolling, head referee John Hussey ruled the Saints must either forfeit their final timeout, or surrender 10 seconds off the clock – from the current 0:26 mark, rather than at 0:41 when the play was complete.

That’s where Riveron, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating, comes in once again.

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Crusader · 09-10-2019, 01:58 AM

I was watching the game together with my brother-in-law and we were livid. I probably woke the neighbours up cursing and yelling!

Like Brees said, that can't happen, its a game changer.

vpheughan · 09-10-2019, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by Crusader

I was watching the game together with my brother-in-law and we were livid. I probably woke the neighbours up cursing and yelling!

Like Brees said, that can't happen, its a game changer.

You'd think after the "Non Call" the NFL would be on top of officiating yet it did and will continue to happen. Admitting you made an error does nothing. It's the NFL version of "I didn't know it was loaded"

Crusader · 09-10-2019, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by vpheughan

You'd think after the "Non Call" the NFL would be on top of officiating yet it did and will continue to happen. Admitting you made an error does nothing. It's the NFL version of "I didn't know it was loaded"

I think the ref was loaded...

nola_swammi · 09-10-2019, 03:30 AM

lets get'em back in court

K Major · 09-10-2019, 07:34 AM

Luckily we are able to win the game, however the NFL cannot continue with this. There is no way you can mess up the clock before halftime and cost our team a legit field goal opportunity & you can't call that bogus "roughing" in that spot. It's just a bad, bad look.

I agree with coach, it's a game changer that can't happen.

papz · 09-10-2019, 07:56 AM

What's the point of having replay if the people reviewing the replay are incompetent? There needs to be more accountability.

It's really sad.

skymike · 09-11-2019, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by papz

What's the point of having replay if the people reviewing the replay are incompetent? There needs to be more accountability.

It's really sad.

Funny you say. I'm a lone wolf here, being probably the only person in the world who does not want Replay. And I know I'm wrong, basically, for whatever reasons.

This is my thing about Replay. It gives the officials a second opportunity to blow calls. How many times do they get the REPLAY wrong?

It does exactly what it was not intended to do: It CREATES calls. I'll forgo mention of the infamous Dez Bryant call vs. the Pack, since we hate the Cowboys. Lets go instead the Homer route, and recall the first year of replay. 1988, I think. Eric Martin has just caught a TD from Bobby vs. the Giants in a critical playoff run game. Officials stopped, ran the play in micro-motion, and decided that an amoeba had space between Eric's fingers, and called an obvious TD back. I saw this coming, and I've hated replay ever since. We might have taken the division from SF, with a win in that one.

It destroys the rhythm of the game, to me, at some points making it unwatchable. It makes the game more a litigation, than a field battle. I dont want to cheer the Call. I want to cheer the Play. And I think it creates a litigious mindset--- where everyone wants a do-over. Play the damn game. I've even seen instances, where I am sure we would have scored 7, instead of settling for less, because in the disruption of replay, we fell out of offensive rhythm, or we gave the defense a breather, when we were rolling.

Again, I know this is an unpopular opinion but I think we can all agree Football would be better, if we didnt notice the officiating.

Line up for the Next Play, and lets Go.

SmashMouth · 09-11-2019, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by skymike

Funny you say. I'm a lone wolf here, being probably the only person in the world who does not want Replay. And I know I'm wrong, basically, for whatever reasons.

This is my thing about Replay. It gives the officials a second opportunity to blow calls. How many times do they get the REPLAY wrong?

It does exactly what it was not intended to do: It CREATES calls. I'll forgo mention of the infamous Dez Bryant call vs. the Pack, since we hate the Cowboys. Lets go instead the Homer route, and recall the first year of replay. 1988, I think. Eric Martin has just caught a TD from Bobby vs. the Giants in a critical playoff run game. Officials stopped, ran the play in micro-motion, and decided that an amoeba had space between Eric's fingers, and called an obvious TD back. I saw this coming, and I've hated replay ever since. We might have taken the division from SF, with a win in that one.

It destroys the rhythm of the game, to me, at some points making it unwatchable. It makes the game more a litigation, than a field battle. I dont want to cheer the Call. I want to cheer the Play. And I think it creates a litigious mindset--- where everyone wants a do-over. Play the damn game. I've even seen instances, where I am sure we would have scored 7, instead of settling for less, because in the disruption of replay, we fell out of offensive rhythm, or we gave the defense a breather, when we were rolling.

Again, I know this is an unpopular opinion but I think we can all agree Football would be better, if we didnt notice the officiating.

Line up for the Next Play, and lets Go.

Fair point. But we live in a litigious society. The horse has already left the barn with replay. Other sports get it right. Why can't the NFL?

Cruize · 09-10-2019, 08:14 AM

I missed the exact time thing as well. Was so livid about the 10 second run off. I REALLY dislike the rule on how the clock isn't stopped if a player is going backwards out of bounds or is deemed to be stopped in the field of play. If a player is able to get out of bounds on his feet, the clock should stop.

09-09-2019, 11:50 PM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,479 Blog Entries: 29	Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' Al Riveron was left to clean up another officiating snafu at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Monday night. This time, at least, it didn’t cost the Saints a game – or a trip to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees was furious. Sean Payton was rather calm. And Cam Jordan waxed philosophical, after the officials in Monday night’s 30-28 Saints victory over the Texans saw yet another half end with fans, media members and Saints coaches and players confused about what appeared, at least on the surface, to be a fairly simple call to make when broken down. After the Houston extended its lead to 14-3 with just under two minutes left before halftime, New Orleans found themselves facing 3rd-and-17 from their own 30-yard-line with 48 seconds to go, trying to muster some amount of offensive momentum after two early stalled red zone drives. Brees found Thomas fending off Bradley Roby on the sideline right around the first-down marker and fired a dart into his mitts, before Thomas fell toward the sideline and stretched the ball toward the marker, giving the officials their first in a series of decisions to make. Initially, the refs decided he was inches short, sending Brees storming to the line with one timeout left and close to 30 seconds to go to attempt a quarterback sneak. But the refs whistled him off to look at the spot 15 seconds after the play was ruled dead. “But it shouldn’t have been a booth review. It was pretty obvious he made the yards to gain,” said Saints head coach Sean Payton. “We would always move the chains in the past.” Once the refs emerged from the hood, things got much – much – more complicated. Officials deemed Thomas had cleared the first-down marker, but because play was stopped with the clock rolling, head referee John Hussey ruled the Saints must either forfeit their final timeout, or surrender 10 seconds off the clock – from the current 0:26 mark, rather than at 0:41 when the play was complete. That’s where Riveron, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating, comes in once again. more on NOLA Also Triplett Attached Thumbnails jeanpierre likes this.
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09-10-2019, 01:58 AM	#2
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,031	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' I was watching the game together with my brother-in-law and we were livid. I probably woke the neighbours up cursing and yelling! Like Brees said, that can't happen, its a game changer. jeanpierre likes this.

09-10-2019, 06:22 AM	#3
vpheughan 1000 Posts + Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,543	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' Originally Posted by Crusader I was watching the game together with my brother-in-law and we were livid. I probably woke the neighbours up cursing and yelling! Like Brees said, that can't happen, its a game changer. You'd think after the "Non Call" the NFL would be on top of officiating yet it did and will continue to happen. Admitting you made an error does nothing. It's the NFL version of "I didn't know it was loaded" RockyMountainSaint, Crusader, SmashMouth and 2 others like this.
vpheughan 1000 Posts + Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,543

09-10-2019, 07:06 AM	#4
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,031	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' Originally Posted by vpheughan You'd think after the "Non Call" the NFL would be on top of officiating yet it did and will continue to happen. Admitting you made an error does nothing. It's the NFL version of "I didn't know it was loaded" I think the ref was loaded... WillMacKenzie, SmashMouth, Rugby Saint II and 1 others like this.

09-10-2019, 03:30 AM	#5
nola_swammi 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Monroe, La Posts: 2,627	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' lets get'em back in court saintfan and Rugby Saint II like this.

09-10-2019, 07:34 AM	#6
K Major Site Donor 2019 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bedford, TX Posts: 24,742 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' Luckily we are able to win the game, however the NFL cannot continue with this. There is no way you can mess up the clock before halftime and cost our team a legit field goal opportunity & you can't call that bogus "roughing" in that spot. It's just a bad, bad look. I agree with coach, it's a game changer that can't happen. Rugby Saint II likes this.

09-10-2019, 07:56 AM	#7
papz Problem? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New Orleans Posts: 11,768	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' What's the point of having replay if the people reviewing the replay are incompetent? There needs to be more accountability. It's really sad. turbo_dog likes this.

09-11-2019, 10:39 AM	#8
skymike E. Side Cholo Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Barrio, H-town Posts: 6,089	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' Originally Posted by papz What's the point of having replay if the people reviewing the replay are incompetent? There needs to be more accountability. It's really sad. Funny you say. I'm a lone wolf here, being probably the only person in the world who does not want Replay. And I know I'm wrong, basically, for whatever reasons. This is my thing about Replay. It gives the officials a second opportunity to blow calls. How many times do they get the REPLAY wrong? It does exactly what it was not intended to do: It CREATES calls. I'll forgo mention of the infamous Dez Bryant call vs. the Pack, since we hate the Cowboys. Lets go instead the Homer route, and recall the first year of replay. 1988, I think. Eric Martin has just caught a TD from Bobby vs. the Giants in a critical playoff run game. Officials stopped, ran the play in micro-motion, and decided that an amoeba had space between Eric's fingers, and called an obvious TD back. I saw this coming, and I've hated replay ever since. We might have taken the division from SF, with a win in that one. It destroys the rhythm of the game, to me, at some points making it unwatchable. It makes the game more a litigation, than a field battle. I dont want to cheer the Call. I want to cheer the Play. And I think it creates a litigious mindset--- where everyone wants a do-over. Play the damn game. I've even seen instances, where I am sure we would have scored 7, instead of settling for less, because in the disruption of replay, we fell out of offensive rhythm, or we gave the defense a breather, when we were rolling. Again, I know this is an unpopular opinion but I think we can all agree Football would be better, if we didnt notice the officiating. Line up for the Next Play, and lets Go. neugey and Barry from MS like this.

09-11-2019, 10:43 AM	#9
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,479 Blog Entries: 29	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' Originally Posted by skymike Funny you say. I'm a lone wolf here, being probably the only person in the world who does not want Replay. And I know I'm wrong, basically, for whatever reasons. This is my thing about Replay. It gives the officials a second opportunity to blow calls. How many times do they get the REPLAY wrong? It does exactly what it was not intended to do: It CREATES calls. I'll forgo mention of the infamous Dez Bryant call vs. the Pack, since we hate the Cowboys. Lets go instead the Homer route, and recall the first year of replay. 1988, I think. Eric Martin has just caught a TD from Bobby vs. the Giants in a critical playoff run game. Officials stopped, ran the play in micro-motion, and decided that an amoeba had space between Eric's fingers, and called an obvious TD back. I saw this coming, and I've hated replay ever since. We might have taken the division from SF, with a win in that one. It destroys the rhythm of the game, to me, at some points making it unwatchable. It makes the game more a litigation, than a field battle. I dont want to cheer the Call. I want to cheer the Play. And I think it creates a litigious mindset--- where everyone wants a do-over. Play the damn game. I've even seen instances, where I am sure we would have scored 7, instead of settling for less, because in the disruption of replay, we fell out of offensive rhythm, or we gave the defense a breather, when we were rolling. Again, I know this is an unpopular opinion but I think we can all agree Football would be better, if we didnt notice the officiating. Line up for the Next Play, and lets Go. Fair point. But we live in a litigious society. The horse has already left the barn with replay. Other sports get it right. Why can't the NFL?

09-10-2019, 08:14 AM	#10
Cruize 1000 Posts + Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4,457	Re: Saints react to NFL admitting botched call vs. Texans: 'That's a game-changer. That can't happen.' I missed the exact time thing as well. Was so livid about the 10 second run off. I REALLY dislike the rule on how the clock isn't stopped if a player is going backwards out of bounds or is deemed to be stopped in the field of play. If a player is able to get out of bounds on his feet, the clock should stop.
Cruize 1000 Posts + Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4,457