The NFL Sucks. The Refs suck. Holmgren BANNED!
Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2005 12:29 pm
So I'm casually watching the Seahawks-Giants game last week. I'm pulling for the Seahawks. They are the only team in the NFL other than the Saints I don't outright hate. (I liked Jim Kelly's Bills, but the current Bills are coached by a guy trying to constantly run trick plays and therefore pissing off his players, so f 'em.)
My brother's favorite team is the Seahawks and I hate the Giants because they have many of the dumbest fans in the NFL. Nessman likes the Giants and so does Dayna's dad and they are fine. But the majority of the ones I've encountered are almost willfully stupid. Inflated sense of entitlement, waaay too self-important when it comes to their team's tradition, not up on the rules... that sort of thing. They honestly all believe they should have had that extra home game this year and the only game I've ever seen that was no-questions fixed was the Saints-Giants game after 9/11. Giant fan would take 3,000 dead New Yorkers if it meant they got a fixed game every single time.
Anyway, it got out today that the NFL "apologized" for two calls they fucked up in the Giants' favor against the Seahawks in their game last week. Seattle coach Mike Holmgren let this slip. The policy used to be that the NFL would tell the general public when they fucked up and the fans would be all, "SHEEE-EEEIT, dog, I KNEW it!" and no scores would be changed. Apparently that policy changed.
Now, the refs are perfect, the coaches get notified under the demand that they promise not to tell anyone else and if they do let it out they get the most impotent punishment I've ever seen in the history of discipline: they get BANNED from having their shitty calls reviewed after the game.
Here's an article. This stupid league is the worst it's ever been. The only thing that makes you feel more like an idiot than paying attention to these fuckers every Sunday is listening to their policies and watching them desperately trying to prop up the terrible New York teams, like anyone gives a shit.
My brother's favorite team is the Seahawks and I hate the Giants because they have many of the dumbest fans in the NFL. Nessman likes the Giants and so does Dayna's dad and they are fine. But the majority of the ones I've encountered are almost willfully stupid. Inflated sense of entitlement, waaay too self-important when it comes to their team's tradition, not up on the rules... that sort of thing. They honestly all believe they should have had that extra home game this year and the only game I've ever seen that was no-questions fixed was the Saints-Giants game after 9/11. Giant fan would take 3,000 dead New Yorkers if it meant they got a fixed game every single time.
Anyway, it got out today that the NFL "apologized" for two calls they fucked up in the Giants' favor against the Seahawks in their game last week. Seattle coach Mike Holmgren let this slip. The policy used to be that the NFL would tell the general public when they fucked up and the fans would be all, "SHEEE-EEEIT, dog, I KNEW it!" and no scores would be changed. Apparently that policy changed.
Now, the refs are perfect, the coaches get notified under the demand that they promise not to tell anyone else and if they do let it out they get the most impotent punishment I've ever seen in the history of discipline: they get BANNED from having their shitty calls reviewed after the game.
Here's an article. This stupid league is the worst it's ever been. The only thing that makes you feel more like an idiot than paying attention to these fuckers every Sunday is listening to their policies and watching them desperately trying to prop up the terrible New York teams, like anyone gives a shit.
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren violated league policy by publicly divulging information that the NFL apologized for blowing a couple touchdown calls last week against the New York Giants. Now, he's paying for it.
Sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Holmgren has been blackballed by the league's officiating office. Holmgren received a letter Friday informing him that the Seahawks face a two-week ban from having their games reviewed by the league's officiating department.
Holmgren, one of eight members of the league's competition committee that oversees rules and game operations, had apologized on Wednesday, saying he "kind of messed up" when he said the NFL told him there were officiating mistakes made during last Sunday's overtime win over the Giants.
"I think it's kind of a tempest in a teapot," the 14-year head coach said near the end of news conference. "I kind of messed up. What I should have said was, 'I talked to the league, but what was said was confidential.'"
Holmgren said at the time that he expected the league to fine him for breaching its confidentiality agreement between teams and the NFL officiating department regarding on-field decisions.
"Now, because of the potential fines, my kids won't get Christmas stockings," Holmgren said, laughing.
On Monday, when asked whether he had heard from the league on both of the Giants' touchdown calls during Seattle's 24-21 win, Holmgren said he was told "there were some mistakes that took place, which we felt at the time."
On Tuesday, the NFL issued the following statement: "Our officiating department never discussed with the Seahawks the Amani Toomer touchdown reception, which was properly called. The Jeremy Shockey touchdown catch at the end of the first half was not overturned because the referee determined that there was insufficient visual evidence to reverse the call."
In the first half, Shockey briefly caught a 7-yard pass in the end zone; though the ball was forced to the turf on a shoulder hit from Seattle safety Marquand Manuel, officials signaled a touchdown. Jim Blackwood, the replay review official, asked for a booth review by referee Larry Nemmers, who declared that Shockey indeed had possession.
Then, with 2:03 left in regulation, a leaping Toomer caught the ball and got his left foot down inside the back of the end zone. He appeared to drag the toes of his right shoe into his left as it hit the turf. Holmgren challenged the touchdown call, but Nemmers ruled that it stood.
Holmgren said Monday he was told by game officials there wasn't enough indisputable visual evidence to overturn either touchdown.
Coaches routinely send video of plays they believe were incorrectly called to the league. Each week, the officiating department reviews them and sends a confidential response -- but it's usually nothing more than an apology, because results aren't changed.
Those communications are normally not made public, though Holmgren has disclosed them before without a league response.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
