Refs Kindly Hand Chargers Playoff Win

It is difficult and frustrating to watch an entire season of hard work collapse because of a few trigger happy referees. But you can’t pin the blame entirely on the men in black and white. The Colts defense was clearly our of sorts during the last chargers drive. The colts sure came to win, but while the chargers got better with every tick of the clock, the colts couldn’t hold it together in the last quarter or the extra period. It was a neck-in-neck battle, and the chargers outlasted them.

I grant that the holding call may have been a bit mysterious, yet the colts has the opportunity to play through it. But they simply wouldn’t, or couldn’t. The subsequent facemask penalty is what really lost them the game. That was a clear foul born of frustration and anguish. Had the tackle been secure, had the colts mounted another strong pass rush on the next down like they were doing all game, the outcome could have been different. Give the chargers credited for putting the colts in the mental state where they were forced to commit penalties.

"yet the colts has the opportunity to play through it. But they simply wouldn’t, or couldn’t."

That’s not the point. They Colts shouldn’t have been forced to "play through it." They stopped the Chargers on 3rd down. They did their job. That’s all there is to it.

You can point to a dozen different plays that would’ve changed the game, but when the game was really on the line, the refs were the ones who decided the outcome.

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The hold was obvious. The Colts should try to cheat less.

Apparently any idiot can be a columnist here because this statement "witness a call more costly and atrocious " is one of the dumbest things that I have ever read. 

The call was borderline and thats it.  After the hold before the pass he continues to bump the reciever and never looks back to the ball so it could have been PI. 

At 525 of the 4th the refs miss a hands to the face by McNeil on Freeney but that is one of the few valid mistakes the refs made.  This doesnt even come close to the error by Hockuli in week 2 or the Seatle – Pittsburg SB fiasco.  Grow up Colts fans, your whining is hilarious. 

"when the game was really on the line, the refs were the ones
who decided the outcome."

That game was never "really on the line." It was ALWAYS on the line. The Colts defense especially needed to push hard on every down of that final drive. They didn’t; they lost. See you next year.

Boo effing hoo. I thought the Colts were supposed to blow out the Chargers so the game shouldn’t have even been played, right? 

Shoulda woulda coulda… 

You know, this really cracks me up! The hold was obvious. But even still, do you really think that one play dictated the outcome of this game? Manning controlled his own destiny. All he had to do was convert a 3rd down at the end of regulation. Result: Sack. Adai just had to convert a 3rd down: Result: tackled 2 yards short of the first down marker. Make either one of those plays, there IS no OT. Stop crying. Scoreboard baby.

chris, you must be blind

Yes, I’m blind. Blinded by the tears filling up my eyeballs, AM I RIGHT SN MEMBERS?!

"cmottram.tsn | Sunday, January 04, 2009, 1:30 pm Yes, I’m blind. Blinded by the tears filling up my eyeballs, AM I RIGHT SN MEMBERS?! "

It appears that your general lack of support suggests you arent right.  You and your comments are a joke and the overall lack of support suggests your career as a sports writer/columnist will not be very long if this is all you have to offer.  On the upside I am looking for someone to clean my bathroom ounce a week.  Interested?

PS I have the game tivoed and I can show you where John Madden clearly shows the hold on the replay if you would like.  I dont have it in brail though.

Sounds great! You can show me the replay when I come over to clean the toilet this week.

Oh please. The you’d want that call if you were on the other end. That’s really the best you can come up with? That it’s the refs fault?

Again, the hold is obvious. The line of scrimage was the forty and the defender held the receiver for 8 yards; the receiver to which the pass was intended, and with an official much closer than this grainy video camera’s vantage point.

The Colts should stop trying to cheat so much.

If we are trying to inject overall fairness as a tonic to scoreboard, I’d suggest considering also the Charger’s overall dominance in the game and the Colts BS sandbag trick pass play, Sproles ill-times fumble that cost 7, and a myriad other ‘rationaizations’ that could bear on the issue this eway or that.

Pinning it all on one play is silly, especially when the call is a good one.  If I pause to scratch my nads before making a tuna sandwich it could alter global destiny I suppose, so I guess your logic is sound. That’s about all I can say about that theory of yours. LOL

Thank you for sharing that beautiful imagery, packwolf.

Chris, have you familiarized yourself with this rule?  The one, you know, the NFL changed because the Colts b**ched about it until they were blue in the face?  Rule is 5 yards, defender made contact at 7.  Simple – why do people consistently like to tell themselves that 60 minutes of football comes down to one play. 

I agree Chris, the officials ruined a possible instant classic.

Yes, poolboy55, I am familiar with what defensive holding is. Perhaps you should look into its definition, however, because what you described is actually illegal contact.

And to think, the only nonsense you had to deal with in blogging at AOL was my comments, and I was generally friendly.

I agree that the refs should just "let them play" especially in the overtime period of the playoffs but you must admit that it WAS A FOUL.  Not even close to a blown call.

What about the fumble at 2:35? The ball was clearly coming out before the knee hit, but that call nullified what would’ve been an easy score.What if doesn’t fit in football.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the Manning pass to Reggie Wayne for a 72 yd. TD due to a blown coverage? Not a blown call, but a blown coverage?

The NFL is like boxing now, so what does this matter? Either the refs are all awful or they have an agenda. And no, I am not a Colts fan. Was it a blown call? I don’t really know. I suppose it could go either way. My issue is this, and it’s been said before: I don’t want the refs deciding a game. The defender better have the receiver in a bear-hug if you’re going to call a penalty on third down that results in an automatic first down. And that is another issue, now that I’m ranting. If defensive holding is an automatic first down then offensive hold should be an automatic fourth down. If defensive pass interference can move the ball to the opponent’s goal line then offensive interference should be able to move the ball to the offense’s own goal line. Totally absurd.

I agree that the defensive holding penalty should be changed. It should not be an automatic 1st down.

However, it should be noted that officials in every sport blow the occasional call. The key, however, is consistency. There is simply no way to remove subjectivity from officiating. MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, you name it, subjectivity is all over the place.