Refs out to get the Ravens?
There were a number of questionable calls in yesterday's 13-10 loss to the Titans, calls that left some of the Ravens wondering if their negative reputation played a factor in the minds of the officials.
This team, and the defensive unit in particular, are known for being an "emotional" bunch. They celebrate, talk trash, and sometimes let the physical nature of the game get them a little too pumped up.
They've had much-documented issues with the refs before. Could their bad rep be causing the officials to look a little closer in their direction?
"Definitely," Terrell Suggs said after yesterday's game. "We're the bad boys of football, they're always going to look at us like that because of the physical style of defense we play. They're always going to have that close eye on us."
Suggs was the one who was flagged for the personal foul for the "blow to the head" of Titans' quarterback Kerry Collins. The Ravens' linebacker obviously felt that he had done nothing wrong, which replays seemed to confirm.
Suggs might have a reason to feel that way after the penalty played such an important role in the outcome of the game. Derrick Mason, a 12-year veteran who is one of the most football-knowledgeable guys on the Ravens, was asked if he felt the same way as his teammate.
"I don't know," Mason said, after a short pause. "It's hard being a ref, especially nowadays."
While I don't necessarily believe the officials would intentionally treat the Ravens differently than they would any other team, I do think it's possible that they might unconsciously look at them in a different light.
If you know a team has a history of very physical, hard-hitting play, and you see one of that team's players take a swing towards a quarterback's head (although unintentional), you might think you saw something that you didn't.
Could it have just been a blown call? Of course. But if I'm the Ravens, I might be in agreement with Suggs.
They've made this bed for themselves, and now they have to lay in it.
Did anyone else notice last night on Monday night football that a false start penalty was called but no one heard the heard the whistle and everyone kept playing. Despite all the whistles, a defensive lineman still crushed the quarterback, yet the only penalty called was the false start. A penalty is a penalty, but shouldn't the league be calling each play the same, or was this just an admission by the league that the play was incorrectly called during our game?
Instead of making excuses, referees need to be held responsible for stupid and unnecessary flags thrown as well.
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Bill,
I saw that play last night too. Gus Ferotte got absolutely leveled on a play that didn't count and should have been blown dead immediately. If I'm the Vikings, I'm sending a tape of that play to the NFL as well, because the officials left their quarterback out to dry there.
You're right, this is the exact same issue that came up on the Suggs play, and I think it's something the league needs to look into. If a play should be blown dead, the officials need to do a much better job of running in, blowing their whistles and stopping the play before it starts. You hate to see a game decided based on this type of situation, but even worse, you would hate to see someone seriously injured because he thought a play was dead but the opposition kept playing.
-Dan