The League

Officials made one of the most puzzling calls of the season during Philadelphia's 40-17 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday. Although the ruling did not directly affect the outcome, it provided yet another opportunity for football fans to debate questionable officiating and to wonder if replay really does make a difference.

In case you missed it, quarterback Donovan McNabb fumbled as he was being sacked in the third quarter, and defensive tackle Fred Robbins picked up the ball and began running. After 11 yards, Robbins lateraled to teammate Osi Umenyiora, who ran the remaining 37 yards for a touchdown.

Eagles Coach Andy Reid challenged the call that McNabb had fumbled, and after officials viewed the play, they determined while McNabb did indeed fumble, Robbins's lateral was actually an illegal forward pass. Thus the touchdown was overturned, and the Giants wound up with possession at the Eagles 42. That drive ended in a field goal to cut the deficit to 33-10.

Repeated television replays appeared to show the lateral was legal, but inexplicably, officials didn't see it that way. That's what made this particular judgment so frustrating.

It just goes to show even replay can be fallible because, after all, humans are still involved in the decision-making process.

Most of the time an apparent missed call doesn't affect the outcome of a game directly. That wasn't the case in Sunday's Saints-Dolphins thriller at Land Shark Stadium.

The Dolphins had built what seemed a comfortable 24-10 lead -- although virtually no lead is completely safe against the high-powered Saints -- when in the third quarter, New Orleans safety Darren Sharper intercepted Chad Henne and scored on a 42-yard return.

As Sharper got inside the 3-yard line, he began to lose control of the ball. But officials ruled touchdown, an indication they believed Sharper had broken the plane of the goal line before fumbling out of the end zone.

The Dolphins challenged the call, arguing Sharper lost the ball before crossing the goal line and that the play should be ruled a touchback. When they lost the challenge, the Saints had trimmed the deficit to seven, and they rode that momentum to outscore Miami 29-10 the rest of the way to stay undefeated.

Update: Dante Wesley suspended for one game by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Carolina Panthers special teams player Dante Wesley was at the center of controversy on Sunday after launching himself into Tampa Bay's Clifton Smith, leaving the Pro Bowl punt returner with a concussion.

An official threw a penalty flag immediately after Wesley made contact with Smith, who walked off the field under his own power. Wesley was ejected for the hit, and the incident triggered a confrontation among players from both teams near the middle of the field before officials could restore order.

What made the play completely unacceptable and indefensible was that Smith appeared to have called for a fair catch, and yet Wesley still found it necessary to leave his feet and lead with his shoulder into Smith's head and neck.

"I felt like really the refs could have controlled that situation," Wesley told reporters after the Panthers' 28-21 win. "I was trying to see what the ref called on that, and then their whole team just come and surround me. I just wondered if the refs were going to call them for something."

Smith was physically unable to speak to reporters after the game, and teammates were justifiably upset at what some called a "dirty play."

The last thing the NFL wants is a player severely injured or, God forbid, paralyzed because of an irresponsible hit like Wesley's. Suspending and significantly fining him would send a strong message to other players in the league that this type of excessive and unsportsmanlike behavior won't be tolerated.

If you don't believe bad teams tend to suffer the most from bad breaks, just look at what happened to the Washington Redskins against Carolina on Sunday.

Nursing a five-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Redskins' Antwaan Randle El called for a fair catch on a punt. As he was getting set to catch the ball, Carolina's Quinton Teal blocked Washington's Byron Westbrook into Randle El, the ball bounced off Westbrook's foot, and Carolina recovered at the Washington 12.

A clear case of interference on the kicking team, right? Most every Redskins fan watching thought so as they waited for officials to award the ball to Washington, which they did initially. Not so fast.

After officials conferred, referee Walt Coleman changed the ruling and awarded possession to Carolina, which scored the decisive touchdown two plays later.

"If they are both trying to block, then he can knock him into him," Coleman said. "Because they were both engaged, then that's why there wasn't a foul or anything wrong with that play. If the Washington player is stationary and just standing there and the Carolina player had come down there and knocked him, then it would have been totally different."

Despite how bogus that explanation may sound, officials apparently got it right. In my colleague Rick Maese's story on the play, Randle El said he didn't realize the play was legal, but Redskins special teams coach Danny Smith said his unit practices pushing a blocker into a returner.

Most football fans probably were under the assumption when a blocker is pushed into a returner calling for a fair catch that it's interference on the kicking team. League rules indicate that's only the case if the blocker in question was stationary, but in this case, Westbrook clearly was moving.

So Redskins fans, save your ire at the officials for another week. Despite what you may have thought at first, they didn't contribute to the Redskins' loss after all.

Roughing the passer is among the most hotly debated calls in the NFL. Defensive players will tell you the quarterback gets too much protection, and quarterbacks say they don't get enough.

Sunday's Ravens-Patriots game illustrated that divide. Officials twice flagged the Ravens for roughing the passer, and both calls extended drives that led to New England touchdowns in the Patriots' 27-21 victory.

After the game, Ravens players were predictably upset at the officiating. Linebacker Ray Lewis called it embarrassing to the game. Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who was assessed for one of the roughing calls, said the league is protecting some quarterbacks more than others.

Brady defended the calls by saying quarterbacks are defenseless and unprotected in the pocket. Meantime, message boards were filling up with comments assailing the officiating and the perceived special protection superstars such as Brady receive from officials.

What if it were some nondescript quarterback like David Garrard or Derek Anderson? Would the Ravens have been called for roughing?

The truth is probably not, but we shouldn't be surprised. The NFL is heavily vested in Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and other big-name quarterbacks because they are the faces of the league. They generate revenue though ticket and merchandise sales, and they bring the NFL plenty of exposure.

The league even amended its rules for roughing the passer after Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard rolled into Brady's knee in 2008 opener and ended his season. Now it's commonly referred to as the Brady Rule, so it's clear the league is looking out for its most valuable commodity.

We all understand officials missing a call here and there during the fast pace of a pro football game. It happens all the time, and usually we don't give it a second thought.

But when we're talking about a facemask infraction, it's different because that penalty could lead to serious injury. How many times have you seen a player's helmet get tugged and turned, only to cringe when you watch the replay in slow motion. It's amazing there aren't more neck injuries.

During two games on Sunday, officials missed what appeared clear facemasking penalties.

The first happened in the Redskins-Lions game, when Detroit defensive back William James grabbed Santana Moss's facemask. A similar scenario transpired in the Colts-Cardinals game, when Indianapolis safety Antoine Bethea grabbed Larry Fitzgerald's facemask while he was making a catch.

Both wide receivers popped up after being tackled and turned to look for a flag. Who could blame them, considering how potentially damaging grabbing the facemask of a player can be?

Penalties such as holding happen virtually every play, and it would be pointless to call each infraction. Games would last five hours, and the spirit of the game would suffer.

But as far as facemasking, it's a completely different issue. Not only are we dealing with possible injury to the neck and spine, but normally the sequence comes in open space where officials can get a good look at the play.

It would be tragic if a facemasking penalty that resulted in significant injury went unpunished. Officials simply can't wait until then to begin enforcing that infraction more consistently.

Pass interference may be the most dissected rule in the NFL. It's the only penalty that theoretically can cover 99 yards, and it can alter the complexion of a game in an instant.

In the St. Louis at Washington game, officials were faced with a decision regarding contact in the end zone midway through the second quarter. To the dismay of Redskins fans, there was no flag, but by all accounts there should have been, if not for interference then at least for illegal contact or holding.

On the play in question, Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El was trying to get open in the front right portion of the end zone as quarterback Jason Campbell was scrambling out of pressure. Campbell threw the ball well over Randle El's head, but before the pass, Rams cornerback Ron Bartell clearly was clutching Randle El's jersey in the end zone.

After the play, officials conferred and ruled there was no pass interference because the ball was uncatchable.

Okay, anyone watching the game would agree Randle El had no chance of catching the pass. What's puzzling is why officials didn't throw a flag for defensive holding or illegal contact.

First, Bartell made contact with Randle El well beyond the five-yard buffer zone off the line of scrimmage. Second, Bartell held Randle El in the end zone moments later. Seems officials missed the call in more ways than one.

Officials have one of the most thankless jobs in sports. They don't exactly find bundles of fan mail on their doorstep for making the right call, but when they get one wrong, boy do they ever hear about it. Just ask Ed Hochuli.

Seattle Seahawks fans, for instance, are still steaming over the role they say officiating played in their loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL.

More often than not, officials have nothing to do with the outcome, and in many instances, they are the most sensible people on the field. Take Sunday's game between the Giants and Redskins.

Super Bowl XLIII was memorable not only for its riveting fourth quarter but also for a handful of critical officiating errors. One of the most egregious came immediately following Santonio Holmes's acrobatic, six-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds left that gave Pittsburgh a 27-23 victory.

We might as well start there since that play decided the outcome.

Holmes did a nice LeBron James imitation during his celebration, using the football as a mock shaker and throwing imaginary powder into the air. NFL rules specifically state, however, that using the ball as a prop is prohibited. Holmes should have been assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and that would have impacted Arizona's starting field position on its final possession.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, officials called Steelers linebacker James Harrison for unnecessary roughness when he made contact with punter Ben Graham. Officials said the contact took place after the change of possession, and Pittsburgh began inside its 1-yard line as a result.

Replays showed Harrison did much more than make illegal contact. Well after the punt, Harrison appeared to take a swing at Graham while holding him down. That ought to be cause for ejection, but perhaps officials figured the magnitude of the game precluded tossing the NFL's defensive player of the year.

In any case, it was an ugly sequence in one of the more memorable Super Bowls of all-time.

Another questionable call unfolded midway through the third quarter. On first and 10 at midfield, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came under a heavy rush and tossed the ball toward the left sideline.

Officials called linebacker Karlos Dansby for roughing the passer on a borderline late hit in the back. A more appropriate call would have been intentional grounding, as Roethlisberger was not outside the tackle box and did not have a receiver near his pass.
The Steelers advanced 15 yards because of the penalty, and they got a 21-yard field goal out of the drive.

There was even some controversy on the Cardinals' final play when linebacker LaMarr Woodley sacked quarterback Kurt Warner, causing what officials ruled a fumble. Defensive end Brett Keisel recovered, and Roethlisberger knelt to run off the final five seconds.

Replays showed officials probably made the right call, but considering the stakes, shouldn't they have at least looked at it again to be unequivocally sure?

It was an appropriate ending to a Super Bowl with spotty at best officiating and to a season in which poor officiating was rampant.

Officiating is supposed to get better as the games become more meaningful. The NFL does its best to try to ensure that by assigning the top crews in the league to the playoffs, so you'd think the conference championship games would be officiated cleanly and without controversy. That was hardly the case yesterday.

Let's start with the AFC title game, where officials made some of the most egregious errors all season.

With seven minutes to play in Pittsburgh's 23-14 win against Baltimore, the Steelers were punting on fourth down and 17 from their 34. Punter Mitch Berger fell as the Ravens' Daren Stone dove at his feet trying to block the kick. Stone didn't get his hand on the ball and landed harmlessly near Berger's plant foot.

Officials didn't see it that way, calling Stone for roughing the kicker. The phantom personal foul forced Baltimore to start at its 14-yard line, and four plays later, Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu intercepted Joe Flacco and returned it 40 yards for the clinching touchdown.

Officials, however, didn't wait until the fourth quarter to start issuing questionable flags. Nope, their first puzzling call came midway through the first quarter, when Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes caught a pass inside the Ravens 5, put his hand on the field to brace himself and appeared to get the ball across the goal line before his knee touched the ground and the ball popped out.

Officials ruled Holmes down at the 1, and Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin threw his red challenge flag. After a lengthy conference, officials not only failed to award Holmes a touchdown, but they ruled incomplete pass, saying Holmes did not have control of the ball.

The officials weren't done yet. On the next play, Holmes ran a deep pattern down the left side and was trying to make a catch in the end zone. Cornerback Frank Walker made sure that didn't happen because he had a hold of Holmes's arm. Officials overlooked that infraction too, letting the play go without calling pass interference.

It wasn't much better in Arizona's 32-25 victory over Philadelphia in the NFC championship game. Officials missed several calls in that one as well.

Take the odd play in the first half, when with Arizona leading 21-6, place kicker Neil Rackers booted a short kickoff to the Eagles 27-yard line. Defensive end Victor Abiamiri tried to get to the ball, but it squirted away, and the Cardinals fell on it.
Officials ruled the ball was out of bounds, although replays showed the ball never touched the sideline, and the Eagles were fortunate to gain possession.

"The line judge ruled that the ball touched the receiving team player, and then touched out of bounds, which makes the ball dead at the spot, the Philadelphia 27-yard line," referee Walt Anderson told a pool reporter.

Arizona Coach Ken Whisenhunt's requested a challenge, but officials did not allow it.
"Once we ruled that the kick touched out of bounds, the play is dead," Anderson said. "It is not reviewable, so we did not enter the replay process."

The league needs to examine what is reviewable as part of its offseason agenda. The competition committee must take a long, thorough look at those rules, because they often seem arbitrary.

Why not make everything reviewable? Coaches have only two challenges anyhow, so it's not like they will be challenging frivolously. Those challenges are too important to waste.

The NFL playoffs are supposed to showcase the best in professional football, and that includes not only the games, players and coaches but also officiating. That certainly wasn't the case this past weekend, when two clearly blown calls unfolded before tens of thousands of spectators at LP Field and Giants Stadium as well as millions more watching on television.

The first gaffe came late in Baltimore's 13-10 victory over Tennessee in Nashville on Saturday. After Ravens running back Willis McGahee ran for two yards, Baltimore faced third and two with just under three minutes to play. Then as Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was calling the signals before the snap, the play clock expired.

Officials, however, did not call delay of game, and Flacco completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Todd Heap. Six plays later, the Ravens got a 43-yard field goal from Matt Stover for the final margin.

"The back judge is responsible for that," referee Terry McAulay said about the play clock. "He has the clock. When it hits zero . . . he goes to the ball. So there is going to be a natural delay from zero to getting to the ball. And when he gets to the ball, if it is being snapped, we don't call it."

You could call that missed penalty redemptive karma for Baltimore, which lost to the Titans in the regular season on a highly questionable personal foul against Terrell Suggs. Officials flagged the Ravens linebacker for roughing quarterback Kerry Collins even though replays appeared to show no such contact. Tennessee went on to score the winning touchdown in a 13-10 triumph.

The other egregious officiating error took place in Philadephia's 23-11 win against the New York Giants yesterday.

With 2:56 to play in the third quarter, Giants cornerback Corey Webster was called for pass interference against wide receiver Kevin Curtis. Replays showed Webster had a hold of Curtis's left shoulder, preventing him from catching the pass.

The play happened in front of Giants Coach Tom Coughlin, who vigorously protested the call. After huddling, officials retracted the penalty, leaving Eagles Coach
Andy Reid incredulous.

Pass interference penalties absolutely should be reviewable. How many times have there been iffy pass intereference calls that significantly have affected the outcome of a game? Too many to count probably.

Coaches also should be permitted to challenge play clock violations. After all, how difficult would it be for an official to determine a delay of game if he were able to watch the play clock and the snap on video replay?

It would be madness to allow all penalties to be reviewable. For starters, games would take hours longer to complete. Imagine how insufferable games would be if coaches were allowed to challenge holding penalties, for example.

But allowing coaches to challenge certain other infractions would go a long way toward preserving the competitive integrity of the game.