The League

Sucks to be him right now...

Actually, Gene, I'm sure you were too busy watching your Cowboys get whooped to edit your article; but, while Hochuli blew his whistle in error on the play in question from the Broncos/Chargers game, he ruled correctly that it was a fumble, then a dead ball based on an inadvertent whistle. He conceded later that he had blown the call by sounding his whistle and therefore stopping the play prematurely, eliminating the chance for the Chargers to recover. However, ultimately, his ruling was correct based on the events that transpired during the play.

Further evidence that steroids are also bad for your mental health.

We all believe Hochuli made a mistake last week in the Chargers-Broncos game. HE admits he made a mistake last week, and he apologized profusely. He seems to be a very conscientious, kind man, so now he may be TOO ready to make a call to show that he is "on top of things". I say people should realize he's human and he made a mistake . . . one big mistake out of all the years he's been a model referee. Let the man get back to doing his job and stop scrutinizing him so closely!

Gene Wang your a fool. His ruling was in no way correct in the bolts/broncs game. Let me guess your from Denver? haha You fail.

He blew it in Denver, now another mistake. Maybe He needs a bye week to get his head back on straight.

Good call on Peppers....helmet to helmet.

It was a questionable call, but there is a call or two like that per game by every ref. He's getting increased scrutiny b/c of Denver-SD, but this is not even in the same league (not near the end of the game, and not a game-changer).

The call in the bronco-Charger game was a mistake, even Ed admit it himselve.
Maybe he was too conscious in this week's game, and as a result blew another call.
He should just need to relax and back to
his routine. Ed had been an excellent ref in the past. Unfortunately, he made a few untimely errors. I suspect there are many bad calls around the league every week.
It just unfortunate that two of his recent bad calls were game changers.

Look, lets be clear. Ed Hochuli's premature whistle was a mistake. He should have recognized that this was a fumble and let the play run. However, both his ruling on the field (dead ball at the 10) and his subsequent ruling on the instant replay were CORRECT. In that situation, the fault was with the rules, which specifically treat quarterbacks differently from running backs (presumably due to the NFL's desire to protect high-value quarterbacks from injury as they dive for a loose ball). Mr. Hochuli's replay call was correct and also courageous. How badly do you think he wanted to make the fair call, instead of the correct call he was obligated to make?

And no, I am no fan of Shank Shanahan and his gang of whiners. Hochuli is being treated as a scapegoat right now...

Refs are going to have questionable calls every week. It isn't fair to hold Hochuli to a higher standard. He's a fantastic referee and he deserves to be allowed to do his job just like any other official.

As long as he does the best that he can including calling the plays as he honestly sees them, there is no problem.

Either this is the peak year for bad calls/non-calls or simply supporting a believe the the NFL isn't on the "UP AND UP". The NFL isn't a pure sport anymore but rather a business controlled by Vegas and offshore betting :)

To compensate for the error, if a fumble is blown dead incorrectly, the possessing team should lose 10 yards or half the distance to the goal line, whichever is less.

The NYTimes last week ran a nice story on NFL scrutiny. It is INTENSE, with league central examining EVERY play and EVERY call and non-call. Refs get demerits and the minuses tallied at yearend to decide who refs the playoffs and the Super Bowl and who gets fired or put on probation. That scrutiny counts for a lot more than howling fans!

If the League had taken the suggestion of Charger fans and executed Ed Hochuli after the Denver debacle then the Panthers would have been spared this latest transgression.

In the San Diego v Denver, the botched call and subsequent failure to correct it, quite simply cost San Diego a victory. If the fumble recovery had stood, they could have kneeled until the clock ran out. Simply admitting a mistake, but allowing the consequences to stand, is half virtuous at best. Perfect for our political and corporate culture.

Faced with a grave crisis in the NFL where games were being decided by subprime calls by reckless officials, the Commissioner of the NFL dispatched his Secretary of Revenue generation to seek passage of new bailout rules that would provide relief to teams who had lost franchise value due to the subprime calls.

Unfortunately, the bailout rules failed to pass despite cries that a Hail Mary pass was necessary.

The League is forever condemned to the vagaries of the bounce of a less than perfectly round ball and the fallibility of humanoid officials having regular jobs but dressing like zebras and not knowing black from white.

"It's like a false start," said one owner. Bob Kraft gave a cheesy smile appropriate to his name and said "This is looking more and more like that series on TV, The Brady Bunch." With that, Crafty was booed off the stage and said he was seeking to appoint Condoleezza Rice to be Commissioner of the Bailout League.

First, let's remember that these referees are ON THE FIELD and not equipped with immediate play-back. They are trying to make sense of the controlled chaos caused by sprinting, mad-dashing behemoths hell-bent on the destruction of their opponents. You think that's easy? Go out to the busy intersection of any city street and tell me you can see the license plates of three cars in succession.

Second, the moment someone knows they are being observed is the moment they are no longer doing their job, but doing the job they THINK they are supposed to be doing. It's a basic principle of management; if you want to see someone make a mistake let them know you're watching them to see if they make a mistake.

Third, helmet-to-helmet contact is a serious infraction and a dangerous practice. Such contact can, and has, ruined careers.

So, lay off the guy and give him a break. Statistically the man has a stupendous record.

im medical student in peshawar dut see the condition in afghanistan preswnce of american solder becaouse they have relation ship with thaliban pakistan both they how they will be able bring conveinence in afghanistan

I don't think it's fair to blame Hochuli for the Taliban insurgency in central Asia.

how does he blow it here. He sees a play that he believes is a helmet to helmet hit in the blink of an eye. after watching a slow motion reply it is determined that perhaps it was the defensive players shoulder, however it would still be a blow to the head, also a foul in the NFL. half of all holding penalties should not be called, and half of all plays probably have some type of holding going on. welcome to the nfl. the denver play was a problem because it anyone else fumbles the call can be reviewed even if the whistle blew, except for the QBs. what made the call really critical was the timing at the end of the game on the doorstep of a touchdown. sometimes it is like soccer where they call a penalty because of how the "victim" looks even if there is really no penalty. they called a chop block yesterday, when the running back actually missed the defensive end completely.

Ed needs to relax a little. His games are rife with flags everywhere. I was quite upset at the call he made against my Carolina Panties. What the freak Ed.

Ed needs to relax a little. His games are rife with flags everywhere. I was quite upset at the call he made against my Carolina Panties. What the freak Ed.

what, why, 'he made the correct call after he made an incorrect call.' so what. ed hochuli made a grievous error in judgement that altered the last few seconds of and the eventual outcome of the game. but has anyone questioned his honesty? it is not beyond reason that his bad call was timed to affect the game. remember the nba ref?