Worst Calls of the Year - 2004

Are You Blind?

Week 16 - Bears @ Lions...With the Bears trailing 19-13 and under 2 minutes remaining, Chicago QB Chad Hutchinson hit receiver Bernard Berrian with a 43 yard touchdown pass. Initially, the pass was ruled incomplete, but with NFL officials reviewing the play, it appeared certain that the play would be overturned and Chicago would be awarded the TD. Replay clearly showed Berrian making the catch with both feet in bounds before crashing to the turf out of bounds. Yet, to the stunned disbelief of the Bears and anyone watching the replay, referee Terry McAulay declared the pass incomplete. Said McAulay, “After review, as the receiver was going to the ground on his own, the ball moved when he hit the ground. It is an incomplete pass as ruled on the field. Third down.''  The ball moved? What the hell is McAulay talking about?  The receiver caught the ball in bounds and held onto the ball the entire time. 

''I never lost the ball, never bobbled it,'' Berrian said. ''I had two hands on it. Once I hit the ground, I laid on my back because my knee was hurting, but I also wanted to show the ball -- that I had it.''

The Chicago Sun Times said it best…”Forget that receiver Bernard Berrian had two hands on the ball and two feet in bounds. If all it takes to score a touchdown is breaking the plane of the end zone with possession of the ball, why would it matter if the ground caused it to shift? If it did shift, by the way, it only did so in a manner imperceptive to the naked eye.”

Week in and week out, the idiocy of NFL Officials never ceases to amaze me. Read more from Drew Sharper of the Detroit Free Press.

They Never Had a Chance

Wouldn't it just figure that New England's favorite NFL ref, Walt Coleman, would be assigned to the AFC Championship game at home?  I'm not suggesting bias, but it is worth pointing out that Walt has a history of blown calls that have favored the Patriots.  I'd also point out that Walt has a history of botched officiating and has no business being assigned to the conference title game.  The very fact that Coleman's crew is working the playoffs is proof positive that the league doesn't give a damn about holding refs accountable.

Specifically, with the Colts down 21-14 and in possession with under 3 minutes remaining, back to back Manning passes fell incomplete due to some questionable coverage.  Replays showed Colts tight end Marcus Pollard being tugged and grabbed by Patriots linebacker Roman Phifer as Peyton Manning's passes flew incomplete.   "Those guys did what they had to do," Pollard said of the Patriots afterward. "They didn't get called for it. So keep doing it. Hats off to them."

Colts receivers complained repeatedly about being held by Patriots defenders who jammed the pass catchers at the line and bumped them down the field. Dungy, typically a calm sideline observer, was livid on several occasions about perceived no calls.  Said Dungy "The disappointing thing to me is there were some things that happened in the game that I just know in my heart in the regular season would be penalties."

Some believe officials should call a game straight up...a penalty is a penalty.  I happen to believe that the more important a game, the less the officials should be involved.  What's bothersome is that the officials THIS WEEK were lenient with regards to penalties, but LAST WEEK had no problem flagging the Titans (vs. Patriots) for a crucial late holding call that was certainly as marginal as some of the calls that were ignored in this game.