Max Faulkner Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram Dallas coach Jason Garrett interacts with head linesman Lynn Lawhon in Sunday's game at Seattle. Replacement officials are under fire.

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Replacement refs draw flags: Poor interpretation of NFL rules, clock issues are difficult to hide

: Poor interpretation of NFL rules, clock issues are difficult to hide

Published: Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 2C

One official was pulled from duty because he's a fan. Another let the clock run following an incompletion. Several others had difficulty with basic rules.

Upon further review, Week 2 was a poor one for the NFL's replacement officials.

Coaches and players around the league are losing patience and speaking out against the fill-in officials following a slew of questionable calls Sunday.

Some players are even joking about dipping into their own pockets to settle the contract dispute and get the regular officials back on the field immediately.

"I don't know what they're arguing about, but I got a couple of (million) on it, so let's try to make it work," Washington defensive back DeAngelo Hall joked Monday.

The NFL locked out the regular officials in June after their contract expired. Negotiations with the NFL Referees Association broke down several times during the summer, including just before the season, and the league is using replacements for the first time since 2001.

Results? Mixed.

Just hours before kickoff Sunday, the NFL removed side judge Brian Stropolo from the New Orleans-Carolina game because it was discovered on Facebook he's a Saints fan.

Then came the on-field problems.

While some mistakes were judgment calls – such as a pass-interference penalty on Pittsburgh defensive back Ike Taylor in which he appeared to miss a New York Jets receiver – the more egregious errors appear to be misinterpretations of rules.

In St. Louis' 31-28 win over Washington, Rams coach Jeff Fisher challenged a second-quarter fumble by running back Steven Jackson near the goal line, and it was overturned. The Rams ended up kicking a field goal, the margin of victory.

But a coach is not allowed to challenge a play when a turnover is ruled on the field. It should have been an automatic 15-yard penalty on Fisher. Also, if Fisher threw the red challenge flag before the replay official initiated the review, a review is not allowed, and the Redskins would have kept the ball.

In the Cleveland-Cincinnati game, the clock ran off 29 seconds after an incomplete pass by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the second quarter. The Browns ended the half with the ball at their 29. Could an extra half-minute have helped? The Bengals won 34-27.

"Missed calls and bad calls are going to happen," Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a union executive council member, tweeted. "That's part of the deal, and we can all live with it. But not knowing all the rules and major procedural errors (like allowing the clock to run after an incomplete pass) are completely unacceptable. Enough already."

Feisty play was also common theme around the NFL. Players seemingly are getting away with being more physical, especially after the whistle.

The officials singled out an offender in the final minutes at St. Louis. Washington wide receiver Josh Morgan reacted after being tackled – and then shoved – by Cortland Finnegan, tossing the ball at the Rams cornerback and drawing an unsportsmanlike penalty. That turned a potential score-tying 47-yard field goal into a 62-yard attempt (Billy Cundiff missed short).

In Week 1, the officials awarded Seattle an extra timeout in the final minutes of a game at Arizona. The Cardinals held on to win, and the crew's referee admitted the mistake.

Despite the public outrage, the league backed the replacement crews, a collection of small-college officials.

"Officiating is never perfect. The current officials have made great strides and are performing admirably under unprecedented scrutiny and great pressure," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Read more articles by Rob Maaddi



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