Mcminn Central @ Bledsoe County

[Omniscience]

We don't call and request referee's they are sent out of Chattanooga so I hope you are implying that they were just that horrible and not that Bledsoe had something to do with them making that call at the end of the game......

 

Easy now, lets move on there are bigger and better games ahead

[Howdee]

For those of you who don't get The Daily Post Athenian, Here is the story as told by J.S. Who normally would not mention bad officiating in a story.

 

Questions unanswered by referees

 

 

 

Monday, September 26, 2011

 

Let me preface today's column by saying that I have a lot of friends who are football officials and I hope they still will be after what I have to say.

 

Being a former football, baseball and basketball official, as well as a youth sports coach for 41 years, I sympathize with the plight of game officials - they are a group everybody loves to hate and easy targets for abuse.

 

Before, and even sometimes during games, I talk with the officials - exchanging pleasantries, jokes and sharing stories. Junior, Jackie, A.J., Rico, etc., they're all good guys and I have nothing but the utmost respect for the job they all do.

 

There are times during games when I would like to tell coaches if they would pay as much attention to what they need to do or the shortcomings of their own team as they do nit-picking calls by the officials, they probably wouldn't need to worry about penalties.

 

Having said that, I am compelled to say this: I have seen poor individual officials - like anything else, there is good and bad. But, collectively, I have never seen a worse officiating crew in my 37 years on the sidelines as the one that administered Friday night's game between Bledsoe County and McMinn Central.

 

It was as if whatever association provides the officials filled out the crews for more important games and then said "who do we have left to go to Bledsoe County," figuring the game would be over by halftime and the officiating wouldn't matter.

 

Associations often use rating systems for their officials such as A, B and C with obvious implications. There are 26 letters in the alphabet and none would apply to Friday night's crew. Paired with stronger crews, they may not have been as incompetent, but as a group ... well you get my drift.

 

They were equally bad on both sides of the field, but let me give you just a few examples from the Central perspective:

 

* Central was called for a block in the back by one official, even though there was another official much closer to the play who did not throw a flag. When asked about the call, the official said "I saw it and I just had to call it."

 

Later when questioned about an obvious cut block on a kickoff, his explanation was it "didn't happen in my area."

 

* The officials threw a flag on Bledsoe County and their head coach sprinted, not just past the numbers or hash mark, but to the center of the field where the officials were huddled.

 

Boys and girls, that's not allowed under any circumstances, the flag is automatic.

 

When Central Coach Josh Goodin questioned why Coach Jason Reel wasn't penalized, the official said he was just trying to get their attention to call a timeout, which, in the end, he did not take.

 

"Then why wasn't he penalized," asked Goodin.

 

The official finally admitted: "You're right, coach, we probably should have thrown the flag."

 

* On the play that eventually decided the game, Central was called for a face mask penalty, but in desperation and hoping for a miracle, the Bledsoe quarterback threw the ball underhanded toward the line of scrimmage with no eligible receiver in the area. Intentional grounding? Apparently not.

 

Worst case scenario, the penalties would have offset and the down replayed, but from the 6 and not the 2.

 

* With Bledsoe threatening at the end of the first half, the officials threw a flag on Bledsoe, stopping the clock. After a conference, the officials waved off the penalty.

 

Since the previous play did not end out of bounds or as the result of an incomplete pass or change of possession, the clock should have started when the ball was marked ready for play. It was not.

 

Fortunately, Central held on downs. Had they not, Bledsoe would have had an additional seven or eight seconds to work with and, considering how the game ended, we know how important those seconds can be.

 

* Twice, the head referee lined up on the wrong end of the field for kickoffs.

 

It was kind of like having the The Three Stooges meet Larry, Darryl and my other Darryl.

 

Goodin took the high road when asked about the officiating.

 

"I don't think they were as much biased as just incompetent and weren't totally responsible for us losing the game - they hurt Bledsoe, as well," said Goodin. "Someone said once that if you don't remember seeing the officials on the field, then they were doing their job. Unfortunately, it seemed like a lot of what happened Friday centered around the officials and it just shouldn't be that way."

 

This kind of commentary is totally out of character for me and not intended to be an indictment of the officiating profession, but something I felt had to be said of an isolated incident. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association should review the circumstances and like the pop group MIlli Vanilli, these officials should never be allowed to perform again as a group.

[89charger]

We don't call and request referee's they are sent out of Chattanooga so I hope you are implying that they were just that horrible and not that Bledsoe had something to do with them making that call at the end of the game......

I was responding to your "just wasn't meant for Central to win" statement. I know refs are assigned but that doesn't mean they cant decide before a game to do their best to let a certain team win. The last drive of each half proves that. Not blaming Bledsoe in any way.

[theplaymaker]

I was responding to your "just wasn't meant for Central to win" statement. I know refs are assigned but that doesn't mean they cant decide before a game to do their best to let a certain team win. The last drive of each half proves that. Not blaming Bledsoe in any way.

seems like you got the last word

[Bledsoebtheboys]

I was responding to your "just wasn't meant for Central to win" statement. I know refs are assigned but that doesn't mean they cant decide before a game to do their best to let a certain team win. The last drive of each half proves that. Not blaming Bledsoe in any way.

Central lost and Bledsoe won..... Better luck next year...

[smokey04]

Central lost and Bledsoe won..... Better luck next year...

something tells me if it would have went the other way you wouldn't feel that way.....