From the Glad That's Over Department: Now that the game is over and the Saints won, I think it's safe to say the Saints-Titans game yesterday featured maybe the worst officiating crew I have ever seen. They missed some pretty obvious penalties, called some of the ticky tackiest penalties, and called penalties that no one else calls. They called Drew Brees for illegal procedure when he moved his head on a hard count. ALL quarterbacks do that. It IS illegal and I don't mind them calling it if they called it more often and more consistently. Hasselbeck does it, Brady does it, Rodgers does it, both Mannings do it, especially Peyton. Tough game yesterday but a W is a W. I think Jake Locker is going to be a terrific quarterback but he made an awful rookie mistake yesterday on the last play of the game. The one thing he had to do was throw the ball. Someone should have been in his ear telling him that he can't take a sack under any circumstance. He took the sack. On to Minnesota. It's Vikings Week. :)
From the Department of Redundancy Department: I will never fully understand why some must transition from online to telephone. After a three email exchange with a business party, where I thought I answered all questions, I've been asked to call the party on the telephone. My guess is we'll be repeating all of the same questions.
5 song iTunes shuffle:
- Cerilene - Sister Hazel - ...Somewhere More Familiar
- Trouble Me - 10,000 Maniacs - MTV Unplugged
- The Prince Of Peace - Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve And Other Stories
- White Christmas - The Drifters - 16 Greatest Hits
- The Load-Out - Jackson Browne - Running On Empty
Quote of the Day
We will never be a bend-but-don't-break defense. We're about hit, hit. Swarm to the ball. Make sure that if they catch it they pay.
Jabari Greer, New Orleans Saints
Blog of the day is here.
Quote from said blog: "It looked like the Saints might roll like I thought they would, as methodically moved down the field before stalling out inside the 10 for a field goal, then Darren Sproles took a punt 82 yards to the end zone after the Titans went four-and-out. Sproles' punt would be negated by a holding call, though, as we entered the flagfest portion of the game. There would be fourteen more penalties between the two teams before halftime and the Titans first a first-and-thirty-five their next possession."
I think the officiating in the NFL this year may be the worst I've ever seen. Lack of consistency, ticky-tack calls away from the play, no calls on blatant fouls. It's been really bad.
I'd like to see some of the penalties that carry an automatic first down reduced in the instances of minor contact ... if you have to throw a flag at all.