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                                                                                                       SPORTS Tuesday 27 december 2016


















              Missed calls aplenty, and the NFL is looking for fixes





            BY EDDIE PELLS                                                                                                      stance  in  which  officials
            AP NATIONAL WRITER                                                                                                  could have used help from
            This  has  been  the  year  of                                                                                      the  booth  to  determine
            the penalty in the NFL.                                                                                             whether  to  eject  a  player
            Not  so  much  because                                                                                              for targeting to the head.
            more  flags  have  been                                                                                             Darren  Sproles  of  the  Ea-
            thrown  in  2016  -  through                                                                                        gles  was  moving  forward
            Week  15  teams  were  av-                                                                                          to  field  a  punt  when  De-
            eraging 8.09 flags a game                                                                                           shazor  Everett  of  the  Red-
            this  season  compared  to                                                                                          skins launched himself into
            8.10  in  2015  -  or  because                                                                                      Sproles and hit him helmet
            a larger-than-normal num-                                                                                           to  helmet,  knocking  Sp-
            ber  of  games  have  been                                                                                          roles out of the game.
            decided  by  questionable                                                                                           In   college,   this   play
            calls.                                                                                                              might’ve been sent to the
            More  because  the  ques-                                                                                           booth  to  determine  if  the
            tioning of the competence                                                                                           rule  calling  for  an  auto-
            of the officials began, liter-                                                                                      matic  ejection  should  be
            ally,  on  opening  day  with                                                                                       enforced.  The  NFL  does
            a flurry of unflagged hits to                                                                                       none  of  that,  and  Pereira
            the  head  of  the  reigning                                                                                        explained  that  the  call
            MVP,  Cam  Newton,  and                                                                                             wasn’t  as  automatic  as
            continued,  in  some  form,                                                                                         many  outraged  posters
            virtually  every  week,  with-                                                                                      on  social  media  made  it
            out a stop.                                                                                                         sound.
            Patterns?  There  weren’t     In this Nov. 6, 2016, file photo, field Judge Mike Weatherford, left, throws his cap toward Kansas   “Sproles  didn’t  call  for  a
                                         City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) after Kelce, who was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct,
            any, in particular.          threw a towel in his direction during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jackson-  fair catch, and you’ve got
            Phantom pass interference    ville Jaguars in Kansas City, Mo.                                                      a guy running toward him,
            calls  have  been  as  com-                                                                        Associated Press  trying  to  time  the  hit  with
            mon  as  unflagged  hits  to                                                                                        the  ball  behind  him  and
            the head, the likes of which                                                                                        he  can’t  see  it,”  he  said.
            sent  Newton  to  the  com-  cially  poorly  called  game  good  reason  for  it.  Why  rule,  which  calls  for  only  a   That doesn’t always make
            missioner’s office to discuss.   between  the  Texans  and  would  an  official  quit  his  15-yard penalty.        it a play worthy of an ejec-
            There  were  petty  calls  for   Raiders.                 day  job  for  one  with  very  If  Mike  Pereira,  the  former   tion, Pereira explained, but
            hugging refs (Earl Thomas)   “The scrutiny and the atten-  little job security? Only if the  VP of officiating for the NFL,   rather  a  timing  play  that
            and  throwing  towels  (Tra-  tion are at an all-time high  league and the unions rep-  could  change  one  single   went awry.
            vis Kelce got ejected ), all   on anything related to NFL,  resenting  the  players  and  thing in the NFL, this would   SPOTTING  THE  BALL:  The
            underscored  by  a  flurry  of   and  that  is  a  very  positive  officials  can  figure  out  a  be it.           Nov.  21  game  between
            flags  for  celebrations  that   thing,” said Dean Blandino,  way to guarantee full-time  “You  can  change  the    the  Raiders  and  Texans
            grew  more  subversive  the   the  NFL’s  senior  vice  presi-  officials  some  job  security  course  of  a  game  on  one   may have been the worst-
            harder  the  NFL  tried  to   dent  of  officiating.  “And  will this work out. Even then,  of  those  calls,  and  what  if   called game of the season.
            curb them. Replay worked     sometimes it can be nega-    17 full-time referees will only  a referee’s not sure?” said   Among the misses: a pair of
            -  sometimes.  But  it  didn’t   tive,  and  we  understand  represent  a  bit  more  than  Pereira, now an analyst for   questionable spots with the
            change  anything  at  the    that in officiating.”        10  percent  of  the  work-  Fox. The con to this is that it   Texans trying to gain short
            end  of  the  Cowboys-Vi-    What to do about all this?   force.                       would now pay for a badly    yardage to keep a poten-
            kings game. Cedric Thorn-    Nothing  new  here  -  there  “Over 60 percent of (ques-  beaten  defensive  back  to   tially  go-ahead  drive  go-
            ton  wasn’t  flagged  even   is  no  single  answer,  but  tions from coaches) are not  dive and tackle a receiver   ing. Replays indicated the
            though  he  clearly  hit  Min-  merely  a  list  of  remedies  about calls made but those  who was breaking open for   officials  may  have  missed
            nesota  quarterback  Sam     the  NFL  has  committed  to  not  made,”  Blandino  said.  a sure touchdown.          the spots both times. (That
            Bradford  in  the  head  as   and  could  consider  in  the  “So  we  could  cover  more  Of  course,  the  league   Texans  coach  Bill  O’Brien
            Bradford threw for a poten-  offseason.                   of  the  field  of  play,  which  could  consider  a  major   didn’t  challenge  the  first
            tial tying 2-point play.     FULL-TIME  REFEREES:  The  of course is a positive.”      and  minor  version  of  pass   spot is another issue).
            Also  not  reviewed:  The    league  is  considering  hir-  PASS INTERFERENCE: It’s an  interference,  though  that   The  league  is  looking  into
            non-call  for  Richard  Sher-  ing 17 full-time officials and  almost annual cry: The NFL  has  the  potential  to  raise   technology  already  used
            man’s  takedown  of  Julio   increasing the size of offici-  should  consider  changing  as many questions as it an-  in  soccer:  inserting  a  chip
            Jones  at  the  end  of  the   ating  crews  from  seven  to  its long-held rule on penal-  swers.                  into the football that would
            Seahawks-Falcons  game;      eight. The part-time official  izing  pass  interference  at  TARGETING  REPLAY:  Week   help  officials  locate  the
            or a particularly poor spot-  has  long  been  a  staple  of  the spot of the foul in favor  14 was Exhibit A, but hardly   ball and make more accu-
            ting of the ball in an espe-  the  league,  and  there’s  of the more lenient college  the only example of an in-   rate spots.q
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