Last Sunday saw another entertaining, hard-hitting, and close game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. This has become one of the best rivalries in the NFL each year since Joe Burrow arrived in Cincinnati. The two teams are both Super Bowl material, and I am sure when they meet in the playoffs, they will produce another classic for football fans everywhere.
Just like most of their games, there always seems to be some controversy. Usually, a missed call or one that is called, and it seems that the officials always favor the Chiefs if you are a Cincinnati fan. Of course, the Chiefs fans feel otherwise. And, as with this game too, a late pass interference call against Cincinnati has Bengal fans convinced the refs are always for the Chiefs! I know it seems that way, but having been an official myself, I can tell you I do not believe that is the case.
Pass interference is always a hard call to make, and it usually happens so quick that it takes a lot of experience to try and get it right. I say “try” because it is the toughest call to make. However, in this case the officials got it right! The call against Daijahn Anthony of the Bengals was early contact by the defensive back against the receiver, and that is textbook pass interference. Sorry Bengal fans, but you lose this one. The other part of the story, and the one that bugs me the most is fans and announcers screaming “THAT’S A REALLY LATE FLAG!”
Let’s look at the “Late Flag” and why it happens sometimes. There are several reasons for a flag being thrown later than others, and there are very simple explanations. First let me say, unless you have officiated and tried to watch 22 men on a field, going full blast, you have no idea how hard it is to see everything. It was hard enough at the High School and college level, let alone in the NFL, so be assured, they’re gonna miss some!
Some of you think it is on purpose, that they are on the take, but honestly, the game is moving so fast, that most times you don’t have time to think about who did what. You try to get a color of the jersey and then a number, and sometimes you can’t get the number. That does not mean it is made up, that means the play kept going and you can’t stop officiating just because you have a penalty. On the play in question, I am sure that the covering official saw the penalty from behind, but was off to the side enough to see both players.
So why did it take him so long to throw the flag? Was he making sure it wouldn’t go against Kansas City? Was he paid to not call it against the home team? Sounds ridiculous when it is put like that, doesn’t it? Nope, what probably happened was one of two things: he either grabbed for his flag and missed it the first time (been there, done that!), or he was putting into practice what he had learned, and this is the important part.
I learned this from a Big 8 official once, and I never forgot it. He said: LET THE MIND DIGEST WHAT THE EYES HAVE SEEN. In other words, take that extra half-second to make sure you saw what you think you saw!
The game moves so fast that taking that extra time to make sure in your mind that you saw exactly what happened to get it right. These guys are human, just like us believe it or not, and nothing bothers them more than blowing a call. It does happen, and it looks bad when it happens, but I believe in my heart that it is never intentional.
Are there bad officials? Yes, but they don’t seem to last long. Alex Kemp, the referee in the game, who I think is a really good young official, did a nice job of controlling the game, and made sure it was fair for both sides. He could, and probably should have thrown out Ja’Marr Chase for his actions, but he held his composure and didn’t. However, the flag against the player sent a message that he would not let it get out of control.
I wish more people would start an officiating career and help our youth become better players and people. It is very rewarding and gives you a sense of satisfaction when both coaches after a game tell you “Nice job, Ref!” We need more officials now, and in the future. These athletes in all sports are getting bigger and faster and younger officials are needed to make sure that their games will be played fairly in the future.
Rivalry games are the toughest and the most enjoyable and rewarding. The Bengals and Chiefs will battle it out for the near future, and they will all be close games. The last seven games between the teams have been settled by 3 points, I am told, so they are also going to be close! Maybe the Bengals win next time, and we will get to hear Chiefs fans tell how the Ref’s cheated them too!
That’s the way I see it……from the sidelines!
