The refs are going to screw us!

[johnmd20]

I just Emailed Hoch and told him he's got great arms. He responded, "You want to see pics of them, or. . . .pics of other things?"

I can't believe he sent that from his law firm email address.

 

[TheoShmeo]

Cue the hushed tones and somber replies.

"Please stop, think of the children."

Lighten up kittens, all in fun.

 

[ifmanis5]

Ask him if he gets his HGH delivered directly to him or does it go to his wife?

 

[Marciano490]

Cue the hushed tones and somber replies.

"Please stop, think of the children."

Lighten up kittens, all in fun.

I don't think it's going to affect the game or the refereeing, but I'm sure the guy doesn't want his professional email spammed up by dopey fans, even if those dopey fans also have law firm addresses. But, whatever, maybe he'll invite you to Arizona to do some curls and sit on some needles.

 

[TheoShmeo]

I don't think it's going to affect the game or the refereeing, but I'm sure the guy doesn't want his professional email spammed up by dopey fans, even if those dopey fans also have law firm addresses. But, whatever, maybe he'll invite you to Arizona to do some curls and sit on some needles.

It's not going to affect anything, of course.

We went back and forth several times after that, he wasn't remotely bothered and he gave me a very thoughtful response near the end.

Against expectations, he seems like a pretty self-effacing guy.

 

[Marciano490]

Hmm.. must've caught him while he's cruising.

 

[Dogman]

If anyone follows Theo's idiotic lead and emails him, be prepared for a nice long break.

 

[TheoShmeo]

That you think or anyone else thinks that my having e-mailed Ed Hochuli was idiotic is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

My experience is that many well known people with publicly accessible e-mails quickly reply to e-mails from fans. My guess is that many of them welcome the diversion from their mundane day-to-day tasks. Hochuli sure seemed to be enjoying himself and clearly understood that my first salvo was meant lightly.

The list of people I have done this with over the years is long. You can call it whatever you want; I find it to be a fun slice of life. Sometimes -- as in the case with Larry Lucchino and Jeff Kessler -- it leads to more than just a one-off e-mail conversation. Sometimes -- like here -- it's just a short back and forth, unlikely to be repeated. None of it's a big deal.

 

[Marciano490]

I find a lot of hot chicks hanging out in public places like bars, libraries or trains enjoy my close physical presence and pickup attempts. It's a welcome diversion from their mundane day-to-day traveling, reading, or socializing with people they already know. Sure, sometimes they shut it down quick, but I've also gotten laid once or twice, so there you go!

(mostly giving you a hard time, Theo.)

 

[TheoShmeo]

I find a lot of hot chicks hanging out in public places like bars, libraries or trains enjoy my close physical presence and pickup attempts. It's a welcome diversion from their mundane day-to-day traveling, reading, or socializing with people they already know. Sure, sometimes they shut it down quick, but I've also gotten laid once or twice, so there you go!

(mostly giving you a hard time, Theo.)

All good. Mostly!

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

If anyone follows Theo's idiotic lead and emails him, be prepared for a nice long break.

Hypothetically speaking, would a vacation also apply if someone were to, say, PM TheoShmeo a pic of their "pro-set"?

 

[RedOctober3829]

David Wade ‏@davidwade 20m20 minutes ago
State Police confirm #NFL refs left the kicking balls at #Boston hotel before #Patriots - Chiefs game. Troopers drove them to Gillette.

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

I think this is an even better story if the part about the gauges is also true.

Edit if not of

 

[Dollar]

Good news everyone!

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 8m8 minutes ago
Clete Blakeman, who said the coin "didn't flip" in OT at Arizona, will be referee for Super Bowl 50, as http://Footballzebras.com reported.

In case you don't remember, he's also the guy who had the memorable moment in overtime with Matthew Slater during the Jets game, and blew the Kuechly-Gronk pass interference no-call at the end of a game in 2013.

Personally, I hate him because he always announces surprising calls in a dramatic manner, seemingly just to get a huge crowd reaction. "Pass interference....... OFFENSE #87!!!" And it's bad enough in regular season games... I can only imagine how exaggerated it will be in the Super Bowl.

 

[edmunddantes]

He was also one of the guys involved with Deflategate. He was one of the Ref's measuring footballs if I recall correctly.

 

[pokey_reese]

Putting a Deflategate ref on a Superbowl the Pats are likely to be playing in seems like just the light-touch style of screw job the NFL actually can get away with. I wouldn't be surprised if he feels like somehow in defending themselves from the whole thing the Pats put themselves in opposition to him. I wouldn't totally blame him for that given how acrimonious the whole thing became (though I don't remember them ever calling him out specifically for anything, but as a representative of the league...), and don't actually expect him to be bagging the game directly, but the subconscious is a funny thing.

 

[DJnVa]

Good news everyone!and blew the Kuechly-Gronk pass interference no-call at the end of a game in 2013.

You mean someone on his crew did.

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

Of course, you can turn the subconscious thing right around: the Pats never publicly went after the refs for their dumbfuckery in the game, so the zebras are going out there knowing the Pats took the fall for their incompetence. You can argue that it leads to an unconscious make-up call (or at least trying not to piss off the sleeping dog) as easily as you can posit acrimony.

As a wise man once said, "it is what it is."

 

[Nator]

I am just worried that when the Patriots are running a fast-tempo offense, Hochuli will give the Broncos many chances to rest while explaining a neutral-zone infraction call; why he called it, how he arrived at his conclusion, and explaining possible future impacts of repeated neutral zone infractions.

 

[Dollar]

You mean someone on his crew did.

Try telling that to Tom Brady.

I agree with you, but I still think there should have been at least some discussion about the play amongst the crew. He didn't say a single word to the umpire who convinced the back judge to pick up his flag, or ask the back judge why he changed his mind. There was also no explanation about why the flag was picked up. Full video for reference.

 

[E5 Yaz]

 

[ifmanis5]

Bring in Ben Dreith while they're at it.

 

[Erik Hanson's Hook]

I don't think the league would mind too much if the Patriots won this game, because they know the Denver would get waxed by Carolina or Arizona.

I do think, if it ended up being Brady vs. Newton, they would love a passing-of-the-torch game.

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

 

[DJnVa]

It would be interesting to see what some of the old school guys would say because there's that crowd that doesn't like the way Cam operates. But if he's playing against the Pats...

 

[Harry Hooper]

Didn't know there are 2 Steratores (brothers) working as NFL officials.

 

[Pxer]

Try telling that to Tom Brady.

I agree with you, but I still think there should have been at least some discussion about the play amongst the crew. He didn't say a single word to the umpire who convinced the back judge to pick up his flag, or ask the back judge why he changed his mind. There was also no explanation about why the flag was picked up. Full video for reference.

They claimed it was un-catchable afterwards. It was bogus.

 

[Section15Box113]

So one ball tester works on conference championship weekend and the other on SB Sunday. Amazing.

Here's hoping we are able to see both.

(And after watching the Kuechly clip, I want another crack at those guys.)

 

[Van Everyman]

So one ball tester works on conference championship weekend and the other on SB Sunday. Amazing.

Here's hoping we are able to see both.

(And after watching the Kuechly clip, I want another crack at those guys.)

You and I watched that game together -- I recall the ball being more catchable than that replay shows, but I still think it was a mistake for them to pick up the flag because Kuechly's bear-hug has basically made what would have been a difficult catch an impossible one.

And agree, let's include both these guys on the Revenge Tour.

 

[j44thor]

So one ball tester works on conference championship weekend and the other on SB Sunday. Amazing.

Here's hoping we are able to see both.

(And after watching the Kuechly clip, I want another crack at those guys.)

Do we recall any questionable calls from the Indy game? I don't have any issue with refs from last years pasting of IND in playoff games. Just keep Kensil the fuck away from the field.

 

[Section15Box113]

Do we recall any questionable calls from the Indy game? I don't have any issue with refs from last years pasting of IND in playoff games. Just keep Kensil the fuck away from the field.

No issues I recall from that game, at least on the field.

My comment springs more from their respective roles in the fog of halftime. It is striking that two guys who happened to have their names linked to the logo gauge and non-logo gauge happen to be working these two games.

It's quite an odd coincidence.

Maybe they're the top rated at their positions and earned these plum assignments. Quite possible.

Maybe someone on Park Ave just put one of them on the AFCC (rather than the NFCC) to get a rise out of people like me.

Honestly, I don't believe the fix is in. But that they're assigned to these games is a fascinating footnote to all of this.

Someday, I would love to read what they had to say to Wells' investigators. (Of course, barring the case being sent back to Berman's courtroom, that's not going to happen.)


Edit: typo

 

[williams_482]

My comment springs more from to their respective roles in the fog of halftime. It is striking that two guys who happened to have their names linked to the logo gauge and non-logo gauge happen to be working these two games.

It's quite an odd coincidence.

Maybe they're the top rated at their positions and earned these plum assignments. Quite possible.

I'm not at all surprised that two referees who were involved in last year's AFC championship game (presumably because they rated very well) are once again involved this year's conference championship games.

 

[Section15Box113]

Looking back over the last couple years, it's actually relatively rare. Only a handful of officials that worked the conference championship game or Super Bowl worked those games the previous year.

For 2016, only Bill Vinovich, Dan Ferrell, Kent Payne, and Terrence Miles worked one of the final three games in 2015.

Of course, there are two names missing from that list: Prioleau and Blakeman. They were alternates for the 2015 AFCC. Rusty Barnes, who was a SB alternate last year, is working SB50.

 

[Van Everyman]

BB on the field about an hour ago happily chatting w Hochuli.

 

[Devizier]

With a few exceptions, I feel that this was a pretty well-called game.

 

[BelgianSoxFan]

They did call pi only on the pats. Look at the penalties and yards. With neutral refs pats win easily

 

[TSC]

They did call pi only on the pats. Look at the penalties and yards. With neutral refs pats win easily

No.

This game was as down the middle as you could hope for.

Accept that the Denver D smoked the Patriots today, and that's why we lost.

 

[amarshal2]

Refs were not a factor. Lock this embarrassing thread.

 

[brandonchristensen]

Refs were great. Lock it.

 

[Tony C]

yeah, well called game -- obviously some missed things, but that's inevitable.

 

[jsinger121]

I agree. this came down to brady and the offense making more adjustments and not the refs.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

yeah, well called game -- obviously some missed things, but that's inevitable.

Gronk got clearly mugged on the very first drive of the game, leading to a punt. No call. Quelle surprise.

Denver now 8-0 in Hochuli-reffed games since 2000.

 

[redsoxcentury]

the one call that did give Denver an advantage was the 3d down pi call on Denvers first drive. led to a TD. Denver doesnt score there it could change complexion of game.

but really Refs werent bad in this game as much as we dont want to admit it

 

[m0ckduck]

As one of the first posters to chime in on this thread...

Lock it. Refs were as good as we could have possibly hoped for.

 

[Slow Rheal]

Probably three total calls I didn't like (pi on Ryan; two non calls on gronk), but that's it. It's home field, win that and you get the benefit of those calls. Bummer

 

[bankshot1]

Hochuli was fine. He wasn't the reason the Pats lost

 

[PedroKsBambino]

The DPI on Denver's first drive was a horrible call, and impactful in the end given that was Denver's only real scoring drive.

Overall, I can't complain about the officiating however---this was a game about Denver's defense far more than anything else.

 

[Tim Salmon]

The DPI on Denver's first drive was a horrible call, and impactful in the end given that was Denver's only real scoring drive.

Overall, I can't complain about the officiating however---this was a game about Denver's defense far more than anything else.

Agreed. The Pats were the beneficiaries of a few flags that were correct, but often don't get thrown. The refs also got it right on the lateral challenge, which, sadly, is far from automatic, even with slow-motion and multiple camera angles.

This was nothing like the last Denver game, where the refs were basically a 12th man.

 

[djbayko]

Yes, the game was very fairly called.

But come on with the "I told you so" posts. The thread provided a safe place for people to talk about their fears, with many doing so half-heartedly. Like it or not, in today's NFL, the refs are a variable, and I'm pleased they didn't factor in today's game.

 

[everyone_loves_bacon]

Yes, the game was very fairly called.

But come on with the "I told you so" posts. The thread provided a safe place for people to talk about their fears, with many doing so half-heartedly. Like it or not, in today's NFL, the refs are a variable, and I'm pleased they didn't factor in today's game.

I was shocked at how evenly the game was called. Muscles Hochuly loves hearing his voice and in a crazy turn of events, it was even! I tried to complain, but even in a drunken state, I rally couldn't.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

I'm amazed so many people thought this thread was serious and not poking at the collective BbtL hysteria.

You guys fucking suck sometimes.