Something has to be done. 40 penalties in one game. There were about 120 plays total. Every third play.
Hard to watch. We, on this board, are obviously fans of the CFL. But, this must be addressed by the league if they want new fans, or if they want to keep the ones they have. I was even frustrated by calls against the Argos. It could have been one of the most exciting games of the year, but it was ruined by flags.
Blame the refs. Blame the players. Blame the coaches. Blame the rules. But--fix it.
Yeah, sure some stupid decisions by undisciplined players, but also some head scratching phantom calls, and when theyr'e not shown by TSN, you gotta wonder.
The officials have been destroying the games with the number of flags they throw and it has been especially prominant this year. Last nights game could have been a real thriller but the flags became a major issue. Sometimes the players take bonehead penalties, sometimes the officials call infractions on the other side of the field that have nothing to do with the play, sometimes they throw flags on questionable calls....regardless whether it is the players, the officials or the way the rules are written up, this has to STOP!!! Hopefully the Caretaker reads these posts and will have someone from the organization bringing this up at league meetings prior to next year.
We absolutely cannot have the officials ruin the potential exciting type of game the CFL provides.
the officials are not ruining anything. Its the inadequate braindead players who either are not good enough to play without drawing penalties, or are too stupid.
and it matters not if the infraction is well away from the play just as it doesn’t matter if there are no other cars or pedestrians around when you go through a red light. An infraction is an infraction and you should be penalized for it.
I wonder (and this is purely conjecture) if the hype surrounding the game and the rivalry had any impact in the way the refs approached the game. It seemed to me that they were quick to throw the flag in an effort to prevent any escalation. Objectionable conduct, for example, seems to be a very subjective penalty and was called a few times last night. Could it be that the refs sought to call a "tight" game in order to keep the game in check? I am not saying that I agree with this approach but it is the impression I got watching from home.
Watching the Argos and Esks and an Eskimo receiver goes out at the Argo bench. An Argo in civilian clothes gently pops the ball out of the receivers hands well after the whistle. The Cat-Argo game and Banks is hit out of bounds and into the wall. Guess which penalty the zebras call and which do they ignore. :roll: I agree with Tommyboy. It is pretty sad when you see a great play but have to check the field for flags before you can celebrate. The officiating has to improve!
Oh really? You mean it is not the players committing so many fouls that are deserving of penalties?
It amazes me, that the very same fans who complain about too many flags in a particular game, are the very same fans who blame the officials for not throwing a flag on Owens for a phantom offside.
The number of penalties was ridiculous - and a number of them were very borderline - had nothing to do with the play calls. But my biggest peeve was not only the number of calls - but the fact that on about half of them there was a 20-30 second conference of four or more officials - often for something that ended up being called illegal contact or offside. Why does either call require a 30 second conference?
That sort of thing was happening so often last night more than once fans around me - and yes I admit myself included - found ourselves shouting 'Just make the f'ing call already!' It got so frustrating at times last night on calls going both ways. :x
Completely agree - the number of penalties is not only ridiculous but truly showing the arrogance of the refs and it's position of not being a servant to the real stars the football players . Over the last 20 years the NFL has averaged about 12 penalties per game 7 on the Offence and 5 on the defence . All marginal penalties are not called !!! If it does not have a bearing on the play it is not called . Remember the replacements officials - it almost started a riot - they were calling games like our cfl officials do - they learned after a few weeks to get rid of them or the game would suffer damage . Our officials look for,penalties on every play - wrong purpose - they should be looking why there is not a penalty . For,those who say the NFL player is smarter then our cfl players that is garbage . The NFL player can coldcock their wife's - abuse their girlfriends beat their children shoot guns off in clubs but when it comes to penalties they are superior humans - angels - come on - our officials are a sham - I will not buy season tickets because of it and the talk in my circle is from dozens we no longer will buy season tickets or single game tickets because the entertainment is pathetic with the refs the new so called stars . Come on we have a chief operating official in charge of this area and his interview on TSN a few weeks back was like listening to an alcoholic in heavy denial - blaming the expansion team red blacks for the penalties - we have a serious problem - I will not buy season tickets for myself or business any longer and their is a freeway full of us exiting the CFL we once supported and in many cases adored
The new RFL league ( Refs football league ) is not for me - CFL owners and governors wake up - you really are the Emperor
With no clothes and it is embarrassing .
ya read a post like this and all ya can do is shake your head.
FTR nfl refs are no better than cfl refs. There are no better refs anywhere as a group. Certain individuals may fall short, but that happens in all leagues in all sports. Just ask john McEnroe.
With the extreme lack of respect and appreciation cfl refs get, and with all the flack they get, with little monetary compensation, I think they should all just quit and tell the fans to do the job themselves and see how well it gets done.
"the officials are not ruining anything. Its the inadequate braindead players who either are not good enough to play without drawing penalties, or are too stupid."
The officials MUST use judgement or proper discretion otherwise a penalty could be called on every play regardless whether it's CFL or NFL.
No one pays good money to watch the zebras throw way too many over the top penalties.
I was at the dome and it was pathetic, completely changing what flow there was to the game.
A fair number of calls were objectionable conduct, these are the ones that have to stop when the legit calls are of a higher number.
Coaches should follow a policy of sending perpetrators of selfish penalties (like Sinkfield the other night) to the locker room for the remainder of the game, regardless of the impact to the team. This conduct needs to be stopped or the league will lose its credibility. Remember the movie "Hoosiers" aka "Best Shot" in which Gene Hackman played basketball with four players just to prove his point. The idiotic pushing and shoving that goes on is ridiculous and these "professionals" need to quit acting like 13 year-old kids.
As much as I love that movie, it is a movie. I doubt seriously, if any professional coach would go to that extreme to make a point, besides they were school kids.
Many a coach has sat a player for a few plays or more when they’ve done a boneheaded deed. I’ve observed coaches giving a player a good talking to. I’ve even seen Wally Buono stalk a player on the sidelines to let him know, personally, how the head coach felt about his stupidity.
To play most of a game shorthanded and sacrifice a win for the entire team and coaching staff because of one player’s actions? I suspect he wouldn’t last long as a professional coach, in any league.
I do agree that the selfish, me first penalties have got to stop. Perhaps, some peer pressure might be good medicine for it.
I think many coaches would go to that extreme. How many RBs did Saskatchewan go through early in the season due to fumbles? It’s common to see a player being pulled after taking a stupid penalty. BC benched Westerman for several games this year because of an off field incident.
Buono wouldn’t be seen stalking a player on the sidelines, because he didn’t have to – they put themselves ahead of the team, then they pay for it. It creates a culture of discipline, and the players learn.
I’m not sure benching Sinkfield would have cost them the game (they lost anyway) – Banks was dressed and playing too. I am sure that allowing the behaviour that resulted in Sinkfield costing the team a TD, and 4 points in a 1 point loss was not beneficial.
Penalties are another sign of lack of discipline. They have cost them all year, and yet nothing is done. No accountability.
Selfish play should not be tolerated at any level of football.