The Cats are showing that they are capable of playing football but they still play and without discipline when needed. Avon took and unnecessary penalty which resulted in the clock not starting till the snap of the ball and thereby giving Montreal another chance for a come back. The coach needs to drill discipline into these guys.
Although the game was good, hard hitting and exciting, the officials took too much control of the game. Seemed like there were flags almost every play, also very little consistency in the calls that were made. The officials take excitement out of the game.
Yes the no call on the helmet tackle was pathetic. Why is it always the angered victim that gets flagged? The ref that he argued to just stood there with a dumb look on his face.
... and holding on Hickman to eliminate a turnover? That was one of the crappiest calls I have seen in a very long time. Damn good thing it didn't change the end result of the game for a change. :thdn:
I personally thought that the Alouettes actually played with less discipline than the Tabbies. They were constantly taking selfish penalties. The Cats by contrast kept their cool for the most part.
He made the smart play. By sliding, he reduced (nearly eliminated completely) the risk of a turnover. Also ensured he would be downed in-bounds, to keep the clock running.
I think that was the first time I've seen the head official call illegal contact on a receiver.
The deep sideline official (#27?, the north side) must have called 4 or 5 of the illegal contact penalties against the Cats and the questionable end zone pass interference near the end of the game. He certainly had an eye for our DBs.
And... did Montreal get 2 timeouts in the second half? I could have sworn that the ref indicated an Als time out earlier in the 4th quarter.
Plus, the Als certainly got most of the lucky bounces all game.
The lack of quality officiating is the only thing holding back the continued growth of the popularity of this league. Some of the recent stuff is just putrid. Linesman #65, a baby-faced ref, looked lost out there and threw flags while 40 yards away while other refs, closer and seeing the play better, did not throw flags. #27 was also a joke.
There has to be public ref accountability, and not just a closed old boys network. We pay good money to see a game that is often tarnished by stripes. I know it is an closed door network, having officiated at lesser levels myself, and with no desire to make the CFL, I saw firsthand that the best and brightest do not make the CFL, but as it other walks in life, it is who you know. So, if that is not changed, then at least make them accountable, publicly rebuke the poor ones, acknowledge mistaken calls as was done recently on the Stala ball kick issue. At the very least, take off their numbers and put their names back on their jersy so that I can loudly jeer the bonehead reffing call.
Ah, for the days when you can yell at Dojak, Seymour Wilson, yet they were lightyears ahead of our current crop.