Calls go every which way. Few bad calls decide games (unless a Lions' offensive tackle stands straight up before the snap on 3rd and 4 and the Riders get called for offside 
). What my complaint is, after watching all games on this past weekend, and it simply reinforces what I have observed over the past year at least, is that the officials just don't seem to care what they call and what they don't. It is arbitrary and random. What is a penalty with one official is not with another and more clearly varies from one crew to another. There is no consoistency, there is no ratrionale. And it seems that the officials huddle to "get it right" is simply an exercise of whomever has the strogest will amongst them, wins. I watched many instances of centres moving the ball this past weekend and yet Jeremy O'Day gets called for it on one crucial play the previous week. You watch offensive linemen moving before the snap of the ball and it is called infrequently. Pass interfernce seems to be a totally random call -- with sometimes a "zero tolerance" and many other times, a "let-them-play" attitude is taken. Labour Day weekend seemed to be the time when "rough play" was the designated non-call with numerous instances of people being tackled out of bounds (including quarterbacks) whereas the previous week, you couldn't so much as look at a player near the touch lines without drawing a flag. And at one time, spiking the ball after a play in the field was considered objectional conduct, whereas now you see it after almost every first down (I saw an offical seemingly talking to an Edmonton reciever about it after one play yesterday -- don't talk, take punitive action or it just escalates.) It is really REALLY hard for me to continue to be a fan with such consistently poor officiating -- and I am a lifelong CFL fanatic... seldom missing ANY games. The players try their best and they suffer the ultimate cosesquences when their performance does not measure up. There is no such negative incentive for officials, and pehaps there should be. I'd be quite happy to start afresh with a bunch of 20something officials (or younger) -- at least we could blame their mistakes on enthusiasm or inexperience -- 'twould be far better than seeing the onus be apathy and ambivalence as it currently stands.
Learn to live with the calls.
There is some good,and some bad.
I can live with a fast game and bad reffing.I don't want instant replay.It would slow things down.
As for the refs.
Does anyone know where that ref who was reffing the Argos game is from?I can't stand him.
saskargo the ref in question is from Regina, heard he was also a Rider booster club member...lol
Funny Hank,
That ref is a bonehead.
The was he says Saskatchewan.It always looks like he has something up his but.
Turd where is he from?You know lots.Well maybe not the 1 point(I'll never forget that one!!!)
Oh C'mon mate, Bad calls are a part of the game, sure I'm for the IR but that will eliminated only some calls. I'm still a CFL fan even though there are bad calls and everyone knows what kind of fan I am.
The whole thing with the IR reminds me of a quote form a deleted scene in Euro Trip where they check into a crappy motel (if that is what it is). and the clerk explains "to make sure that you items are not stolen, it is best to hind them up your a***, this will distract some but not all terifs"
If this is your take on instant replay that’s fine. I know you don’t complain about the refs but too many people do on this site and yes before you have to say it I know it’s Rider fans a lot of times. What I’m saying is for people who don’t want instant replay because of many different reasons they have to live with a few bad calls now and then.
Basiaclly without instant replay officials have to make split second decisions on whether something was a catch or not (Stegall (I haven’t saw the replay but I heard it was a catch and I didn’t see the push off so I can’t comment on that) or whether there was a fumble. They are human and they will get calls wrong. They don’t have a 162 game or an 82 game schedule to develop experience and they don’t get paid or get training like the NFL.
I believe instant replay should be installed to help the integrity of the game. I do realize it slows down the game (like Saskargo said) but I believe if a bad call could turn a game around I think there should be means of correcting it. And slowing down a play to see if a ball is caught for a touchdown or dropped bringing up third down could make the difference between winning and losing in a game. I also think fan’s complaints would go down since the replay system would be there to get certain calls correct.
I also realize we don’t have all the camera angles like the NFL but if a ref can’t determine if a play should be reversed from a certain angle then it should stand.
I also think refs should have more training to help consistently call penalties. Right now a hold in one game might be a penalty in one game and legal in another game, it just depends on the ref. And that shouldn’t happen in football.
There is alot of bad calls this year.Well I can't remember any for my team.Well not this year at least.
Watching the game on Sunday. Everyone knows Milt caught the ball.Even the rider fans can say he caught it.Just larn to live with it.
The only time they should have instant replay is in the playoffs.
But with instant replay if it was a catch that could have turned the game around for the Bombers (which would have been bad for my Riders, but at least it gets called right). Same thing with the two Calgary-B.C. games last year on the touchdown call and the penalty on the onside kick. I would prefer to get calls right even if it does take extra time. That's just my opinion.
This is like talking to a Bioinformatics student at the UofS.Pretty funny hey Billy.
Anyways, good points roughy.As usual I disagree with a rider fan.LOL
sorry saskargo, can't agree on this one. either you haveinstant replay or you don't. changes just for the playoffs changes the game and no one knows exactly how it would work. i can't say i am against intant replay but the reality of inconsistent tv coverage is a significant issue that needs to be worked out first.
Yeah your right blackdale.I would hate instant replay.
Hey Mr.Bioinformatics(Billy_soup),what is your take on this?
I know you would love instant replay wouldn't you.
Instant replay is way too expensive.In the CFL we would have to rely on T.V. cameras , and not all the games are covered on T.V.
i am not sure what this has to do with me, and what I take in school. Do you really have that boring of a life that you have to go and look at posts from april? And then make fun of what I do, just because you have absolutely no idea what it is?
As for instant replay, I would like it. I want fair officiating, is that a problem with you? Unfortunately they cannot have instant replay untill they get off their asses, and televise every game.
Yep bored.
I knew you would like it.
I think the only thing we agree on.Is that we love the Cfl.
So cheers to that.
I would like to see instant replay. I have heard many people say it would slow down the game but I dont agree on that point.
Its not like every play would be reviewed, figure 1 per team per half. Give it 3 to 4 minutes each and you are talking 12-16 minutes a game.
Injury time-outs take longer than that. Even waiting for a comercial to end takes more.
Plus, think of the revenue possibilities for advertising. “This instant replay brought to you by Pepto-Bismol. . .when you need instant results. . .”
they should sign you up, great idea
The networks always use breaks in the action, like injury timeouts, for commercials; but then there are some play stoppages for the express purpose of showing commercials. So why don't they show commercials during the couple of minutes it takes for a review? Then they can have fewer network timeouts during the game, and the game doesn't get slowed down at all. Then they come back from commercials in time to hear the ref's verdict.
Why waste perfectly good air time showing Jake Ireland's butt as he reviews the play?
Now there's a visual cold shower if anyone needed it. But wouldn't it be a prime opportunity for some drunk to hop from the stands and kick his ass for all the dumb calls he's done in the past?
They all sound like great ideas!