Well, at least this call didn't cost a team the game, seeing as how the Panthers won that game pretty easily.
This wouldn't be a story if he hadn't botched the Denver call which was a fluke. Very rarely have I seen a referee cost a team a game (other than in my youth soccer days; those refs were the reason we lost every game )
any player that blames a loss on a SINGLE blown call doesnt understand the NFL....and I am not talking about an "Eric Gregg calls everything a strike for L. Hernandez" type of performance, I am talking about one single call....there were plays to be made to win that game for San Diego and Carolina made the plays they needed to make....mistakes occur, life is unfair, get passed it and prosper in the face of adversity....and this is coming from the fan that dislikes Ed Hochuli more than any other....
the call in the chargers/broncos game was inexcusably bad. it definitely wasn't questionable. in this new case it appears that he may have made a questionable call. those happen all the time and it's really not worthy of writing an article about.
The call in the Chargers game was wrong, but it was hard to tell what happened live and replay couldn't do its job because the whistle blew. The rule was more at fault than Hochuli. I wasn't sure until I saw the replay either. (more)
Yesterday, Kyle Orton had a similar play. A defender hit his arm and the ball popped out. The Eagles recovered. It was obvious his arm had started forward, but no whistle blew. They ruled it a fumble and the Eagles recovered. (more)
Not blowing the whistle enabled them to review the play and get the call right, which they did. The Bears punted. The refs on the field intentionally got the call wrong. It's a byproduct of the replay system, and it was the right lesson to learn.
it wasn't hard at all to tell what happened live in the chargers game. he clearly fumbled the ball. and since the "throw" went backwards anyway, did it even matter if he had fumbled or thrown the ball? either one can be recovered right?
the problem with that is what happens when they intentionally get the call wrong and don't blow the whistle and because the continuation of the play a star player sustains a season(or career) ending injury? i still think hochuli should have reviewed the chargers play and give the ball to san diego even if the letter of the rule says he can't. that would have been the right call to make.
The play was not reviewable because the whistle blew. Since NFL refs are incompetent part timers, they should just stay out of the way and let replay determine as many calls as possible. I'd give coaches unlimited challenges as long as they are right.
they reviewed the play and gave denver the ball back at the spot of the fumble instead of at the previous spot. what i'm saying they should have done is just give the chargers the ball where they recovered even though the rules don't allow them to do that. it would have been the right call even though not the "correct" call. and we probably never would have heard about it again.
I agree that the rule is bad and the whistle had no effect on the Broncos' opportunity to recover the fumble, but a referee can't ignore the rule because he feels like it. Maybe he could have lied and said the ball was recovered before the whistle. (more)
The bottom line for me is that any rule that requires officials to botch calls intentionally or lie just to get the correct result needs to be changed immediately. Until it is, though, the officials should do what they can to make the replay viable.
That would be a 100% true statement, however, Hochuli's call against Denver in week 2 directly affected the outcome of the game. If He would've made the right and obvious call, SD would've been able to run the clock out. Hochuli wasn't involved in the SD/Carolina game.
that didnt cost SD a football game....they gave up almost 500 yards in that game....perhaps if the defense had bothered to travel to Denver with the rest of the team, the Chargers would have won....and thats the point, no single call is ever going to lose a game for a team, they had opportunites all day to win the game and they failed....they failed....THEY FAILED.... btw, the Chargers didnt even cause the fumble in question, the QB just dropped the ball....so it is not like a Charger made a great play and wasn't given credit....
