CSNbbs

The replay official in the Lions game just made one of the obvious blown calls ever. The announcers know it, Mike Ferrea knows it, a blind man could see it. I've never seen a replay blown that bad even by MAC refs. Cost the Lions 49 yards and totally changed the game. NFL should look at this guy.

Officiating has been horrendous this entire game. Like the OPI call because Mathieu jumped all over ebron.

Agreed, but the Lions are doing their part in looking inept, especially on these last couple drives.

Another horrible spot!!!

(11-16-2014 07:16 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote: [ -> ]Another horrible spot!!!

I replayed that spot three times. It was more than a foot short.

Yeah, there were 200 yards of questionable calls. A 100 against the Lions, and the 100 that worked in Arizona's favor.

Forgot about the Ebron spot in the first half. A lot of potential yards and points taken off the board.

But I still go back to Joe Lombardi. He's learning on the job. He just seems way too conservative. Always has the QB under center on 1st down and the defense is thinking 80% chance of run, and they're usually right. 2nd and long is usually trying to get 6 yards plus, and the LBers are sitting on those routes. And on 3rd and long it's always Calvin. Predictable as hell.

Lombardi either needs to loosen the chains on stafford a bit or he needs to be gone. The only time stafford has looked good this year is when lombardi's strategy goes out the window and he lets stafford use his arm (ala, fourth quarter comebacks)

(11-16-2014 09:02 PM)SilentStryk09 Wrote: [ -> ]Lombardi either needs to loosen the chains on stafford a bit or he needs to be gone. The only time stafford has looked good this year is when lombardi's strategy goes out the window and he lets stafford use his arm (ala, fourth quarter comebacks)

BAM

Listened to 97,5 out of Detroit. Call in show after the game. The hatred for Lombardi is getting pretty heated.

(11-16-2014 07:09 PM)SilentStryk09 Wrote: [ -> ]Officiating has been horrendous this entire game.

All three calls (including the two spot calls) were horrible. I was probably most upset about the first spot call. If a coach can't win a challenge on that one, challenging the spot may always be a losing proposition for a coach.

All of that said, the Lions didn't do enough to earn a victory today. The offense did almost nothing all day, and they can't keep starting games with these awful starts like they did today and in London.

Arizona is fricking great. They were last year too, the best team to not make the playoffs. They're making sure this year. I'm impressed big time.

(11-17-2014 12:24 AM)DesertBronco Wrote: [ -> ]the best team to not make the playoffs.

Nobody cares.

The ref's were obviously paid by the league to maintain that the home team ends up in the super bowl and its own home field ... $$$.

They obviously paid the lions OC too... guy made absolutely no adjustments to the AZ defensive scheme the entire game.

I don't like blaming referees for a loss, especially considering that the Lions really didn't play well enough to win that game, but there were 3 calls that 2 replays that were so blatantly bad that I actually began to wonder if that game was fixed.

1. Eric Ebron catches a ball with about :40 left in the 2nd quarter. Goes out of bound and the ball is obviously at about the 9 yard line. They spot it at the 10. Look at the replay and don't change anything. Would it have been a 1st down? Maybe or maybe not. But its either a 1st down and you have 4 shots at the end zone from the 9 or its 4th and about 6 inches rather than a yard and you might go ahead and go for it. Settled for 3 before the half.

2. The punt coverage call that CD originally posted about was possibly the worst replay call I have ever seen. There is NO WAY that the Cardinal player possessed that ball. Had he in fact possessed it, he would have fallen into the end zone for a touchback. Instead, he batted it back into play like they had done a few other times and it was picked up and advanced to midfield by Ross. So instead of 1st down at midfield, the Lions have to go 99 1/2 yards. COMPLETE BS. And an obvious call in my opinion.

3. The Larry Fitzgerald spot that is also referenced above. Another horrific spot that isn't even looked at, it was just given to the Cards 2 yards downfield and never even measured.

It doesn't help when the referee is constantly stumbling and stammering over his words and often not sure exactly what the call is or who its on. Just makes the entire crew look incompetent.

All that said, I didn't expect them to win in Arizona. And you cant keep pulling out late game miracles every week. Tough one in New England coming up before coming home for 3 winnable games. With the way Green Bay is playing, they are going to need to win 4 more IMO, and that might have to be Chicago, Tampa, Minnesota at home and Chicago on the road all in order if they want to get to the playoffs.

I predict a 10-6 final record.

The calls sucked, but the reality is that our offensive play calling is beyond atrocious. It is run on predictable run downs, and pass on predictable pass downs, without exception. What makes this even more frustrating is that we have an offense which is built around a passing game; and yesterday we were playing a team which has struggled against the pass.

I am not a Stafford fan at all. In fact, I think he is the most overrated player the lions have has in decades. That being said, any quarterback would be consistently left behind the eight ball, and handicapped with 2nd and 3rd and longs virtually every set of downs. If you want to move the ball, and make a qb look good, call pass plays on first down, when the defense is stacking the line. Go ahead and run the ball on third and long now and then as well, since the principle works in reverse too.

Watch New England, or other teams with great coaching. College or pro. They keep teams off balance, and never let the opposition be able to predict what is coming next. That’s never been the Lions way though. Always straight from the book: "pound the ball right at your opponent, and by the second half, impose your will on them". Only problem is, it has never worked, and never will. Running into a wall may be tough, but it is even more stupid. Throw the frigin ball on first down!

The oline is absolutely terrible. Gave up more sacks than they did all of last year about 3 weeks ago. Injuries and poor performance has been the issue here. Even when Stafford scrambled around and made a descent throw downfield, Calvin dropped it. I like we haven't peeked yet and are still 7-3. Thats a good sign.

I have a hard time believing the Cardinals will be good down the stretch and in the playoffs. Stanton isnt qualified to win a championship.

I totally agree with the scenarios that Waldo listed. You can't say how many points were left on the field because of those calls, but potentially, 18.

Disagree on Stafford, Brov. This kid is a special talent, and Lombardi is sucking the life out of him. He's trying to change his throwing motion. He has a great throwing motion when he has time in the pocket, but he can also throw passes from awkward positions that few QBs can or could ever do. He's got a gun for an arm. He single handedly won the game against the Dolphins with two throws that few in the NFL could make. The kid is only 26.

Drafting Ebron as opposed to Olinemen is coming back to bite them, but then Martin Mayhew is a Matt Millen left over.

Don't know if any of you saw the end of the Cowboys-Giants Sunday night game, but the game ended with the Cowboys winning a booth review of a spot call (overturning the call on the field that would have given the Giants a first down and kept their slim chances alive). The reversal was probably the right call, but IMO was a much closer call then either of the two spot calls that went against the Lions in Arizona - especially the first spot call involving Ebron. The NFL's inconsistency drives me crazy...