Frustrated Redblacks stew over officiating
Grey Cup champs were pointing at referees following disappointing tie with Calgary in season opener
A couple of hours after Friday night’s game, football fans wearing Ottawa Redblacks colours at packed bars around TD Place were still rip-roaring mad at what they described as “brutal” officiating.
Certainly some of the players in the Redblacks locker-room felt the same way.
A 31-31 double-overtime tie in the CFL season opener and Grey Cup rematch with Calgary stung. It should have turned out better for the Redblacks.
But, while players thought they got a raw deal, they weren’t directly criticizing the refs — that sort of stuff leads to league fines, removing a few hundred bucks from their paycheques.
Said Redblacks QB Trevor Harris, who completed 33 of 45 passes: “I just find it hard to believe when you see something so blatant on the big screen, there’s Slo-Mo, with all this technology ... I’m not saying they were wrong or right ... I’m just saying that, if you can get it wrong, it blows my mind.”
Said offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers: “I don’t know, man. I hear the fans booing, then you look at the replay. You probably see it one way, the refs are human and they see it one way. I won’t say if they’re right or wrong, but we really would love for some of those calls to go our way.”
As much as it looked like there were a couple of blunders from the officiating crew, the Redblacks took too many undisciplined penalties and maybe got too conservative with the play calling while trying to babysit a two-touchdown lead late in the game.
Said coach Rick Campbell: “The reffing is the least of our worries.”
The officiating? Yes, they need to be better, so does the CFL command centre.
And, if it’s not the judgment that needs to be refined, then maybe it’s the whole template and the wording of the rules.
I’ll give them this, I thought they got it right on the touchdown/ touchdown play where Calgary’s Kamar Jorden leaned into the end zone and fumbled the ball into the arms of Khalil Bass. The Redblacks linebacker, with a wall of blockers, ran from one end zone to the other. So while Calgary players celebrated at one end, the Redblacks were dancing around with Bass. After several viewings, it sure looked like the ball, or at least part of it, had crossed the goal-line before it popped out. So, in my opinion, it was a touchdown for Calgary.
Another booing point: A catch by Calgary’s DaVaris Daniels was ruled out of bounds, but it was overturned by a review. One foot in bounds is a good catch, folks.
But there were a couple of what appeared to be really bad ball spots that hurt Ottawa.
And then there was the big kerfuffle with 3:24 left. As Jorden was falling to the ground, he again coughed up the ball. Ottawa challenged and it was denied.
I watched it several times, I’ve seen photos ... and I don’t know how in any interpretation of the possession rule it’s not a fumble, a turnover and Ottawa’s ball near midfield.
Campbell, a big supporter of the league’s efforts to refine its interpretations and to be innovative and push forward, said: “It’s really unpredictable and it’s hard to know how things are going to be ruled on a replay.”
For the Redblacks, though, it’s now important to move beyond the what-ifs and focus on Game 2 — Thursday in Calgary.