EX-REFS SEE APPEAL OF BRADY’S CALL DISPUTES
We know there are opposing players in the league who think Tom Brady is a whiner and complainer, always looking to gain an edge, always trying to get penalty flags thrown in his favor.
Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs has called Brady all kinds of names in that regard. He’s not a fan of Brady’s on-field politicking. He’s just one on the list.
But what about the officials? What do they think of the Patriots quarterback, especially when he’s correctly pointing out mistakes or lobbying to have plays overturned, as was the case last week in New Orleans?
Are they annoyed by Mr. Know it All? Or do they appreciate the man’s knowledge of the rules?
Former NFL official Jim Daopoulos, ESPN’s rules analyst, doesn’t believe the men in stripes have a problem with Brady trying to sway officials.
“Tom is a very competitive individual. As an official, you understand his competitive fire,” Daopoulos told the Herald last week. “If he wasn’t questioning (calls), it just wouldn’t be Tom Brady.
“He understands the rules That’s one thing about the Patriots. From coach (Bill) Belichick, all the way down the coaching staff, they understand the rules probably better than most teams in the National Football League.”
During the course of last week’s 36-20 win over the Saints, Brady made sure officials checked at least two incorrect calls that weren’t in the Patriots’ favor.
The first came on the team’s third touchdown, a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Hogan.
The back judge initially threw a flag, thinking the Patriots ran an illegal pick play, as Brandin Cooks impeded Saints safety Rafael Bush at the line of scrimmage — which essentially sprung Hogan free.
According to the NFL rulebook, however, such contact is legal if it occurs within one yard of the line of scrimmage. Brady immediately pleaded his case to the officials, and the touchdown stood.
“Those are some judgment calls. Sometimes a yard, yard-and-a-half,” Brady said after the game. “(The Saints) ran something on the next drive and threw a touchdown pass and (the receiver) was like three yards down the field. I was like, ‘If we got away with one, then they definitely got away with one.’ I mean, I (still) thought ours was legal.
“But it’s just a man-coverage play and everyone has them and the officials call them differently, but I thought we made a good play and it was a good touchdown.”
Fox sports rules analyst Mike Pereira, a former vice president of officiating for the NFL, wasn’t at all bothered or taken aback by Brady making noise on that play.
“He’s reacting to the design of the play. They ran the play, they designed it to run legally. They didn’t design it to run illegally,” Pereira told the Herald Thursday. “It’s one of those types of plays that’s difficult for officials. The call had to be made from the official who’s 20 yards downfield because that player was his responsibility.”
Later, in the third quarter, it appeared that Brady threw an interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown, but in fact, Brady had called for a quick snap when he saw that New Orleans linebacker Manti
Te’o was not going to be able to reach the sideline in time, leaving the Saints with 12 men of the field.
No flag was thrown, but Brady pleaded for officials to review the play, holding up one finger on one hand and two on the other to signal a 12 almost instantly. He got the review and sure enough, the penalty was ultimately called, and the interception nullified.
“I snapped it and I was looking right at (Te’o) as I snapped it and he was probably three or four yards from the sideline,” Brady said. “And then I was just trying to roll out. We didn’t really have a play and I was just trying to roll out . . . . I was just trying to get the penalty.
“When I didn’t see the flag on the field, I was like, ‘What the heck? I saw the guy.’ And they said they were going to review it. There was 12 on there and we got the call.”
Daopoulos said while Brady falls into the category of constant complainer, there are plenty of those in the league. He’s not alone, and after 18 seasons, and a Hall of Fame-worthy career, he can yap all he wants.
Said Daopoulos: “Some of the referees probably get a little frustrated with him because he thinks he gets fouled every time you tackle him. He doesn’t like to get hit. But I think that’s characteristic of a lot of quarterbacks. They don’t like to get hit. He’s earned the ability to complain a little bit because of what he’s accomplished in the league. Sometimes the referees will roll their eyes and listen to him. Sometimes he just needs to vent, but, no, I don’t think they have a problem with him. I don’t think it’s an issue at all.”
Neither former official polled by the Herald believes that having Brady lobby a referee is necessarily the cause for a call being changed, even though it appeared his appeals were the impetus for having those calls reviewed.
“I don’t really think Tom getting in an official’s face is going to change the result of a play,” Daopoulos said. “They’re getting information from (the officiating center in) New York in addition to the players talking to them.”
Pereira is just sick of hearing how Brady gets all the calls, or the Patriots get all the calls. If that was the case, all the referees would get canned.
“I’ve always respected Tom for his knowledge of the rules. To me, we should just give credit to Tom, when he knows something is amiss,” Pereira said. “I know people say Brady gets the calls. That’s the most nonsensical thing I’ve ever heard. The officials aren’t retained because they give Tom Brady the calls. If they gave Tom Brady the calls he didn’t deserve to get, they’d get fired because their grades would be so bad. So, it’s just one of those myths.”
Former Patriots teammate Matt Light thinks
Brady takes heat for complaining or trying to influence calls simply because he’s usually right.
“That’s the part that really makes people upset. Nobody likes it when somebody is always right. But it’s awesome to watch him,” Light said of Brady from his Celebrity Shootout Tuesday. “You know, we’re blessed. I think we’re spoiled here with a quarterback like him. Look around the National Football League. Try to find anybody that’s ever done it like him. It’s easy, there never has been. Imagine not having that guy. It’d be a tough season here without him. It didn’t shock me to see him do what he did (in the Saints game).” . . .
Light, meanwhile, said he was encouraged by what he saw from the Patriots offense last week, even if it was against a woeful Saints secondary. He thinks they’ll be fine going forward without Julian Edelman. There’s just one key: the offensive line.
“That line has to stay solid. As long as the line can stay healthy, that’s the most important part,” Light said. “Obviously Edelman is out. There’s guys Tommy would love to have, his go-to guys. But as long as there’s a decent line in front of him, as long as they can give him time, he’ll make anybody a superstar. So keep your fingers crossed. Hope those guys stay well.”
Wilson not worried
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson isn’t panicked over the fact he’s directed just one touchdown drive in two games (21 offensive possessions). He tried to put a little perspective on the team’s scoring woes last week, as the Seahawks rank near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories.
“I think we’re a few plays away,” Wilson told the Seattle Times. “If you go back to the Green Bay game, we had a few plays we could’ve made there. In this past game, we could’ve been up pretty quickly, and we have all the confidence in the world in what we’re doing and in our players and coaches and what we’re trying to do. It’s also good to win close games; everybody wants to win by 40. (But) this is the National Football League, this isn’t one of those things that it’s just easy to go out there and just win every game by 40 or something like that. You want to be able to win the close games, you want to be able to (withstand) and stretch and strain and mentally be able to go throughout the game and take on the challenge and overcome. We’ve always been able to find a way to do that, and I think at the end of the day that winners find a way to win. That’s our mentality.”
Marshall vows more
Brandon Marshall hasn’t exactly helped the Giants’ anemic offense break out this season. The wide receiver caught one pass the first week, then dropped a key pass during the GMen’s Monday night loss to the Lions. He’s not making excuses.
“The team needed a big play, I had an opportunity to make a big play, and I didn’t,” Marshall told Newsday. “You need that type of playmaking ability, you need that type of excitement, and things will change.”
The 33-year-old wideout, signed as a free agent in the offseason by the Giants, has established himself as one of the game’s best, but knows it’s all about the present in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NFL.
“No one cares about your past,” he said. “Every year you have to prove yourself. That’s what makes this game so special. It doesn’t matter if you are an All-Pro or make the Pro Bowl, win a Super Bowl, you have to come back the next year and do it all over again and do it better. So far I haven’t been able to do that.”
‘D’ gets a head start
With the exception of Thursday night’s 41-39 scoreboard bonanza between the Rams and 49ers, NFL scoring has been down so far this season.
Former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, speaking on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” last week, didn’t seem to think it was odd seeing defenses have the upper hand in the early going.
“It’s not unusual for defenses to dominate offenses right now . . . . You have to figure defenses out,” Lewis said. “Quarterbacks have to figure us out. And in the first couple of weeks, defensive ends are just beating on left tackles, right tackles. There’s no science in that. Von Miller is just better than the left tackle or whoever tries to block him. So, when you think about the injuries, you think about the lack of preseason reps, (and) you think about the continuity of offensive linemen. That does not exist anymore. You don’t have those lines that have been around for seven, eight, nine, 10 years. You can’t keep them together.”