Ref assigned to our game: Biased against Vikings / Home Team?

by Ace991 on Jan 13, 2010 3:57 PM CST

Can't wait for the Vikes to take down the 'Boys this weekend. Forgive the concern-trolling, but I was just wondering if you thought this article is a concern:

http://nflblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/01/yellow-flags-anderson-gets-cow.html

The Cowboys haven't even boarded the plane yet for their NFC semifinal game with the Minnesota Vikings this weekend but already have caught a huge break. A league source said the NFL has assigned the officiating crew of Walt Anderson to work the game between the Cowboys and Vikings.

The Anderson crew was the only one of the league's 17 officiating crews to assess 200 penalties this season. It also led the league with its 1,794 penalty yards, 172 more than the No. 2 crew. That should alarm the Cowboys, one of the league's most penalized teams this season.

But it's even more alarming to the Vikings. Anderson's crew was harder on home teams than any officiating crew this season. It assessed 113 penalties for a staggering 1,029 yards on home teams.

As a means of comparison, the Cowboys drew the Ed Hochuli crew for its opening-round playoff game last weekend. Working the same number of games (15) during the regular season, the Hochuli crew called 22 fewer penalties for 317 fewer yards against home teams than Anderson.
Anderson's crew assessed 10 or more penalties against six teams this season. Five of them were home teams. He also assessed 100 or more yards in penalties against five teams. Four of them were home teams.

Anderson worked one game apiece involving the Cowboys and Vikings this the season. In the Minnesota-Detroit game at Minneapolis, Anderson assessed 13 penalties for 91 yards against the Vikings. His crew penalized Detroit only four times for 40 yards. [MY NOTE: This was the game of the Ray Edwards' huge hit that was BS called a penalty for "launching" himself] In the Cowboys-Broncos game at Denver, Anderson penalized the Broncos 10 times for 81 yards. He penalized the Cowboys seven times for 70 yards.

In the Baltimore-Green Bay game in December, Anderson walked off an NFL season-high 310 yards in penalties. He was hard on the road Ravens, assessing 12 penalties for 135 yards. But he was even harder on the home Packers, assessing 11 penalties for 175 yards.

What do you guys think? Is the NFL screwing us with this Walt Anderson guy? SKOL!

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.

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Comments

I doubt it will affect this game.

Cowboys will be penalized more.

Marine by trade, Cowboys fan by birth.

Speak not with your mouth, but through your actions.

by Mac_24 on Jan 13, 2010 4:08 PM CST reply actions

i will admit

i do like that sort of honesty…. i say the same thing about ricky stanzi when i watch a hawkeye football game…. there will always ALWAYS be at least 1 stanzi-ball (read: WTF WAS THAT? pass)

I piss people off on a fairly regular basis. I cherish my right to speak my mind, whether I sound like an uneducated savage or not. I've never been accused of keeping what I think a secret, nor will I ever. Don't like it? I don't care.

by IABerserker1 on Jan 13, 2010 4:14 PM CST up reply actions

I am a realist.

I live in the facts, and the facts show that we ARE going to get penalized. And $5 says Flozell has at least one false start with Jared Allen staring him down.

Marine by trade, Cowboys fan by birth.

Speak not with your mouth, but through your actions.

by Mac_24 on Jan 13, 2010 4:25 PM CST up reply actions

i can respect that!

by IABerserker1 on Jan 14, 2010 1:16 AM CST up reply actions

I’ve started to “accept” the Stanziballs because then I know Stanzi will dominate again. It’s weird but I can’t help but love him as a QB.

by cutlassbob on Jan 13, 2010 5:26 PM CST up reply actions

i do love stanzi... i actually think he will end up being a very good nfl QB

with his ability to put the bad out of his mind, i think he’ll do very well. and he’s the manzi, how could one go wrong?

by IABerserker1 on Jan 14, 2010 1:21 AM CST up reply actions

IABerserker1 is right about Stanzi

I have never seen a QB with a shorter memory for mistakes. He seems totally unflapable

by just another viking on Jan 14, 2010 4:41 PM CST up reply actions

Off topic but what are your thoughts on Buluga?

by packallday555 on Jan 15, 2010 12:23 AM CST up reply actions

streaky....

he will have a day where he looks like a 5 year pro and then he’ll go the next week and look like a freshman that just walked onto campus….. i suppose someone could coach him up, he’s got the physical tools he just needs to be more consistent. it’s wierd though. iowa has been kind of a factory for talented O-linemen, so i can’t imagine why he’s like that….. one you should really watch out for is reilly reiff. he played in place of bulaga when he was injured, i think the third and fourth games last season…. for a backup, he filled in quite admirably.

by IABerserker1 on Jan 15, 2010 8:17 PM CST up reply actions

Well personally i would rather play through the penalties than nit pick em

I mean it’s a game let em play if something goes apecrap crazy feel free to call it but if every 2 minutes a flag comes out it ruins the fun of it for me (yes even if the flags are on the other team)

by Grime on Jan 13, 2010 4:19 PM CST reply actions

You're telling me!

Did you watch the Eagles vs Cowboys game? I didn’t care who the flag was on I was mad. It got old in the first half…

Marine by trade, Cowboys fan by birth.

Speak not with your mouth, but through your actions.

by Mac_24 on Jan 13, 2010 4:27 PM CST up reply actions

Hmm

It seems kinda grasping. It’s probably just a coincidence that home teams got more — a function of who the home team was, perhaps (maybe they were the primary crew at Lambeau? lol).

I watched that Ravens-Packer game. The play of both teams was legitimately atrocious, it was not a case of overzealous officiating, or home team bias.

i find it hard to believe that an officiating crew is biased against the home team per se, no matter what city they are in. Seems far-fetched.

by puddnhead on Jan 13, 2010 4:55 PM CST reply actions

I was going to have a pretty harsh comment for this post, but I'll just +100 you.

Because in a polite way you’re saying how rdiculous it is.

Seeps with making excuses for in case you lose before the game.

Now, an NBA game?? I’d be w/you. But in 35 years I’ve never sensed this in the NFL.

Pessimists say the cup is half-empty, while optimists say it's half-full. Well, isn't it both? Realist Larry, 2009

by Realist Larry on Jan 14, 2010 12:22 AM CST up reply actions

agreed

Unlike the NBA where a foul is almost free points, in the NFL a foul is simply a slight temporary boost. You can’t win games with fouls alone. You still need to convert chances. Again, unlike the NBA where it seems every game comes down to the final minutes and every point is precious.

by Jayrome007 on Jan 15, 2010 6:59 AM CST up reply actions

So is ref for the game in Minneapolis...

going to save some money by flying up here from his home in Sugarland Texas, by hitching a ride on the Cowboys flight?

"What is best in life?"
"To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."

by cryhavoc on Jan 13, 2010 5:51 PM CST reply actions

Can we pull a Ochocinco and pay the Ref off?

by vikefansd on Jan 13, 2010 7:03 PM CST reply actions

Anderson Much Better Than Hoch ...

Hochuli is a sub-par official that routinely makes significant gaffes.

My favorite ref is that Gene Steratore – he just always appears to have the situation well at hand. But, just about any crew is better than that Hochuli outfit.

by Hauschild on Jan 14, 2010 9:05 AM CST reply actions

Robot Refs

Here’s a good topic of debate carried over from similar discussion that occurs in baseball.

If it were possible (it’s currently not), would you like to see an automated officiating system that assesses penalties and makes close calls instituted in the NFL? Or, as many baseball purists believe, does it remove a certain valuable human element to the game?

by Jayrome007 on Jan 15, 2010 7:02 AM CST reply actions