Expert: Thom Brooks - 1/8/2008

Question
QUESTION: I am watching the OSU game and am seeing very noticeable mistakes by the referees.  Is there anywhere that you can request the game be reviewed and the referees that are doing a lousy job, lose their jobs??!!!

ANSWER: Charlotte, hello and Happy New Year!

Ouch!!  Are you a Buckeye fan?  I officiate football and haven't seen any bad calls yet.  Are you talking about the Unsportsmanlike against OSU, the blocked punt, the sacks, the fumbles?  I just do not see any mistakes.  Please write back and tell me any specific play and I'll tell you the rules.  All Officials are evaluated and would be corrected if they were found to make egregious errors.  

Both are fine teams but LSU is just more physical tonight.
I'm a Georgia Bulldog, Florida State, and Florida Gator fan
so my team isn't on the field....... Maybe someday........

Please listen to my youngest son's music.  We hope he's going to be famous soon!

myspace.com/listen2three

Write back and let me know any plays that you thought was unfair.

Take care,

Thom Brooks
Savannah, Georgia


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The worst call was when OSU supposedly tackled someone out of bounds, even the sportscasters said there was no hit.  We saw several face masks, and one of OSU's players was tripped out of bounds.  Thanks so much for answering my questions, it has really helped.

Answer
Charlotte, Hello!

Not to defend the Officials, but many times the TV does not show the entire play, nor what is being said on the field.  There was a lot of arguing and shoving by both teams.  Calling a late hit on the sideline is often a fraction of a second difference.  The Official looks at when the runner was out, or when the defender left his feet to deliver that hit, etc.........  Sometimes it is a call that can go either way, but that is the nature of that call.  

I can't comment on face masks unless I see it, but if a player grabs the guard, or goes into the openings, it's a penalty.  Sometimes the fans see the hand brush across the helmet without touching the penalty area.  I didn't see any tripping out of bounds other than to reemphasize the call on the field often sees it better than we do in the stands.  I've seen Officials miss calls.  I've seen the announcers run their mouths and not get it right.  In a game last fall, a national game was being shown and the announcer was extrememly biased because he attended Furman University and was telling the audience that Georgia Southern was getting the breaks on close calls.  I saw the replays and agreed with the Officials.  I understand the rules.  He was being too emotional for his chosen team.

LSU played tough, but Ohio State made too many dumb mistakes.  The opposition often forces you into those mental errors, but the Buckeyes probably tried to hard and that tightness made them freeze up.  Remember, most of these guys are still pretty young.  Ohio State has now lost 9 in a row to SEC teams.  I've watched the agony of Florida's dominance over the Georgia Bulldogs over the past 30 years.  I've felt the pain when Florida State couldn't get those Field Goals when they needed them.  A few FG's and FSU could have been national Champions 4 more times, but that's the game's power that draws us back!!

Hope you have a swell year!!!

Thom Brooks
Savannah, Georgia
Sebring, Florida