Don’t make contact with an official or risk paying the consequences
Matthew Judon found this out the hard way. Judon, a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, likely was not aiming to make contact with field judge Rick Patterson during an on-field fight with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. But when Judon’s arm made contact with Patterson, the official fell like a ton of bricks, sealing the linebacker’s fate for the rest of the game. Judon would be ejected, and the Ravens defense was never the same, allowing the Steelers to complete a 10-point comeback and win a critical AFC North matchup at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I would never intentionally make contact with an official,” Judon said in a statement after the game. “I was attempting to free my arm as I was being held back, and I inadvertently contacted the official’s arm. My emotions were running high in the moment, and I take full responsibility for what happened. I need to do a better job of keeping my cool and not doing anything that negatively affects my team.”
This rule is in place for a reason. As much as kickers, punters, quarterbacks and all players are protected by the league’s rules, officials are guarded more than most as they don’t wear any form of padded equipment and are not meant to take on the physical elements of the game. Rather, they enforce their rules, and at the same time play a major role in the outcome of games.
The enforcement on Judon’s misplaced arm-swing is not technically a bad call. Instead, there were far worse decisions from Week 8.
3. Second-guessing the right call in Green Bay
Sometimes, the right call can seem like the wrong decision. This is where columns like mine surely don’t help matters. On Sunday afternoon in Green Bay, the Packers fell victim to an upset-minded Vikings team. At one point, Vikings DB Anthony Harris interfered with Packers WR Robert Tonyan. The call was as obvious as ever, with Harris arriving early to the play. The official in the area threw his flag in what should’ve been a first down given to Green Bay. Crisis averted, right?
Not so fast.
The officiating crew picked up their flag, not trusting their eyes on the play but instead listening to the pleas coming from Harris and the Vikings sideline. Such is the case on every close call. As much as I laud officials for some truly indefensible decisions based on their so-called “gut,” if they stop following their instinct and instead allow player pleas to play a role in their thought process, the calls will get even worse. I assure you.