Here is our weekly thread to sort out which officials are working which games for week 8. We’ve got a few listed so far, but let us know as you learn of others.
Did Wilbur Hackett Jr. intentionally tackle SC QB Stephen Garcia
There is a lot of talk about bad calls from this past weekend, but the play getting the most attention is when umpire Wilbur Hackett Jr. collided with South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia. Depending on who you ask, it was either intentionally and very inappropriate, or it was just an unfortunate collision.
The SEC, along with SC coach Steve Spurrier, have cleared Hackett of any wrongdoing. When I saw the play live, it looked that way to me as well. If someone was coming at me, instinct would be to raise my arm and deflect the blow.
However, slow-motion replays tell a somewhat different story. They make it look more like it was intentional, so I don’t know what to think.
The video is below. What do you think?
Urlacher fined $20,000 for verbal abuse of an official
Brian Urlacher, linebacker for the Chicago Bears, has been fined $20K by the league for “abusive conduct toward a game official”.
The words came following a bizarre play last week in which the Falcons fumbled the ball, the Bears recovered it, then they fumbled, and the Falcons got the ball back. The result of that was a first down for the Falcons, because the ball had changed possession. It was a confusing play, but it certainly seemed that Al Riveron and his crew took their time and made sure to get it right.
I guess Urlacher was just frustrated with the play, because the refs certainly got it right.
Other players were recently fined for similar incidents, including Miami’s Joey Porter, Denver’s Dre Bly and the Rams Richie Incognito.
Week 7 – General Discussion
Any noteworthy calls (or missed calls) in the games this weekend? Talk about them here!