As you’re watching the games today, let us know if you see anything interesting with the refs.
Here is a page listing the refs for each game — pleave comments below to help us fill the rest out.
Hochuli unsure about working this Sunday?
It seems that Ed Hochuli may be considering taking a week off, based on a small change on his “official” website.
As of yesterday, the site proudly proclaimed that Ed would be working the Browns-Ravens game this Sunday. Today, that message changed to:
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21st – Check back Sunday Morning
I’ll admit — this might not mean anything. Still, I find it quite odd that they’d take down the game listing at this point in time.
Mike Pereira, the NFL’s supervisor of officials, has already come out and encouraged Ed to get back out there. Between that, Ed’s apology, no suspension from the league, and the listing on his site, I assumed he was good go to. Maybe not.
Anyone have any good information about this? If so, please leave it in the comments below.
Hochuli is devasted, but Pereira wants him back on the field this weekend
The NFL’s supervisor of officials, Mike Pereira, says that he has spoken to Ed Hochuli a few times over the past week and that Hochuli still feels devastated about what happened. According to Pereira:
“He is a consummate professional who’s refereed in this league for 17 years and he hates to make any mistake. So when you add a mistake of this magnitude, at this particular junction of the game, it’s been really hard on him. We’ve talked probably seven or eight times since that game, and my whole goal is to try to get him back to get on the horse and work again this weekend. He’s too good of a guy, too good of an official to keep off the field over this critical mistake he made. I think he’ll be all right, but he’s really been affected over this mistake he made.”
If Pereira is right and Hochuli gets right back into it, he’s scheduled to ref the Browns-Ravens game at 4:15EST.
Hochuli issues an apology for Chargers-Broncos blown call
Referee Ed Hochuli has issued a brief statement apologizing for the blown call in last week’s Chargers-Broncos game. His statement:
“I’m getting hundreds of e-mails — hate mail — but I’m responding to it all. People deserve a response. You can rest assured that nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already feel about my mistake on the fumble play. You have no idea … Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection — I failed miserably. Although it does no good to say it, I am very, very sorry.”
At this point, I’m not sure what else can be done. He’s apologized and the league will look into the “inadvertent whistle” rule, so hopefully this story can start to go to rest.
You can bet his next game will be scrutinized closely, though.