Referee who no-called hit on Baker's head in Tampa has been assigned to Ravens game

[Vambo]

Referee who no-called hit on Baker's head in Tampa has been assigned to Ravens game

Posted: 12:24 PM, Sep 25, 2019

 

CLEVELAND — The NFL announced the referee assignments for Week 4 games, and Cleveland will be seeing a familiar face. Shawn Hochuli and his crew will officiate the Browns game against the Ravens on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

Hochuli has some history with the Browns.

The Tampa Bay game

When the Browns played the Buccaneers in Tampa in 2018, Shawn Hochuli, the son of retired ref Ed Hochuli, and his crew were the officiants. In the fourth quarter, a flag was thrown after Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead tackled Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield helmet-to-helmet. After discussion with his crew, Hochuli announced that “the quarterback was still a runner and therefore is allowed to be hit in the head. He had not yet begun his slide. There is, therefore, no foul."

 

The NFL recognized that Whitehead should have been penalized on that play for either of two infractions: unnecessary roughness for a hit to the head of a sliding player or unsportsmanlike conduct for using his helmet to hit a player, according to ESPN.

The should-be foul ruled Mayfield down at the 41-yard line with 7:47 left and the Browns behind 23-16. A 15-yard penalty would have put the Browns at the 26-yard line. The Browns were able to get to the 1-yard line on that drive but failed to score. They went on to tie it 23-23 but lost in overtime 26-23.

Just last week

Shawn Hochuli is coming off another controversial game. In the Week 3 Thursday Night Football game featuring the Titans and the Jaguars, the Hochuli crew's flag-throwing caught the attention of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady, like so many others watching the game, was upset about the number of penalties called.

 

Hochuli and his crew called 15 penalties in the first half, eight of which were for holding. There were 20 penalties in total for the game, including declined penalties.

Record-setting calls

Last season, Hochuli's crew set an NFL single-season record by assessing 253 penalties for 2,164 yards. His crew called 25 more penalties than any other crew and 84 more penalties than the NFL's low crew.

We'll see what happens in Baltimore

With the increase of holding calls this season and the Browns already having been called for 12 holding calls—both offensively and defensively—don't be surprised if Hochuli and his officiating pull out their flags a lot on Sunday when the Browns take on the Ravens.

 

 

[TypicalBrowns50]

Blame Goodell

[CLEVELANDwantsPLAYOFFS]

That was after a 45 yard run. He slid questionably late and the defender took his shot. Helmet to helmet, which is legal if the slide is late, which was debatable.

The defender can’t just stop if the runner slides late.

 

[mjp28]

Last season, Hochuli's crew set an NFL single-season record by assessing 253 penalties for 2,164 yards. His crew called 25 more penalties than any other crew and 84 more penalties than the NFL's low crew.

What a joke!  He sure isn't like his old man.  Send him back to arena ball.  (Pitzer college?)

 

Shawn Hochuli is a National Football League (NFL) official. He wears uniform number 83. He entered the league in the 2014 NFL season and was promoted for 2018 from back judge to referee, following the retirement of his father, longtime referee Ed Hochuli, and another veteran official, Jeff Triplette.^[1]

Shawn Hochuli
Occupation	NFL official (2014–)

Hochuli played college football at Pitzer College.^[2] He worked his first NFL season in 2014 as a side judge.^[3] He has also worked as an official in the Pac-12 Conference,^[4] Arena Football League,^[5] and arenafootball2 games.^[6] On August 13, 2011, he was head referee for ArenaBowl XXIV between the Jacksonville Sharks and Arizona Rattlers. He also worked as head referee for a 2017 pre-season game.

Hochuli's 2019 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Paul King, down judge Ed Camp, line judge Greg Bradley, field judge Tom Hill, side judge James Coleman, back judge Rich Martinez, replay official Carl Madsen, and replay assistant Tyler Cerimeli. ^[7]

[gumby73]

As the un-official BB Referee whisperer 🤓.. I was almost done keying this story up "as a main concern on Ravens game".. But hell, ask anyone here.. i ain't that good at typing that up^^^... I will add...Shawn f'n Hoch-u-slezz has not seen a Ravens game he has not liked..Shawn is 6-0 calling winners to Ravens..0-5 calling Browns games.. 4 of the 7 crew members are the same from last season when Shawn was in his 1st season as head referee.. He started in 2014 as a side judge..His Daddy Ed 💪, still holds referee training camps during his retirement in the off season...here's what i really don't get? Shawn & 1 other in his crew have been calling games for 6 years.. the other 5 have 11-11-15-20-21 years of calling NfL games.. if were sending the older guys out to pasture cuz the game is getting over officiated for their memory lapse? Hell do us all a favor. stop fleecing the Canadian refs & bring in some WWE x-Divas     u betcha, she could pull some chains ⛓️         

[mjp28]

I had a little time on my hands and looked up that pitzer college from the link on the football program. A brainiack type college but no real football to speak of:

The school's athletic program participates, in conjunction with Pomona College (another consortium member) and are named Pomona-Pitzer. The teams participate in NCAA Division III in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Once known as the Huns, the school's sports teams are now called the Sagehens with their mascot being named Cecil the Sagehen. Their colors are blue and orange.

The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens ranked 19th among all Division III schools and second among SCIAC schools in the 2016-2017 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Division III Final Fall Standings, which ranks athletic programs and awards points relative to their finish in NCAA Championships.^[69]

[hoorta]

2 hours ago, mjp28 said:

I had a little time on my hands and looked up that pitzer college from the link on the football program. A brainiack type college but no real football to speak of:

The school's athletic program participates, in conjunction with Pomona College (another consortium member) and are named Pomona-Pitzer. The teams participate in NCAA Division III in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Once known as the Huns, the school's sports teams are now called the Sagehens with their mascot being named Cecil the Sagehen. Their colors are blue and orange.

The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens ranked 19th among all Division III schools and second among SCIAC schools in the 2016-2017 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Division III Final Fall Standings, which ranks athletic programs and awards points relative to their finish in NCAA Championships.^[69]

Increase the line to 10.    

[Tour2ma]

I would have thought this crew was working last nite...

I do not know how you miss the helmet to helmet that occurred at the end of the Eagles first punt.

[TexasAg1969]

52 minutes ago, Tour2ma said:

I would have thought this crew was working last nite...

I do not know how you miss the helmet to helmet that occurred at the end of the Eagles first punt.

🕶️🙈

[CLEVELANDwantsPLAYOFFS]

5 hours ago, Tour2ma said:

I would have thought this crew was working last nite...

I do not know how you miss the helmet to helmet that occurred at the end of the Eagles first punt.

It’s a legal hit as long as he didn’t lower his head to initiate contact 

[Tour2ma]

29 minutes ago, CLEVELANDwantsPLAYOFFS said:

It’s a legal hit as long as he didn’t lower his head to initiate contact 

Which is what he did...

Quote

ARTICLE 10. USE OF THE HELMET. It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against
an opponent.
Penalty: Loss of 15 yards. If the foul is by the defense, it is also an automatic first down. The player may be disqualified.

Head does not have to be fully lowered so as to strike with the "crown"... the "brow" counts as well. Same as in college.

By contrast the subsequent hit on Williams was legal from a helmet-to-helmet standpoint. The blow was delivered by the eye-shield. It was just obscenely late.

[hoorta]

16 hours ago, Tour2ma said:

I would have thought this crew was working last nite...

I do not know how you miss the helmet to helmet that occurred at the end of the Eagles first punt.

As the Green Bay coach said, I don't know what pass interference is anymore. The one he challenged that didn't get overturned.

[Tour2ma]

7 hours ago, hoorta said:

As the Green Bay coach said, I don't know what pass interference is anymore. The one he challenged that didn't get overturned.

Yup... PI is this year's "catch"...

 

But little by little... last nite we learned a DB can open hand uppercut a WR to the chin without worrying.

[calfoxwc]

I am guessing there is ZERO accountability for ref's mistakes. Even if they repeat. But a few that were not overturned on replay...

even their retired referree commentator thought it should have been. Not good.

[TexasAg1969]

6 hours ago, calfoxwc said:

I am guessing there is ZERO accountability for ref's mistakes. Even if they repeat. But a few that were not overturned on replay...

even their retired referree commentator thought it should have been. Not good.

Agree. There was one where the defender was not looking back, but grabbed the receivers left hand just enough to knock it off the ball as it arrived, but not called. The challenge did not overturn the no call and to me it was clearly impeding the catch.

[flyingfooldoug]

I’ve watched CYO football, little league baseball and HS football games where I am shocked at how well and consistent the games were officiated. I’ve seen their mistakes too. Funny how they all seemed to have a better understanding of the rules than your average Ill trained, underpaid NFL ref. And the owners know. For whatever reason, it certainly isn’t by accident. 

[gumby73]

13 hours ago, Tour2ma said:

Yup... PI is this year's "catch"...

 

But little by little... last nite we learned a DB can open hand uppercut a WR to the chin without worrying.

Just a Zebra kinda thing ..       whoops!

[Tour2ma]

That had to hurt!!!

 

CYO game speed is a tad shy of NFL... so there's that.

[mjp28]

13 minutes ago, Tour2ma said:

CYO game speed is a tad shy of NFL... so there's that.

Do they still have CYO leagues anymore?

And yes there are even some differences between high school and D-II and D-I and the pros ask anyone who has made the jump up.

I had a neighbor who was First team All Ohio DE and went to the B1G and told me everyone else is big something there. The pros are even better, faster, stronger and playing for keeps.

[flyingfooldoug]

11 minutes ago, mjp28 said:

Do they still have CYO leagues anymore?

And yes there are even some differences between high school and D-II and D-I and the pros ask anyone who has made the jump up.

I had a neighbor who was First team All Ohio DE and went to the B1G and told me everyone else is big something there. The pros are even better, faster, stronger and playing for keeps.

Yes there are youth leagues. But it seems safe to say that while players are coached up the officiating falls behind. Part time makes it just kinda sorta okay. Certainly not a profession. Even though it is professional football. 

[Tour2ma]

No issue with you there, doug...

After all this time it's hard to believe that the NFL still does not have full time officials.

MLB understandably does with what approaches a year-round, 162 game schedule... ditto NBA (82) and NHL (80).

That means is that each bad/missed call is magnified by the NFL's compressed 16 game schedule... not to mention its single-elimination playoff system vs. best-of-7 in the other major sports.

It's past time for the owners to open their wallets and make their Officials "Pros".

In the off-season they can review the rules and refine them to make them work for them... and us.

[mjp28]

The NFL referee situation always baffled me as to the requirements and other details.  BTW they just very recently signed a new 7 year agreement with the NFL I have not seen the new details but it runs through the 2025 season.

The current deal was through the 2020 season but they wanted this deal DONE no strike this time. In the current deal in 2019 the referees averaged $201,000/yr plus playoffs.

They also used to be required to have another outside job, why would you need that now?

Great gig if you can get it, and remember that the NFL is loaded with cash the referees salaries are a small drop in the bucket for them.

[flyingfooldoug]

7 hours ago, mjp28 said:

The NFL referee situation always baffled me as to the requirements and other details.  BTW they just very recently signed a new 7 year agreement with the NFL I have not seen the new details but it runs through the 2025 season.

The current deal was through the 2020 season but they wanted this deal DONE no strike this time. In the current deal in 2019 the referees averaged $201,000/yr plus playoffs.

They also used to be required to have another outside job, why would you need that now?

Great gig if you can get it, and remember that the NFL is loaded with cash the referees salaries are a small drop in the bucket for them.

Will the nfl finally give them vision care?...lol

[Canton Mike]

1 hour ago, flyingfooldoug said:

Will the nfl finally give them vision care?...lol

HELL NO! They can't get it right with TWO eyes. I can't imagine how bad they would be with FOUR!

Mike

[Flugel]

On 9/26/2019 at 8:29 PM, Vambo said:

Referee who no-called hit on Baker's head in Tampa has been assigned to Ravens game

Posted: 12:24 PM, Sep 25, 2019

 

CLEVELAND — The NFL announced the referee assignments for Week 4 games, and Cleveland will be seeing a familiar face. Shawn Hochuli and his crew will officiate the Browns game against the Ravens on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

Hochuli has some history with the Browns.

The Tampa Bay game

When the Browns played the Buccaneers in Tampa in 2018, Shawn Hochuli, the son of retired ref Ed Hochuli, and his crew were the officiants. In the fourth quarter, a flag was thrown after Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead tackled Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield helmet-to-helmet. After discussion with his crew, Hochuli announced that “the quarterback was still a runner and therefore is allowed to be hit in the head. He had not yet begun his slide. There is, therefore, no foul."

 

The NFL recognized that Whitehead should have been penalized on that play for either of two infractions: unnecessary roughness for a hit to the head of a sliding player or unsportsmanlike conduct for using his helmet to hit a player, according to ESPN.

The should-be foul ruled Mayfield down at the 41-yard line with 7:47 left and the Browns behind 23-16. A 15-yard penalty would have put the Browns at the 26-yard line. The Browns were able to get to the 1-yard line on that drive but failed to score. They went on to tie it 23-23 but lost in overtime 26-23.

Just last week

Shawn Hochuli is coming off another controversial game. In the Week 3 Thursday Night Football game featuring the Titans and the Jaguars, the Hochuli crew's flag-throwing caught the attention of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady, like so many others watching the game, was upset about the number of penalties called.

 

Hochuli and his crew called 15 penalties in the first half, eight of which were for holding. There were 20 penalties in total for the game, including declined penalties.

Record-setting calls

Last season, Hochuli's crew set an NFL single-season record by assessing 253 penalties for 2,164 yards. His crew called 25 more penalties than any other crew and 84 more penalties than the NFL's low crew.

We'll see what happens in Baltimore

With the increase of holding calls this season and the Browns already having been called for 12 holding calls—both offensively and defensively—don't be surprised if Hochuli and his officiating pull out their flags a lot on Sunday when the Browns take on the Ravens.

 

 

Classic Hochuli!  Father & son can tell you every rule in the book. The problem is they aren't always in position to MAKE the correct call - or in this case overrule the call of the official that was in much better position than the Wundumsonnabitch.

[medicineman]

I am still pissed at the refs that screwed us how many times against the Skins years back? The PI call on Haden where he clearly never touched the wr, the play where they said Duke fumbled yet he walks out of the pile with the ball yet the same female ref had already gave Washington the ball, I can name thousands of calls or no calls against the Browns, I promise you the refs will make up for that missed call on Baker by making sure they flag our D for bullshit calls. This bullshit does happen to us week in and week out. Maybe we need another bottlegate and put the refs on notice.? 

[flyingfooldoug]

1 hour ago, medicineman said:

I am still pissed at the refs that screwed us how many times against the Skins years back? The PI call on Haden where he clearly never touched the wr, the play where they said Duke fumbled yet he walks out of the pile with the ball yet the same female ref had already gave Washington the ball, I can name thousands of calls or no calls against the Browns, I promise you the refs will make up for that missed call on Baker by making sure they flag our D for bullshit calls. This bullshit does happen to us week in and week out. Maybe we need another bottlegate and put the refs on notice.? 

That’s one idea. Could be fun too. But realistically, until the owners decide that they want better officiating, we’re stuck with their bullshit officials. Cleveland must be the only nfl town with intellectual fans that know bullshit calls. You can hear the chants over the tv/radio announcers. Never hear that from other stadiums. I think if there were huge chants of bullshit, bullshit after bad calls at each stadium then you’d have big dollar tv execs complaining to the owners too. They have the money. Affect the money, affect the game.