NEW YORK, N.
[b]Bruce Clark Jersey[/b] .Y. - The union representing NFL on-field officials criticized the league Thursday for inconsistencies in grading calls, including two high-profile penalties from recent games.In a release, the NFL Referees Association says the NFL has caused confusion for NFL officials as to what the league does and doesnt want called.The union referred to penalties on Washingtons Chris Baker for a hit on Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Sept. 21, and to Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah last Monday night for going to his knees to celebrate an interception return for a touchdown. Abdullah actually had gone to his knees to pray a€” an act exempted from celebration penalties.The union says both calls were graded as correct even after NFL executives announced that they were incorrect. Baker got a 15-yard penalty and was ejected from the game at Philadelphia. Abdullah also received a 15-yard penalty.Consistency in penalty enforcement is extremely important to the players, coaches and fans. Uncertainty as to what the league wants called is not a road you want to go down, said Jim Quirk, executive director of the NFLRA.Quirk noted that Baker was penalized for a blindside block on Foles as a personal foul; a brawl followed near the Washington sideline and Eagles tackle Jason Peters was also ejected.Two days later, Troy Vincent, the NFLs executive vice-president of football operations, said the hit was legal and should not have been penalized. Yet, the NFLRA said, the leagues officiating department a day later graded the call as correct.In the case of the block on Nick Foles, by rule, it was not a foul because the quarterback was pursuing the play, the contact was not to the head or neck area, and the play was not over, NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in an email to The Associated Press. However, the referee a€” watching the play at full speed and without the benefit of a replay review a€” judged that the block was late and threw a flag. While not a correct call, we understand why it was made.In the case of Abdullah, a devout Muslim who took off a year from football to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, the league said Tuesday that the penalty was in error.The leagues rule book prohibits players from celebrating while on the ground, but spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email Tuesday that the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play.But, according to the union, officials who made the call were given correct grades by the officiating department on Thursday. That could be because Abdullah could have been penalized for sliding on his knees before actually praying.But the league reiterated Thursday what it announced earlier this week, that the call was incorrect and not graded otherwise.As part of evaluating the performance of our game officials, the officiating supervisors recognize that for an incorrect call on a close judgment play, the official may have used appropriate reasoning, Signora said. On such a call, the official is not downgraded.Regardless, said former NFLRA President Scott Green, a recently retired referee, theres a communications problem between the NFL and its game officials.It seems there is a disconnect between what the officiating department expects from officials and the public statements being made by league executives, Green said. It certainly creates uncertainty for the guys making split-second decisions on the field.___AP NFL website:
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www.twitter.com/AP_NFL [b]Michael Lewis Jersey[/b] . - Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner with 41 seconds to go as the Niagara IceDogs edged the North Bay Battalion 3-2 to even their first-round series at a game apiece in Ontario Hockey League playoff action on Sunday.
[b]Cameron Jordan Jersey[/b] .ca! Hi Kerry, The recent issues in the Boston-Pittsburgh game have highlighted a number of officiating, game control, and player sportsmanship aspects. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Lee Westwood ended a two-year winless drought with a seven-shot victory at the Malaysian Open on Sunday. After a four-hour delay due to the threat of lightning in the middle of the final round, Westwood went on to shoot a 4-under par 68 to complete an 18-under 270 at the Kuala Lumpur Country Club course for his 36th career victory. Westwood led from start to finish in the co-sanctioned European and Asian Tour event that he also won in 1997. "Its a golf course that suits my game; its very tight in certain areas. I played well, I putted well, and the short game is good," Westwood said. South Africas Louis Oosthuizen (68), the 2012 champion, along with Belgiums Nicolas Colsaerts (70) and Austrias Bernd Wiesberger (67) shared a distant second place on 11 under. The win will not only improve Westwoods ranking but also help him improve on his current 20th place in the European Ryder Cup standings.
[b]Jared Cook Jersey[/b]. "I feel like Ive got a short game back and Im starting to roll a few putts in," he added. "It makes a helluva difference if you can get up-and-down if you miss a few greens as it keeps the momentum going." Westwood, who turns 41 next week, went into the final round leading by one having let slip a four-shot second round lead. But the 36th-ranked Englishman, and highest ranked player in the field, again found himself four clear after only two holes where nearest rival and playing partner Andy Sullivan triple-bogeyed the second hole after finding water with his tee shot. Westwoods drive to victory was then halted mid-afternoon when the threat of lightning stopped play and his lead at four through 11 holes. He returned to the course after a delay of four hours and 13 minutes to birdie the 13th for a six-shot lead. Westwood then underlined his class with a birdie on the last. ' ' '
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