The Robert Priester targeting call

[Yabadabadoo]

One of the worst calls you'll see this year. Even upon review they got the call atrociously wrong. Priester CLEARLY made contact with his shoulder and knocked the snot out of the ball carrier with a terrific hit. This is the new world of pansy football that has all but killed the NFL - and is slowly but surely eroding NCAA football s well. The fact that this kid made a GREAT HIT, and now has to sit out the 1st half against New Mexico is a travesty.

 

[MrTitleist]

That was a bad call in every way. Bohl mentioned in his post-game presser that he may or may not be sitting out, he said that'd be up to the Mountain West to decide on Monday.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

That was a bad call in every way. Bohl mentioned in his post-game presser that he may or may not be sitting out, he said that'd be up to the Mountain West to decide on Monday.

I saw that...beyond egregious that call was. I'm beyond being sick and tired of the total and complete emasculation of the defensive part of the game. They are ripping the heart and soul out of football with the imbalance between offense and defense, making playing the game on the defensive side almost impossible on so many levels. Now days you don't even have to 'target', or 'rough' a player. If the hit is 'too hard' a damn flag is thrown.

I yearn for the football I grew up with in my formative years. Play the damn game, play it hard, hit harder, it's football dammit.

The Priester hit reminded me of the awesome hit that Chavez Pownell Jr. made on Tanner Gentry in the spring game -- a hit that the coaches later told Pownell Jr. was an excellent one.

Note to those ruining football: It's a tough game, sometimes players are going to get creamed, knocked out, suffer a concussion. It happens, and it need not be apologized for. Don't like it? Don't play the game. Even better, stop ruining the game.

 

[fromolwyoming]

That was on par with the Fumblegate fiasco a couple years ago with how badly that was called. Priester put in a good clean hit, shoulder to chest (as was clearly shown on replay), and the call was "confirmed" when it should have been overturned.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

That was on par with the Fumblegate fiasco a couple years ago with how badly that was called. Priester put in a good clean hit, shoulder to chest (as was clearly shown on replay), and the call was "confirmed" when it should have been overturned.

I'm not going to say anything this time to your note :agree:

 

[poke em]

I was at the game and it looked clean to me. Of course they did not do any replays on the big board at Martin stadium.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

I'm glad the conference has the final say. I thought it looked clean as well. By the book, his crown of helmet is hitting the facemask and turning the helmet. I'm not exactly sure what the distinction is, but if helmet contact on facemask violates the rule, then they might of got it right? With that said, I really dislike the automatic sit rule.

 

[fromolwyoming]

The helmet contact with the facemask looks more glancing than anything major.

 

[NebraskaCowboy]

Has anyone been able to find a replay of this online? You would think with today's technology it wouldn't be hard to find a replay but I haven't been able to. Also, it was very frustrating listening to those guys on the 12-Pac network talk about the hit. One guy made the comment that "he lead with the crown of his helmet." I don't know what replay he saw but he lead with his shoulder and didn't try and use his head at all. Maybe it was my brown and gold glasses but I thought it was a good hit and a terrible call. I have seen Wyoming players take more contact to the head than what was in that hit and not get called. Frustrating rule which is way to open to interpretation by terrible referees.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

The helmet contact with the facemask looks more glancing than anything major.

I don't disagree; I just don't know the rule enough to know what distinctions there are. Even glancing, it appears there is contact with crown of helmet and appears to be turning the head. I'm not saying I agree with the rule, but by the book, they might not have it wrong. It might just be a bad rule and not a bad call, if that makes sense.

 

[fromolwyoming]

Has anyone been able to find a replay of this online? You would think with today's technology it wouldn't be hard to find a replay but I haven't been able to. Also, it was very frustrating listening to those guys on the 12-Pac network talk about the hit. One guy made the comment that "he lead with the crown of his helmet." I don't know what replay he saw but he lead with his shoulder and didn't try and use his head at all. Maybe it was my brown and gold glasses but I thought it was a good hit and a terrible call. I have seen Wyoming players take more contact to the head than what was in that hit and not get called. Frustrating rule which is way to open to interpretation by terrible referees.

The stream I watched had the guys saying it was a good clean hit and heavily disagreed with the call and thought it would get overturned on review, which showed the contact coming from the shoulder of Priester and the chest of the WSU player.

 

[McPeachy]

Not sure the total number of course (from last Saturdays games), but it sure seemed to be the focus for all refereeing crews nationwide - all games, all conferences. I saw 5 or 6 personally (ejections). Maybe the NCAA sent out a mass e mail to all refs to make a statement?

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Not sure the total number of course (from last Saturdays games), but it sure seemed to be the focus for all refereeing crews nationwide - all games, all conferences. I saw 5 or 6 personally (ejections). Maybe the NCAA sent out a mass e mail to all refs to make a statement?

For your review and to your point: http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2015/09/19/another-college-game-day-7-players-ejected-for-targeting" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting quote from Leach after the game

Washington State coach Mike Leach said after the game that he was not a big fan of the targeting rule.
"There's too much gray area," Leach said. He also said ejection from the game was too harsh a penalty.

My question remains, however, bad calls or bad rule.

 

[fromolwyoming]

Not sure the total number of course (from last Saturdays games), but it sure seemed to be the focus for all refereeing crews nationwide - all games, all conferences. I saw 5 or 6 personally (ejections). Maybe the NCAA sent out a mass e mail to all refs to make a statement?

Saw it happen during the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Can't remember which team's player got tossed though.

 

[cali2wyo]

In my opinion, I think it's a bad rule, and they called it how the rules say it should be called. There was helmet to helmet contact that was initiated by Priester (since he was the one making the tackle). Of course, it wasn't intentional and I personally thought it was a good, clean hit. I wouldn't be upset if another team hit one of our guys like that and didn't get ejected, FWIW. But from how I understand the rules, the refs made the right call on the field. Not saying I agree with it, I think the rule needs to be modified. Brian Hill (and every other running back) leads with their helmet on every play to get extra yards, I feel bad for defensive guys who make any contact with the helmet and possibly get tossed from a game.

I guess we can talk about the call all we want, but at the end of the day Priester will have missed game time (even after video review) and the BYU nut puncher won't (with no video review). Something's gotta change...

 

[OrediggerPoke]

5 years ago that type of hit would have been celebrated as a perfectly executed form hit that could have resulted in breaking up the completed pass.


...the reality is that for football to survive, all helmet contact must be slowly but surely eliminated from the game (and as much as we all disagree and as much as football is ever increasing in popularity). Recent CTE results are stunning. The liabilities associated with what is now becoming a much more known and very troublesome injury necessarily dictate that something must change or else we may be left with a varsity flag football team.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25307746/study-956-percent-of-deceased-nfl-players-tested-positive-for-cte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those that may have missed the recent CTE article. Yes, the numbers are likely skewed but the numbers are still astounding.

 

[HR_Poke]

I would think it would be impossible to eliminate all helmet to helmet contact from the game. Penalizing incidental contact in a game based around physical contact seems silly to me.

 

[WyoBrandX]

I agree - the only way to remove helmet to helmet contact is to remove the helmets from the game. Offenses can lead with the helmet. Defenses can't.


The call looks like it was by the book to me. I don't like the rule. What was Preister's other options?

The game is going to get pretty boring when nobody fields a defense anymore.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I would think it would be impossible to eliminate all helmet to helmet contact from the game. Penalizing incidental contact in a game based around physical contact seems silly to me.

I actually agree with you.

I am just telling what I believe to be the reality. I don't know how they will be able to eliminate hits to the head but they are going to be forced to barring some major technological breakthrough. Financial liabilities will dictate as such.