The house in which NFL officials so comfortably and safely reside clearly is divided. There's the regular-season room and there's the postseason room.
If the zebras are going to call/not call things in the playoffs differently than during the season, there's no reason why there shouldn't be different rules for January and February than there are September through December.
Last Sunday's egregious no-call by at least two officials on the now infamous non-pass interference/helmet-to-helmet hit on defenseless Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis by Rams corner Nickell Robey-Coleman probably (not certainly) cost NOLA a trip to the Super Bowl.
(The League since has fined Robey-Coleman $26,739. Big deal.)
That officials earlier missed Rams quarterback Jared Goff being grabbed by the face mask near the goal line that easily could have led them to having a four-point lead (and thus making the Saints needing a TD instead of a field goal to win in regulation time) hardly is discussed.
That New England won the toss in overtime and marched to a winning touchdown in the AFC championship game without the Chiefs getting a chance is being discussed.
What isn't being discussed is the Saints winning the toss in OT and giving it up on a Drew Brees interception and the Real Los Angeles team kicking a long field goal on their first possession.
Face it. The playoffs were horribly officiated in every way imaginable.
What to do?
For one: Nix the zebra crews made up of individual "all-stars," which create miscommunication. Rank the best regular-season crews and use them in the postseason.
For two (the best solution for all games): Get an eighth game official in a booth watching the game on monitors. If a mistake such as the one in New Orleans takes place, all he or she has to do is contact the referee and say: "We blew this thing. Huddle up and get it right."
For three: Make pass interference reviewable all season long. Officials can't get PIs right. They often are the most devastating calls and many are assumed (The League actually is going to address this).
For four: Reviewers must adhere to the there-must-be-overwhelming-evidence-to-overturn-a-call-made-on-the-field rule. Did Julian Edelman touch that punt? There wasn't proof to overturn it, but they did, anyway.
For Five: The overtime rule should be different for the playoffs. Each team should get a chance to touch the ball. Super Bowl finalists shouldn't be determined by coin flip. ...
Not every call can be reviewed because games would never end.
They really don't have to bring in all the king's horses and his men to make it right.
But the NFL thrives on uncommon sense.
