If the NFL makes any recent statements about how much it cares about player safety, responding with a cutup of NFL referee Bill Vinovich’s calls during the 49ers’ 26-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams is a good rebuttal.
Initially, this was going to be a disclaimer stating that the 49ers did not lose to the Rams due to the officiating. The 49ers had a different plan and yanked out a 26-20 win over the Rams.
Had the 49ers lost, Vinvovich’s crew would not have been the reason. Much like the two Super Bowl losses (or botches from an officiating standpoint), I would be able to give you a list of reasons why they lost, such as Kendrick Bourne dropping a key pass or some questionable playcalling in certain spots. Instead, the 49ers do what good teams do, regardless of laundry; they won.
But the officiating, led by Bill Vinovich, was still terrible. This is a talking point because Vinovich has dethroned Jerome Boger as a source of frustration for 49ers fans. There are the two recent Super Bowl losses he was a part of, and even if the 49ers are not on the receiving end, he’s had some shameful moments, most notably the missed pass interference call in an NFC Championship game played between the New Orleans Saints and none other than the Los Angeles Rams.
Tonight, there was a play that seemed characteristic:
This was on third-and-goal play from the Rams’ two-yard line. Rams linebacker Byron Young came and flattened after Mac Jones. Getting taken down wasn’t so bad, but the follow-through was what made it suspect. If you listen to the video above, former NFL Referee Terry McAulay also says the call should have been a roughing penalty.
It’s definitely a polarizing call. Some say it wasn’t roughing, others say the opposite. Regardless of where you land, the hit left Jones limping and fans holding their breath. Luckily, Jones returned to the game on the next series.
So was this roughing? If the league is trying to protect quarterbacks, it most definitely is. The bigger issue is that we should never have gotten to this point.
Several plays before the third-and-goal gave us visuals of Jones getting hit from all sides after throwing the ball. One hit had him already limping before the above happened. Should there be flags for those?
Better question: Is the NFL also trying to protect its quarterbacks? That’s what they want to tell us. And for that reason, a flag after the first hit during that series might have erased the hit you see above, as that would probably indicate that kind of play wouldn’t be tolerated. They already gave the Rams a clear warning earlier in the second quarter when Rams defender Josaiah Stewart got nailed with roughing the passer. May as well follow up on it.
Instead, you got Mac Jones playing, showing us just how physically tough he is. His knee is held by a single muscle fiber, and he’s still grinding through it.
This wasn’t the only call by Vinovich. There was a punt return with a clear block in the back that seemingly didn’t get called; some are saying there was a missed offensive pass interference. There was also a strange phantom defensive holding call on the 49ers. The list goes on.
But none more notable than the coin toss. No, not the initial coin toss, but the overtime toss. After winning the toss, the Rams choose to play defense. Vinovich asked Fred Warner which side the 49ers wanted, and then what we got was five minutes of the officiating crew moving the teams from one side of the field to the other.
So is this crying about the refs? No, it’s simply pointing out that it’s not fun when this happens, whether you’re a 49ers fan or not.
But back to the roughing call. Are you okay with Vinovich not throwing a flag on that play, or do you think that was clearly roughing the passer?
Regardless, had the 49ers lost, this officiating would not have been the reason.
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