[offiss]

If a whistle blow's that's fine, but to many times the whistle doesn't blow and they still say down by contact, for instance, if a player legitamitly fumbles a ball, he is not down, and the opposing player recover's immediatly, why can't that be challenged? The whistle hasen't blown, you don't here the ref's saying they incorrectly blew the play dead, they say down by contact, in other word's they deciede whether or not the play will stand, that gives these guy's to much power to deciede games, how many times have the whistles blown after the ball comes out and there is a mad scramble at the bottom of the pile to see who get's possession, the whistle has blown, and the ref doesn't know who has the ball, why doesn't it go back to the offense being they had the ball last? How is it any different, if the whistle has sounded, then don't allow the ball to be advanced, but don't take away a turnover.

I have expierence as a football ref, [pre HS] and it's not a problem whatsoever to allow a play, to play out, everyone who has played football know's, regardless of the whistle, if you see the ball on the ground there will be a scramble, unless it's blatantly obvious, almost all these call's are immediate recoveries, it's bang, bang, it should be reviewable, down by contact is a cute way of saying we are controlling the game, those pass interference call's the other night are inexcusable, those ref's should be fired on the spot, both call's were easy call's, if you have any ability as a ref, as I said earlier, watching those 2 call's was like watching a WWF tag team wrestling match, where the ref turn's his back on the bad guy's, to chastise the good guy, while the bad guy's go to town on the other opponent, it really tick's me off, because I think it's more than poor judgement, I think it's dishonest, and I think the rules have been set up to allow it, down by contact circumvents instant replay, and allow's the ref's to controll the game.