NEWSLETTER
Another week of football comes with more beefing between Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson and the officials.
But I think Jackson is onto something here, so let’s hear him out:
“We already know how the calls go,” Jackson said, via 670 The Score. “We can’t do nothing about that. We got to stay disciplined and do our job. I feel like some of the calls were kind of BS. But in the end, we got to leave no doubt. We got to come in, do what we have to do, put ourselves in those types of situations, especially with a 14-point lead.
Quibbling about officiating isn’t fun. Pointing at the officials in defeat looks bad (and even at best, it’s seen as incessant complaining).
But, again, it isn’t just about beef with the officials.
Because, as was the case last week, I believe Jackson has the right perspective in terms of balancing our feelings about the officiating. There is this feeling of “yeah, these calls stink” and “why do these calls seem to impact this team more than they do others around the league?” I feel that, if only because we’re also having those conversations as fans. Jackson is right to point out how this isn’t even a major point if the Bears’ defense does its job in holding a 14-point fourth-quarter lead. We’ve been waiting for decades to have an offense that can give the defense a double-digit to hold. That Jackson, who played on some stellar defenses that were carrying woeful offenses early in his career, is now part of a defense that can’t must be incredibly unnerving.
But, seriously, what gives with the officiating? One of my biggest issues came when the NFL on FOX broadcast team was joking about what probably should’ve been a defensive pass interference penalty when a Lions linebacker appeared to interfere with what could’ve been a Cole Kmet catch. And it was truly insulting later in the day after I got home from my long drive. Nothing like turning on Sunday Night Football to see a defensive pass interference penalty on a Niners defender that was similar to the play that was a non-call in the Bears game. Went up the same sideline, too. It was one of those moments that had me thinking I watch too many football games to know that the call that was missed in the Bears-Lions game is made in every other game around the league. It’s maddening.
Also, the lack of a call here bugged me:
Ah, yes. Another example of things that would’ve been a flag in so many other games that conveniently doesn’t get thrown in a Bears game.
Again, I don’t want to spend too much time harping on officiating. But it is OK if calls and non-calls upset you. Questionable officiating bugs me, too. But think of it this way. When the Bears are good again, they’ll get better, more high-profile officiating staff working their games. And when they make the playoffs in the future, that’s where we’ll see the best crews going. It makes sense for the best crews to work the most important games. So if you want to look for a silver lining, it’s probably that better days are coming. We just need to get through the muck first.
