Playoffs - Round 2 - 2021

[Notursmine]

Would like to get some input from the big hitters who killed it in the pool this year. I would make predictions, but I have been so off, might as well go against what I say on predictions.

Anyway - I do think there will be at least 2 upsets this. Any games jump out to you guys that can be an 'upset'?

 

[Titanium Shadow]

The most likely "upsets" (a lower ranked team beating a higher ranked team) are IR (5) beating St. Andrew's (4) and DMA (5) beating Caravel (4).

 

[Longagoplayer]

I would say those two as well as Dover over St. George, since Dover beat them already this year. Delmar vs Friends also intrigues me as a possible upset

 

[First_state_gridiron]

Is benson playing for StE? Could be a factor

 

[Uncle Bumfuzzled]

Delmar vs Friends also intrigues me as a possible upset

Delmar travels well. Based on recent opinions expressed here, Friends will bring the officials.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

Delmar travels well. Based on recent opinions expressed here, Friends will bring the officials.

I just got done watching the Friends/Mt. Pleasant game film, and the reports of Friends receiving questionable calls during that game seem to be correct. Interestingly, that was the same officiating crew as the Friends/Delmar game in Week 1 (you could easily tell from the film). Hopefully this week's Friends/Delmar game won't be that same crew.

I think Delmar can beat Friends, but it depends on a lot of things, some of which are outside of Delmar's control. On film, Friends looks to be essentially the same team Delmar played in the Week 1, but Delmar has gotten a lot better.

Of course Friends could be better too. Sometimes it's hard to tell from the films.

 

[Longagoplayer]

Rematches of early season games can essentially be games between two different teams. What teams have played better, which teams have injuries, even which team plays better in cold weather. This weekend does provide some good rematches that could end up going in the opposite direction then last time.

 

[Seerock9223]

If you really did watch the MTP/ Friends game, you must have missed the the Friends D line dragging MTP blockers around like pianos, or simply getting tackled by them. Same for the Howard game and a couple others. The number of flags against Delmar in the first game can look off, but the little penalties were not the problem. Several were obvious and killed any chance at momentum. Delmar also turned it over 5 times, maybe six.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

If you really did watch the MTP/ Friends game, you must have missed the the Friends D line dragging MTP blockers around like pianos, or simply getting tackled by them. Same for the Howard game and a couple others. The number of flags against Delmar in the first game can look off, but the little penalties were not the problem. Several were obvious and killed any chance at momentum. Delmar also turned it over 5 times, maybe six.

I have always said that Delmar made too many mistakes to beat Friends in Week 1. They turned the ball over 4 times (not 5 or 6). A big problem in that game (in addition to the total number of penalties called against Delmar) was the penalties not called on Friends. The refs could have called as many penalties on Friends as on Delmar but chose not to.

There were two plays in the Friends/Delmar game where the line of scrimmage was lined up directly in line to where I was sitting. The outside down defensive lineman on Friends was clearly lined up in the neutral zone on both plays (the first play was an incomplete pass, so the LOS didn't change) but the Refs didn't call it either time. The Refs probably ignored that all game, but I can't say for sure.

There was also two plays where a Delmar defender leaned a little forward before the snap and the Refs called both as offsides on Delmar. There was two times Friends players did the same thing and neither of them were called.

The Refs could have call multiple holding penalties on Friends throughout the game but called none. They could have called unnecessary roughness on Friends hits against Delmar, but only called them against Delmar (twice on legal, clean hits).

As to the other games (Archmere/Tatnall/Brandywine/Glasgow/Mt P/St As/Howard, I watched them all), yes the Refs could have called more penalties on both sides in all those games (like every high school football game ever played), but they seemed to be calling the games more even (except for the weird drive at the end of the Mt P Game where it seemed like Friends got help to win) . As long as the calls are being made the same for both teams, you have nothing to complain about.

I find the whole complaining about the Refs when the calls are clearly going your way weird. It was almost surreal sitting in the Friends stands and hearing the fans complain about the Refs not calling more penalties on Delmar and then moaning when the Refs called the two (yes two total all game) penalties on Friends.

 

[Seerock9223]

Cool. We are actually on the same page then. So the refs should call Tattersall and Hearn to the center of the field and offer two choices: we call nothing unless really obvious or we call everything. Work for you?

 

[Longagoplayer]

One thing I have noticed this year and I don't know if this is a subconscious thing with the refs, it seems like once one team starts to accure a few penalties then the refs seem to penalize that team more. One holding call then there is a 3 holding calls. One encroachment call, then you get 2 more. Both teams are usually guilty of a lot of penalties, but it is the team that gets the first one that may be focused on more.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

Cool. We are actually on the same page then. So the refs should call Tattersall and Hearn to the center of the field and offer two choices: we call nothing unless really obvious or we call everything. Work for you?

How is the Refs calling a game even something so out of the ordinary that the Head Coaches need to have a conference with the Refs before the game? Unless a team is so used to having games called their way that calling a game even seems like a novelty.

 

[Seerock9223]

Tattersall and Hearn have both been around around a long time. Which one are you saying believes it should always go their way? Before you answer, they have known each other for decades and are happy to be playing each other again. . Delmar and Friends players used to stay at each other's homes overnight when they played each other a bunch in the 90's. I doubt they would have kept this going if one thought the other believed they should just get more calls going their way, for whatever reason.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

Tattersall and Hearn have both been around around a long time. Which one are you saying believes it should always go their way?

Neither of them, but you seem to.

 

[Seerock9223]

Exact opposite. Neither expect nor want it. And I bet neither likes the way it looks if it does happen.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

Exact opposite. Neither expect nor want it. And I bet neither likes the way it looks if it does happen.

If you say so. The readers can decide for themselves what the implications of your comments are.

 

[Longagoplayer]

I know we can all agree that hopefully the games this weekend are decided by the players and the coaches. No controversy and the team that plays the best wins.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

I know we can all agree that hopefully the games this weekend are decided by the players and the coaches. No controversy and the team that plays the best wins.

That's what I'm hoping too.

 

[Notursmine]

There are just teams that get the calls. It really is unfortunate.

It would be nice that when the Zebras walk the field before the game and chit chat with the coaches that they give them some insight into how they are going to call a game. I know in hoops for instance, its common for a ref to say "we have 2 tough teams here, we are going to let you guys play". Or on the flip side, we have been notified that you run 'x' or have had 'y', etc.

Pipe dreams for sure.

Rooting for competitive games across the board. A Few upsets. No issues with the officials. Most of all, all the athletes come out of the games healthy.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

There are just teams that get the calls. It really is unfortunate.

It's never "just", there's always a reason even if people don't want to know the reason.

DIAA should track all penalties for all games and do a statistical analysis to determine if any one group of officials, or any particular official, favors one team over another.

Of course that will never happen.

 

[First_state_gridiron]

Diaa should track all penalties. LOL. They can’t get enough people to show up to their meetings to have a quorum. Look how long it took for football realignment. Out of season coaching has been on their agenda for years and probably will never get resolved. They supposedly spent 4 months investigating a football transfer and basically just gave up

 

[Longagoplayer]

It's never "just", there's always a reason even if people don't want to know the reason.

DIAA should track all penalties for all games and do a statistical analysis to determine if any one group of officials, or any particular official, favors one team over another.

Of course that will never happen.

I get what you are saying but you are also right that would never happen. The fact that we all saw a couple weeks ago in the NFL a ref purposely back into a player, throw a flag on him, say that's not why he got the flag, the player get fined, and the NFL say yep that's legit. Refs would never be held accountable unless they are caught beating on games. Plus I imagine with the ref shortage, if there was that type of scrutiny there would be refs who would not continue.

 

[Titanium Shadow]

Agreed @Longagoplayer. It's never going to change, but we as fans can stop pretending that all officials are unbiased. If a team consistently gets calls their way, it should be pointed out. And people who deny the obvious should be ignored.