NFL referee Ed Hochuli dropped by Seattle Seahawks training camp to discuss new rules and points of emphasis for 2006.He wound up answering questions about controversial officiating in Super Bowl XL.
“The Super Bowl was one of those games where it seemed like the big calls went against Seattle,” Hochuli said Thursday. “That was just fortuitous, bad fortuitous, for Seattle. That doesn’t mean there were no mistakes, but it was a well-officiated game.”
Hochuli and three other officials – Tom Symonette, Don Dorkowski and Tom Sifferman – began monitoring Seahawks practices Thursday. They planned to stay around long enough to oversee a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Eastern Washington University.
The officials showed a league-produced officiating video to reporters and players in separate sessions Thursday. The video featured potentially confusing plays with explanatory voiceovers.
Down-by-contact is now a reviewable play on fumbles.
In another change, referees will have 60 seconds, not 90, to view replays on the sideline. That rule was approved for 2006 only.
Hochuli said none of the rules changes would have affected any of the calls made against Seattle in the Super Bowl.
He said the disputed pass-interference call against receiver Darrell Jackson was a “no-brainer” because “any time you have an extended arm and you have separation between the players, it’s going to be an automatic flag for pass interference.”
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren disagreed with several calls in the Super Bowl, but he declined to elaborate Thursday.
He called Hochuli the game’s best referee while praising his three associates as strong at their positions.
The league sends officials to every NFL training camp.
“They are helping our guys,” Holmgren said. “I always ask them to talk to the players. Right away I saw some good give and take there between the players and the officials.”
