Former NFL Ref Blasts Chucky As “Blowhard”
December 29th, 2011
Reasoned if not respected people are finally beginning to take notice, and to speak out:
Chucky as an NFL game analyst is the polar opposite of Chucky the NFL coach.
As a coach, Chucky has bling only a handful of other NFL coaches in history have. Chucky is perhaps the person responsible for the Bucs’ lone Super Bowl victory.
As an NFL game analyst, Chucky is a self-serving windbag who is, as a former chief of NFL referees and current NFL TV talking head himself described, also a “blowhard.”
Mike Pereira, who until recently was the longtime chief of NFL officiating, now works for FOX. And Joe noticed on Twitter Monday night how Pereira went bananas over Chucky grousing about what he deemed was a perfectly legal hit but replays clearly showed to be helmet-to-helmet, a clear violation of NFL rules.
In a column on FoxSports.com, Pereira unloaded on Chucky’s irresponsiblity as a broadcaster and firebombed him for his failure to grasp simple NFL rules.
I am not a fan of Gruden’s. Not today, not yesterday, not when I worked for the NFL and not when I was working on the field as a side judge. He was a loudmouth as a coach who constantly disrespected officials and he is a blowhard in the broadcast booth who spouts off when he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
I respect his knowledge about the X’s and O’s when it comes to coaching and playing the game of football, but I have very little respect for him when it comes to officiating and his knowledge of the rules.
Pereira is dead-on in many respects with this column, in particular Chucky’s unethical diatribes. At the very least, if broadcasters are going to trash officials for allegedly making bad calls, make sure you know that the call is actually inaccurate.
It’s one thing to not like calls. Joe’s fully in agreement with Chucky that it’s borderline criminal how NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to turn good, hard-hitting, fundamental football into high school basketball where just breathing on an offensive player is a personal foul and a five-figured fine.
But hating a rule and claiming it’s wrong are two totally different things. As Pereira pointed out, will BSPN do the right thing and come out publicly and state Chucky was full of it, or will they just do the BSPN thing and hope Chucky runs off to St. Louis or San Diego as a coach?
Joe’s cash is on the latter.
To Joe, this is no different than if a broadcaster constantly got names of players wrong and constantly butchered the names of players throughout the game. Fans would be outraged, and rightfully so.
How is what Chucky is doing any different? It’s worse in fact.
December 29th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
What’s with all the Gruden bashing lately? It seems really, really off topic for the site (but obviously that isn’t my call). Haven’t cared about him one way or the other in years.
December 29th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
It is interesting to note that Mike Pereira is now with a competing network when making his claims. Maybe Mike Pereira should chide the NFL Refs for blowing so many calls over the years he was there. Something tells me that he may just be a tad jealous of Chucky.
December 29th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Sadly, the art of objective reporting is dead.
December 29th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Thankfully the art of opinion writing, long a staple of the media, lives on in new and greater forms. I like the way Joe throws curveballs and delivers facts and opinion together.
December 29th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Thanks Kensington! (Joe thinks) 🙂
December 29th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
@Louie — As a history teacher, I can say your mind would be blown if you picked up a newspaper from 100 years ago in this country. Objective reporting almost didn’t exist, and didn’t come into how most know it until technology became more prevalent.
December 29th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
@Kensington, let me guess, a government school teacher?
December 29th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
@Louie,
Joe isn’t a journalist. He is a blogger. I don’t think he would dispute that. He gives his take on news as he posts it. It’s common these days and I don’t expect to see objectivity on this site.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Anthony:
Oh, no, no, no. Joe’s degree and resume will suggest otherwise.
Joe strives to be objective.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Joe, how many dinosaurs that concur with your feeling towards Gruden do you plan to dig up in hopes of getting the rest of us to hate him as much as you do. Pereira ADMITS he hated Gruden before Gruden became an analyst! How exactly would you expect him to feel now? JEEZ, let it go! We all know your thoughts on Gruden.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Mean:
So what Gruden said Monday night is now accurate because Pereira hates him? Oh, OK.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Obviously Joe is obsessed with knocking CHucky. That has been going on for a long time on here. Carlson went after him for the manner in which he was coaching his son on a volunteer basis. It is getting a little chronic now though.
But, back to the play. I didnt know a guy who had the ball was considered “defenseless”. That would seem to apply to someone who had reached out to catch a pass and didnt, and was hit while in the prone position.
The WR caught the ball and was on his way down to make a move to make a big play.
Im with Jon, whats the guy supposed to do? Go for his legs?
I cant see where the guy was defenseless. Surely that cant be cause a guy has an angle on him for the tackle. Really dumb rule thats very mushy.
Good job calling em out IMO.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Wow, is this website just a Gruden-Sucks forum now or what?
Sorry that poor old Perrera doesn’t like when coaches call out the horrendous refereeing in the league. ESPN is going to keep Gruden because he’s a great commentator and a large amount of people enjoy his diatribe.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Go read the comments on that story that Pereira wrote. People like Gruden.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
eric:
Sadly, it’s a rule. A BS rule — that’s where Joe agrees with Chucky — but a rule nonetheless.
Sadly, the NFL is going to get worse about BS like this. Goodell has even gone on record that the league wants to take out violent hits.
December 29th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Joe, being objective would mean NOT including your opinion (and so many typos) in each post. A journalist goes out and gets his own facts.
A blogger links articles other people have written and gives his own take on it. Not trying to insult you, just calling it like I see it.
December 29th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Anthony:
Joe brings stories from both sides, and does his own features.
December 29th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Pereira is a shill for the NFL and a far bigger blowhard than Gruden. He rarely ever disagrees with the refs, his former colleagues, his takes are completely irrelevant to me.
December 29th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
kh:
Can’t remember what the exact play was, but Pereira blasted officials one game saying they totally blew a call.
It may have been a play that went against the Bucs the more Joe is thinking of it. Early this season.
December 29th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Well even I must concede Chucky is a blowhard. And i wouldn;t like him if I was a referee.
Back to the play, id hate to be a db and get my ass cut cause i let up on one of the Saints wideouts, and they did a spin move and took it to the house.
I can see if a guy is sprawled out and u drive your helmet into him. But the Saints WR leaped up and caught the ball and other than being off his feet I can’t see where he was “defenseless”. What would happen if Blount got a big hit during one of his famous leaps?
If that play was a penalty something wrong with the rule.
December 29th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
LOL
Garv gets it. Joe dosn’t like Jon personally and cannot let it go. Garv cares about about the Buccaneers TODAY. Joe does not like Jon Gruden. Joe wants to tell us again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again how much Joe does not like Jon Gruden. Garv gets that. Garv gets the obvious. Garv guesses we all do.
Happy New Year!!!
December 29th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
I liked Mike until now. This is BS coming from the former head of officiating. You wonder why the Bucs have been screwed repeatedly for the past 10 years, and there you have it in one simple tweet. This is crap. Officials are supposed to be impartial and not hold grudges against certain teams and coaches. The truth has come out in the Queen’s Perfect English: “I hate Chucky, and always have”. The refs need to get off this Bucs hate, because it has carried over to Raheem’s teams even more so the last few years. These stinking refs screw the Bucs at least 3 times per game, and often more so. This sucks, refs suck, and their complete hate for the Bucs makes it so hard to watch the games. I can take losing. I can take having the worst players and coaches in the NFL. What I can’t take any more is these sorry @$$ cheating, Buc hating refs, and that POS, Roger Goodell condones it and lets it continue year in and year out. Every single official in the NFL is corrupt and should be fired, replaced, and kicked to the curb. It doesn’t matter who the Bucs draft or who they hire as a Coach, the refs will screw us again next year and make sure the Bucs do not make the playoffs. Roger Goodell, you suck, you’re the worst Commissioner in the history of all professional sports. You suck and so do all your cheatin a$$ refs. And that’s all I have to say about that.
December 29th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Funny how there is all of this Gruden bashing being published on the eve of the possibility of his replacement being fired.
December 29th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
That explains a lot of B.S. calls we got from refs through the years. I thought refs didn’t let their personal feelings get involved with their calls. I’ve been right all along. He was no different than Gruden. He got even with him with his bogus officiating calls. What a phony Pereira!
December 30th, 2011 at 10:03 am
So, Mike, about that blown non illegal onside kick call in the infamous “Monday Night Miracle” game? The one that Gruden and the Bucs were issued an “apology letter” for? Or, when Simeon Rice knocked Brunell’s arm forward in the playoff game causing a fumble that was ruled “incomplete” and not reviewable? I’d like to have a word with you about those…and i’m sure Gruden has more than a few words, justifiably so.
December 30th, 2011 at 10:32 am
Pereira was the ref invloved in the great “tuck rule” fiasco, if I remeber correctly? Besides, Gruden isn’t the only head coach to get on the bad side of refs!