As the Kansas City Chiefs continue their march toward a third straight Super Bowl championship, the debate continues to grow about the emergence of officiating dominance over the team and its star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
And there are studies showing that chiefs benefit from the vast number of penalties that can be called upon by their enemies. But what do people around the NFL, including former players, think about it?
Retired NFL Legend Champion Bailey joined Fox News to talk about his controversial call in last week’s Chief Texans playoff game. And like everyone else, he objected to the two flags thrown on the hit to Mahomes.
“It’s like everything else. They review everything,” he said. “So, when they can go back and see these types of plays, like the plays I think you’re referring to (Saturday) when he drops in on the ground and the guys outdo him, It hit, but they should be able to see it (on) level now to really change the outcome.
“Defenders are hesitant to hit him, but here he is. He dances, gets full on guys, makes him look like a runner, and then falls off. Pocket, it’s him. Do you think he was running around and did the same thing when he was outside the pocket? They don’t.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Champion Bailey has a suggestion for the NFL to fix officiating at Chiefs games
Bailey suggested in the interview that the NFL could implement real-time officiating reviews to correct obvious mistakes. Like when the Texans were flagged for hitting each other near Mahomes.
“So let’s be consistent like that. And if we get it wrong, we try to make it right,” Bailey said. “I think the more you can make calls in real time, the more integrity there is in the game, and people start to believe that the game is not being fixed.”
When asked directly if the NFL would go that far, Bailey said he doesn’t think so, but understands the complaints.
“I don’t feel like the game is being fixed because I’m in it, but as I sit here every year – I’m out of my league. The more I start to believe what the fans are saying about the game, the more this We see things like this happen so many times that it’s been “fixed” so they just get on the phone and figure out how to live with it. ”
When even former NFL superstars are complaining about officiating, there’s a real, serious problem in the league. Mahomes and the Chiefs have maximized their ability to draw the flag, and their home officiating bias gives them an advantage that few other teams have. It doesn’t take a grand conspiracy for Kansas City’s opponents to be treated unfairly. But that means a fix is needed.
Maybe moderating reviews is the way forward. Champion Bailey thinks so.
