Jan 5, 2015 By Jim Downey jdowney@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read

I’m betting only the most die-hard of NFL fans know the names Rick Patterson, Buddy Horton, Perry Paganelli, Barry Anderson, Allen Baynes and/or Lee Dyer.

How about Clete Blakeman or Carl Cheffers?

Bet you didn’t draft them for your postseason fantasy team.

Well, the first group of men were the side, field and back judges for the Steelers-Ravens and Cowboys-Lions NFL Wild-Card Playoff games last weekend. Blakeman was the ref of the Steelers’ game and Cheffers the head man of the Colts-Bengals’ game.

You’re more likely to recognize the referees of the other two games: Ed Hochuli was on the Cardinals-Panthers’ game and, notoriously, Peter Morelli was the referee of the Cowboys-Lions’ fiasco.

I cringe when I hear officials should let the players decide the game on the field. If you take the time to read my occasional columns on the subject, you know how I feel when the talking heads start spouting off about “officials deciding the outcome of a game.”

Officials are like policemen. If people could be trusted to obey the speed limits, avoid stealing from others and not kill their neighbors, then policemen wouldn’t have to decide the outcome of good citizens’ days.

Same goes for any official. If players would follow the rules in their particular sport, then officials wouldn’t be necessary and a ton of money could be saved.

But, athletes are people, too, so they need their behavior regulated.

I was on my way to the Steeler game so I missed the Carolina game and missed a lot of the Colts game because I was taking my early Sunday afternoon post-Mass nap and making it 5-for-5 in 2015 with a slow, soggy run in the rain.

Now, NFL officials, who make a pretty good salary, are graded through the season (fortunately for most of them, I am not involved in the grading system) and “all-star” crews are assembled, per round of the playoffs.

I’m going to chime in on the work of the officials of Steelers game, but not in a manner you might suspect, loyal fan.

Yes, a facemask call was missed and apparently a trailing defensive back is permitted to run up the back of a Steeler wide receiver and make contact without impunity.

My issue is generally with where the crew spots the ball and this group, shall I say, was lackluster. The crew hit a low in the third quarter when the Steelers were forced to punt on their first possession of the second half. Brad Wing (a topic for another column as the NFL Entry Draft approaches) launched another shorter-than-expected 37-yard effort that was fair-caught by the Ravens’ Michael Campanero at the Baltimore 28.

Or, that’s what we thought.

One of the defensive backfield judges somehow marked the ball at the Baltimore 31, unquestioned by his brethren. I might’ve been wrong about the end line of the punt, but I doubt the other pairs of eyes on my crew made the same mistake in judgement.

So, I wouldn’t hire that crew back simply based on where the ball was oftentimes poorly spotted or re-spotted.

Now, for all the hullabaloo from the Dallas game. By the letter of the NFL law, the non-call on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens is a penalty every time. (Personally, I think that is a silly rule, determining a foul on the position of the defenders’ head.)

The flag was thrown. The infraction should’ve been called. If no flag is thrown, well, then so be it.

But, devil’s advocate for a moment. The Detroit receiver, Brandon Pettigrew, was moving away from the ball and had not completely reached back to receive the ball. Hitchens, the defender, ran through the receiver and even had the ball hit him in the shoulder. A Baltimore defender ran up and altered the route of a Steeler receiver and didn’t look back. What’s the difference?

The deciding call should’ve been a helmetless Dez Bryant running onto the field. That’s an automatic 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. First down, end of discussion.

Or, before Pettigrew broke free, Hitchens yanking on his jersey below the shoulder pads. Given how shirts barely squeeze over shoulder pads, to pull hard enough for separation of the shirt from the body is definitely a penalty.

Yes, Lions fans, you have a beef and deserve a good cry in your Stroh’s. And, the NFL better be careful or people might believe you want games scripted out to a desired outcome.