One mistake should not define a career
Raymond Ayala / Sports Editor / The USD Vista
Ed Hochuli made a mistake, plain and simple. He even publicly admitted this in order to address those who decided to e-mail him and voice their complaints. True, professional football is a sport where almost every game counts towards the post season, but at the same time, people need to give Hochuli a break.
Most fail to remember that Hochuli is considered to be one of the greatest referees of all time. Lets face it folks, Michael Jordan did miss a game-winner every so often and believe it or not, Lebron James actually lost to a street ball player in a game of horse. Hochuli is a human being and human beings make mistakes.
Will this call impact the Chargers season? As of right now, who knows? This mistake could likely have a significant impact since the game was against a division rival. Only time will tell, but what the ?fans out there need to remember is that the Chargers squandered their chance to win. Maybe when the review booth mysteriously shut down, there was a little suspicion. Yet, even with this mistake, all it took was a stop on the third or fourth down. Even after scoring the touchdown, the Broncos were down by one point and decided to go for the two point conversion for the win. Everyone in the stadium knew who the ball was going to on that play, but not even three Chargers defenders could stop Mr.?Eddie?Big Time Players Make Big Time Plays Royal from making that great catch to seal it for the Broncos.
Blown calls have always been a part of sports in modern times. This call will definitely stand out ?from the rest as one of the more controversial, not only in NFL history, but also in sports history. At the same time though, Hochuli still deserves to be considered one of the best, and any true NFL fan would be obliged to feel the same way.
So, this is coming from neither a Broncos, nor a Chargers fan, but a 49ers fan that follows football religiously. Honestly, one game can and does have an impact in the NFL, but if a teams season comes down to one bad call, then maybe that team does not deserve to advance to the playoffs. The Chargers could be 3-0 right now, but due to injuries and one of the worst special teams performances in recent memory they are only 1-2. So dont blame the referee, folks, blame the team.