Respect Ed Hochuli

Last Sunday my favorite NFL referee made a bad call. You've heard about it, everyone is making a big stink over it.

Here's a story you aren't hearing.

Ed Hochuli is, in this fan's opinion, a rare person in this industry. He's hard working, he cares about the details, he cares about getting it right. And he has courage and integrity.

Courage and integrity.

Normally, when a ref makes a questionable call the announcers bitch about it, fans at home bitch about it, it gets written up for awhile (the size of the question directly relating to the length, depth, and duration of the coverage) - but at the moment of the questionable call, the game goes on.

But not Ed Hochuli. He immediately identified the error - not just to himself - but to the whole world. He didn't try to excuse it or hide it or claim it was a solid call. He said it was a mistake, he said why it was a mistake, and then he got the game moving forward.

For those of you who haven't seen it, there is actually a great documentary about Ed Hochuli and his crew on NFL's Six Days to Sunday - how they spend each week and prep between games. He goes over every minute of film, looking at every call, reviewing it with his crew, with the review board - always trying to get better.

Why work that hard? Well remember that the rules change every year. Every year some rules change; some change a little, some change a lot. This is not an easy job. But Ed Hochuli is clearly dedicated to always being at the top of his game.

I watch football like a fiend. I have the big football package so I don't miss a game. And I can tell you that I am thrilled when I see that Ed Hochuli is refereeing a game - because I know that means that we're going to get a staff that is totally dedicated to the job, and that Ed is going to ensure that every call that needs an explanation gets one. No one at home has to wonder "why this call" or "what does that mean?" because Ed is going to explain it clearly, concisely, and you can trust that the calls are the best you can expect from someone in real time. I will take Ed Hochuli over any ref any day of the week.

I trust Ed Hochuli and so should you. Not because he is infallible, but because he has the courage and integrity to know when he has made a mistake and say so. And you can bet he won't make that same mistake twice.

Hang in there Ed. You're the best.