German_Force » a good, hard-fought, well-played [u

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Key court rulings are expected soon in a lawsuit seeking a possible do-over of the NFC title game that ended with a Los Angeles Rams victory over the New Orleans Saints — a game affected by a crucial “no-call” by officials in the final minutes of regulation play.The lawsuit by two Saints season ticket holders was filed in Louisiana state court two days after the Jan. 20 game in New Orleans. The NFL immediately filed to move the suit to federal courts. League lawyers on Wednesday filed briefs explaining why they believe the suit belongs there — and also asking that it be dismissed.U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan has granted a motion for expedited handling of the longshot litigation. The Rams play the New England Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl.NFL lawyers say the federal court has jurisdiction because the suit amounts to a class action with millions of dollars potentially at stake and with defendants — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Austin Blythe Jersey , the NFL and NFL Properties — living or headquartered in multiple states. They point to language in the suit that says it was filed “on behalf of the New Orleans Saints National fan base” as well as ticket holders, and note that one document accompanying the legal document filed with the suit refers to it as a “petition for a Writ of Mandamus and/or Class Action Damages.”Lawyers for the ticket holders say they never sought class action status, just a judge’s order that the NFL follow its own rule — one giving the commissioner authority to investigate “extraordinarily unfair acts” that affect a game and order remedies that could include having the game replayed in part or from the time of the unfair act.Earlier in the week, NFL lawyers said Goodell does not have the authority to overrule a referee on the field. Even if the rule did apply, the NFL attorneys argue, a decision on a remedy is up to the commissioner Kurt Warner Jersey , not a ticket-holder. Even a blown call in a conference championship isn’t enough to create momentum for rules changes.And Ravens coach John Harbaugh doesn’t think that’s good for the teams affected by the problems that inevitably arise, or the fans of the game.Via Josh Katzenstein of the , Harbaugh offered an impassioned plea for the powers that be to make changes to protect the league’s credibility.“Look how tough it is for these officials,” Harbaugh said. “Really, I know as a coach, what’s the worst spot to watch the game from? The sideline. You see the least amount from the sideline. That’s why we put coaches in the box. So http://www.theramslockerroom.com/authentic-marshall-faulk-jersey , we’ve got all this technology and the fans actually have a better view of the game from an officiating standpoint than the officials do.“So, these clear and obvious mistakes that are inevitably going to get made, it’s not just one play in a championship game; it happens every single week, OK, because the job is so tough, it moves so fast and the angles aren’t great. If we can put somebody up there in the box that’s got a better angle that can help officiate the game from up there Womens Eric Dickerson Jersey , let’s do that. If we can add more plays into replay, let’s do that because at the end of the game, it’s about the credibility of the sport, and we can’t have the other leagues out-pacing us in terms of the use of technology to make sure the games are fair and well-officiated.“We have great officials. These guys are incredible with what they do. We’ve also put a lot of rules in place that have made it really tough of them. They’ve got a lot on their plate, so let’s add an official, let’s add two officials Torry Holt Jersey , let’s put one up in the box, let’s expand replay if we want and let’s make sure that, at the end of the day, the fans walk out of the stadium and walk away from their TV sets knowing that was a good, hard-fought, well-played http://www.theramslockerroom.com/authentic-jack-youngblood-jersey , fairly-officiated game and the outcome is as it should be. It was correct that the right team won the game.”That’s not necessarily the case in New Orleans, where the Saints were the victims of a missed pass interference/helmet-to-helmet hit in the NFC Championship Game, which could have sent them to the Super Bowl.Despite the conversations created by that no-call, members of the competition committee are skeptical anything will change.Which will leave an entire city, along with coaches like Harbaugh waiting for a solution that doesn’t appear to be imminent.