THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT, November 20, 2013

Making a living out of being critical of officials isn't the best thing to do.

But after watching a few of the games over the last two weeks, there's one question on my mind.

What are you watching?

TWO WEEKS ago, when the Seattle Seahawks played the Atlanta Falcons, there was two penalties that made me scratch my head.

The first came when a fullback went out for a pass and dropped the ball just before a Seattle player was about to make a tackle.

Fifteen-yard penalty.

Another came later when Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked when a Seattle player tackled him at the ankles.

You guessed it, another 15-yard penalty.

Not that it mattered in the game as the Seahawks won the game 33-10, but both those calls happened in the second half, with the game well in hand.

And it was almost like the officials felt sorry for the team that was behind.

Since then, I've seen the same kind of hits and tackles, but no flags on those that do them.

On Sunday, with the game still in the balance, a San Francisco defender was called for roughing New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, which allowed a game-tying drive to continue, instead of the 49ers recovering what looked like a legitimate fumble.

New Orleans later went on to win the game, which could also prove to be a pivotal game in determining NFC playoff berths.

Granted, the hit on Brees looked more like a penalty in real time than it did during the numerous replays that were shown following the game, but there can't be a double standard when it comes to football.

Especially when it comes to games that could determine who gets what seed in the playoffs.

IN A few of the high school football games I've seen this year, most of those crews that work games in North Idaho can run circles around the professionals.

Most of the high school games run right on time, regardless of if the game is filled with incomplete passes or other stoppages.

In most, if not all, cases, the penalties that are called have been for the right reasons.

Most of the high school officials have other jobs, and don't focus their entire day on studying football. A few, you'll also see running up and down the court during basketball season.

To the locals' credit, the calls they'll make in the first week of the season will be the same ones that you'll see whenever regional and state tournaments roll around.

Not because they're favoring one team or another, but because that's the way they see the game - no matter who is playing.

Which is a lot better than making it up as you go.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].