Who wants to be a NFL referee now? One week ago, I blogged about the the NFL being too full of itself. I talked about the bounty scandal involving the Saints. Look what has happened to the Saints. They are 0-3 and the Packers coming this week who are angrier than hell because of what happened last night. ked about the importance of making a deal with the referees. The NFL is a multi billion dollar money making machine. People will pay to watch games anywhere at any time if it was necessary. Most football fans spend an entire week getting ready to watch their favorite team play, then flip around on the satellite feed and watch division rivals play, favorite players play, fantasy football team players play, or watch the marquee matchup of that week. Last nights game should have been the last straw as to why the real officials are needed to monitor these games. One call in a game should not have the impact of winning and losing a game. The Packers to their credit did not use the end of the game as an excuse. They physically got beat up last night in the first half and had a chance to get one first down to end the game. The Packers have not been the same team this year as last year so blaming the refs is probably why they have not said a word. I am glame the refs and there is ample evidence to support my theories..
I had a discussion two weeks ago with a a couple of people and we were talking about what is the problem with the replacement refs. I listened as they spoke and other pundits did as well on espn about the levels of competeition some of these refs have been in. The first thing that we agreed on was that the speed of thegame is way to fast for these guys. The speed of the game is too fast for the real guys too. The difference is that the real refs have figured out ways to position themselves on the field so that they can make as close to the right call as they can. Last night the game winning touchdown call was made by a ref who was behind the play and he was in no position to make that call. The ref that came running in and was waving his arms should have been closer to the play since there was no action in his area and he could have made the correct call. There was a call for pass interference on the defense when clearly the the offensive player created and caused all of the contact. If the referee was in the right position maybe he gets that call right. The NFL should have taken precautions and instructed these guys that being in the right place could help them get calls right. They are not fast enough to keep up with guys so positioning is key.
The second thing that is frustrating is that the refs seem to not know the rules of the game or make poor judgement calls. The roughing the passer penalty when the Packers made an interception in the 4th quarter was horrible. Marking an unsportsmanlike penalty for 27 yards instead of 15 is not acceptable. The pass interference call against Seattle on a crucial third down that eventually lead to a score is hurting the integrity of the game. What has killed Boxing in this country is tthe officials. People tune hoping for a trainwreck and they get chaos and an earthquake instead. Manny Pacquiauo is still wondering how Timothy Bradley has his titles. Ken Norton is wondering how Muhammad Ali has a winning record against him. The NFL does not want turn into a sham. The NBA in recent years has had to deal with a scandal of a referee fixing games utting itself further under a micrscope. There are several examples from the weekend of missed calls, poor judgement, and game mismanagement by these guys. Kyle Shanahan and Jack Del Rio were fined for abuse toward an official. Bill Bellechek tried to chase one down and get an explanation of whether or not the game winning field goal was actually good or not. All you have to do is watch the sideline and read the lips of the coaches to know whether or not a call is correct or not. The Harbaugh brothers are must see tv.
There are estimations that last nights call cost people worldwide over 250 million dollars. The betting line was Packers -31/2 and if the call was reversed the people who took the Packers would have won because they were up by 5. The speculation is that over 70% of the betting population took the Pack last night. We all know that the only reason for injury lists is for the betting population. The NFL does not "care" about wagering on the games, but it most definitely cares about people watching the games. I am 100% certain that they are loving that there millions of bloggers today writing about a football related incident than talking about the pennant races or that Brandt Snedeker won the PGA Fedex Cup. I wonder what would happen if a team told its players to walk off the field because they were a victim of too many bad calls? As long as we the fans watch, the NFL will not care what happens on the field. They talk about safety and integrity. They talk about protecting the shield and the legacy of the game. We are all addicted to the NFL drug and wont abandon the game. They better start to listen reall soon or the rehab centers of sports will be full of football addicts.. This is why HOCKEY you should not lockout your players. The quote of the day goes to BUbba Watson. He said that" football fans watch golf this weekend and support team usa in the ryder cup, we have no refs". Absolutely hilarious..
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