Is the nfl becoming pro boxing?

  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..

The weakest two divisions in the NFL are..

The weakest 2 divisions in the NFL this season will be the AFC South and the NFC West.  Both of these divisions have one super team and three other teams trying to find themselves.  The 49ers and Texans have super aspirations based what they accomplished last year and what they did in the off season to prove that last year was not a fluke. The Niners made it to the championship game and played the Giants as tough as any team could.  The weather and an unfortunate fumble in overtime ended their dreams of a super bowl.  They have added Randy Moss, Brandon Jacobs, LeMicheal james to give weapons to Alex Smith which should compliment their stellar defense. Houston played the second half of the seaon with an injured Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Mario Williams, and even Arian Foster.  They lost backup quarterback Matt Leinart and used T.J. Yates as quarterback who guided them to the playoffs. Leinart and Williams are no longer on the team but Schaub and Johnson are ready to lead this team back to the post season.  Theyhave a lot of nobody's on this extremely talented defense and if the run the ball like they have over the past 2 seasons with Foster, this team could be in New Orleans come Super sunday.  The Texans could end up with home field advantage because of a weak schedule and soft division. The Niners will have Green Bay, New York,and New Orleans to fight for home field. Lets look at the other teams in the two divisions.
The AFC south is trying to look to the future.  The Jags, Colts and Titans are all staring first or second year quarterbacks.  The Colts have Andrew Luck and he looks amazing.  He has poise, confidence, and ability that I have never seen in a rookie qb.  The problem they have is that they are going to waste the first half of the season learning how to protect him and developing a running game.  The Colts gutted the franchise.  They have quality players, including Reggie Wayne, but the running game has to become a priority until Luck can lead them to victories.  The Defense will be new and on the field alot. I think they will surprise a few teams. 
Tennessee has the running back, a star receiver in the making, but the defense, and quarterback position could be a liability.  I liked Locker in college but he would be great against USC, but then go 4/20 against Nebraska.  He is not consistent yet.  Chris Johnson went from a 2,000 yard back to almost out of the league in two years.  He has to carry thi team like Barry Sanders and I dont think he can.  The defense can stop the run. They get passed on a lot.  Coach Munchak has to address this or they will have a tough season ahead.
Jacksonville needs to give Blaine Gabbert his courage pills before each game. He looked brave in his first two preseason games so maybe he is ready to shake off the "soft" label he has.  They need Maurice Jones Drew in camp asap. I like Justin Blackmon as a receiver and thought he was the best prospect in the draft.  He has freakish speed and size. Just throw him the ball and he will deliver. This team will improve from last year when in tact but that remains to be seen if that will actually happen.
The NFC west is only slightly better.  Seattle is enbroiled in quarterback battle.  Matt Flynn just signed a big deal to be the guy but he is getting challenged big time by Russell Wilson who isnt your typical rookie. He is just"short". They signed T.O. and he can still play the game and get open.  Lynch can run as well.  Their problem is inconsistency on offense and defensively they do not cover well or tackle.  This team last year played a lot of close games but could not get off the field in third down situations. They were so tired probably because the offense struggled at times in all games and then got hot and had to stage comebacks.  Pete Carrill must have a strong heart to put up with style of football.
Arizona has weapons everywhere.  They can score with anyone but like Seattle they play the game in stretches and not consistnt football. They have 2 quarterbacks which means they have none.  Jon Skelton is going to win the job because Kevin Kolb is either hurt or trying to force the ball somewhere.  Hand the ball off to oft injured Beany Wells and maybe they can eliminate their mistakes.  Their defense is fast and aggressive. They just don't have size to stop most running teams.  They can cover and their special teams will snipe you if you allow them.  Patrick Petersen is the real deal.  Need stability at the qb position to compete with niners. 
St.Louis has a quarterback with confidence issues.  If Sam Bradford can play like he did during his rookie season, the Rams could be fun to watch. Steven Jackson is the most feared back in the league, but teams are willing to let him run because they the Rams will bog down somehow. This year is a big one Bradford.  He needs to legitimize being a 60 million dollar man. They have a decent core of receivers. I think they should have made a play for Blackmon but they chose who they did.  Defensively, the Rams get aftre the quarterback as good as anyone.  They just don't cover very well.  The way you hide your deficiency in your secondary is by putting the opposing quarterback on his back.  In that stadium, with that noise, they should be able to do that with more consistency.  We shall see..
The outlook for the teams:  San Fran: 12-4, Seattle: 7-9, Arizona:6-10, St.Louis: 5-11
The outlook for the teams:  Houston: 14-2, Indy: 5-11, Jacksonville: 4-12, Tennesse: 2-14.
Player to watch in NFC west: Alex Smith..( was last year a fluke?)
Player to watch in AFC south: Andrew Luck.. The future starts now..
Both divisions will be great in 2 years.