Replacement Referees

The Debacle Heard ‘Round the World

Alright, I will be perfectly honest. I was ready to pass out midway through the 4^th quarter of last night’s game. I retired to my room (which has no TV), so I was not able to witness the events that took place in real time. However, in my barely conscious state, I heard all of my housemates erupting with screams that obviously pertained to Monday Night Football. “Holy shit! Holy Shit!” And, “What the fuck?!! Are you kidding me??!!” were the most popular ones. I figured: Wow, in a game where the outcome has no personal value to any of my friends, what could the possible uproar be about?

The beauty of today’s social media allowed me to re-live the final seconds of the 4^th quarter this morning, and during my 8 a.m. class which lasted about an hour, I spent roughly 50-55 minutes reading articles, watching video, and examining the tweets that resulted from the egregious officiating displayed by the replacement referees. Packers' offensive guard TJ Lang's happened to be my personal favorite.

We all know what occurred. A debatable defensive pass interference call, an even more debatable roughing the passer call, setting up a Russell Wilson forty-yard, last second hail mary.Russell Wilson forty-yard, last second hail mary. Golden Tate blatantly shoves a Packer defender out of his way, and Packers’ safety M.D. Jennings clearly intercepts the ball. Tate was able to put a hand on the ball while in Jennings’ possession, and then subsequently wrestled him to put two hands on it—even though the ball was still clearly nestled in Jennings’ chest, Tate bare hugging him in desperation. Touchdown. Game over. Seattle wins.

Alright, so here’s my take:

Officiating an NFL game is an extremely challenging, demanding, happening-at-incredible-speed task. There is no room for hesitation on decisions that affect millions of people. It’s hard.

Us fans sit here in our living rooms with cold beverages on the table, chips in our laps, and burgers on the grill. We see things on TV at angles that the refs don’t have the privilege of utilizing unless a play is reviewed. Not to mention, they have the duty of managing freakishly large athletes with armor, who have intentions of severely harming their opponents. It’s very easy for us to criticize them.

That being said, referees perform at an extremely high level given the circumstances.

Up until this weekend, the replacement referees have been performing adequately given their circumstances. Sure, they have made a barrage of questionable calls. Sure, their control of confrontation throughout the game has been suspect. But don’t forget that the real refs make plenty of mistakes too. Remember how poorly officiated the NFC championship game between the Giants and Packers was last season? Remember when Ed “The Most Recent National Hero and Savior” Hochuli blew an obvious fumble call which cost the Chargers a game in 2008?

However, the last night changed everything. The bubble has burst. The wall has been torn down. If Sunday Night’s primetime game between the Ravens and Packers wasn’t enough—an inconsistently called game that concluded with a questionable game winning field call…then last night was. Everybody saw both games.

I do feel bad for these replacement refs. They are sitting ducks. Unless we find out that a Golden Tate fantasy owner paid off last night’s officiating crew…they are doing the best they can. But the fact is, their level of adequacy just isn’t good enough. They aren’t qualified to regulate games that impact so many people, and the fate of a franchise’s season.

Now comes the concern moving forward. It’s Tuesday, the Browns and Ravens play on Thursday night. What’s going to happen to these guys if they officiate this game? All of the players know what happened last night. All of the coaches saw it. These refs are going to be terrified. Can you imagine trying to regulate a game where everybody participating is infuriated by your presence? Where everybody in the stadium is just waiting for the chance to bellow the most of maniacal profanities and chants in your direction? If these guys are still around for Thursday night’s game…I’m scared for what may transpire. The NFL should be too.

Roger Goodell, it’s time. It’s time to save this season before the integrity of our nation’s most popular spectacle diminishes any further. It’s time to restore order. It’s time to make the players feel safe. Swallow the ego, swallow the cash, bring back the real National Football League referees. Not tomorrow, not next week...right now.

-Chris Collins

Follow Chris and PJ on Twitter @IceBathReport

Follow Chris @ChrisCollins127