I just had the horror of watching the worst call I have ever seen in a professional football game. Yes, I just watched the ending of the Packers-Seahawks game tonight on Monday Night Football. As you can probably assume, I am a Packer fan. I mean I live in Wisconsin, right? But being a Packer fan comes secondary to being a fan of the NFL. I love the NFL and it is one of the finest run professional league in all of American sports, until now.
These replacement refs are no longer a joke, not something to be laughed off or looked at as a minor incoveinence. No, these replacement refs are now ruining the integrity of the game. Their mistakes are changing the course of contests and affected more than just isolated plays. They are affected the records of teams, the results of games, and are weakening the trust players, coaches, and fans have in the NFL.
For evidence (for those who did not watch tonight) let me cite a few of the more egregious calls made by the refs in this contest. It was the fourth quarter, 42 seconds left, and Sam Shields is called for pass interference on Sidney Rice. The replay clearly shows it was Rice not Shields who should have been called for pass interference. Rice had his arm around Shields. It was blatant offensive pass interference.
There was the roughing the passer call prior to that, a call that negated a Packer interception of Russell Wilson. It wasn't roughing the passer unless roughing the passer encompasses making a tackle on a quarterback. Then they should call it on nearly every play where the quarterback takes a hit.
Last there was the call heard round the world. With no time left in regulation, Russell Wilson hoists up a hail mary to the left corner of the endzone. Several Packers and Seahawk players go up for it. Prior to that however, Sidney Rice pushed down a Green Bay defender, a clear interference call. But lets move on. So Golden Tate and M.D. Jennings go up for the ball. Jennings gets a hold of it and pulls it to his chest. Upon replay it is clear Jennings has it to his chest, a clear sign of possession. Both Jennings and Tate go to the ground with Tate clawing for the ball. Two officials come running up, one calls it a touchdown, the other a touchback. To the replay... After a extensive review, the head ref comes out and says the ruling on the field stands: Touchdown.
Having seen the play several times I do not understand how they uphold the call of touchdown. There is some talk of simultaneous possession. But after some research by yours truly, this play does not fall under that rule. Here is the definition directly from the NFL itself:
Item 5: Simultaneous Catch.
If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players
retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an
opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such
players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
Anyway, it is clear that Jennings had control of the ball first, hence no simultaneous possession. The refs flat out got it wrong. Not alittle wrong, but plain wrong.
Then the was the confusion that took place after. Packers players leaving the field of play. Officials scrambling to establish order. Media on the field. It was pure chaos. Can't blame the Packers for leaving the field. They got robbed. I wouldn't want to stay either. But, the NFL rules require the Seahawks to kick the extra point. So, the Packers had to have 11 men on the field.
Slowly, Packers players came back out and 11 of them lined up for the pointless extra point. Good for them. Bad on the refs for not explaining what was happening.
Week 3 in the NFL is in the books. Can't take it back, can't change it. But now the question becomes: Where do we go from here?
As I said at the open, these refs are clearly now ruining the integrity of the game. This experiment by Commissioner Goddell can no longer be allowed to continue. The players are angry, the coaches are angry, and most importantly the fans are now angry. It is time for Goddell to put an end to this.
My hope is that this incident will finally prompt the NFL and Goddell to come to an agreement with the officials. Ideally a deal would be reached before Thursday nights game with the Browns and Ravens. A true NFL fan can hope, right?
In all seriousness, I love the NFL. Many of my best memories in life involve watching an NFL game with family and friends. I don't want to see the integrity of the game be sacrificed like this. The time for pettiness is over. Compromise is needed. I hope and pray the commissioner heeds the requests of true fans like myself and ends this grand and ultimately failed experiment of his. The choice is his. Restore the NFL to a position of respect or allow it to plunge further into chaos and mockery.
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