Wednesday: Refs
REFFING IS HARD. Maybe that’s what this whole replacement-ref flap has taught us more than anything (other than reiterating how stubborn and arrogant the leadership of the NFL is). Not just anyone can waltz in there and confidently make calls.
I’m not even talking specifically about the Green Bay-Seattle call. That one seemed pretty easy; they just blew it. I’m talking about all the calls in all the games. Have you noticed how many times these guys have had to gather to talk things over? One official even took a couple of minutes to consult a rule book. I guess that’s better than just making a call and not knowing the rule, but still…you’d think they’d know the rules.
Read this morning that giving the real refs everything they want in the labor negotiations would cost each team roughly $100,000 more per year. Seems like that would be well worth it.
I feel no obligation to help Roger Goodell save his business, just as I feel no obligation to join the chorus of media members devising ways to “save” NASCAR. It’s actually kind of fun watching him sully his product with such arrogance. But then again, I’ve long been frustrated with the media’s nonstop worship of the NFL, typically while taking jabs at other sports.
And guess what? Baseball attendance is up this year, while attendance in everything else keeps dropping. The new playoff format has spiked interest in the divisional races and kept more cities interested. Bud Selig always gets blasted; I’m thinking he deserves some credit here.
WEDNESDAY HEADLINES
-Doughty argues that Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech is the biggest of UVa’s season.
-Andy profiles Cincinnati dual-threat quarterback Munchie Legaux, who leads the nation’s 12th-ranked rushing attack.
-Notre Dame is opting out of its annual series with Michigan following the 2014 season.
-Roy Williams’ kidney tumor is found to be benign. The UNC coach will have a biopsy on a second kidney tumor next week, with doctors saying there’s a good chance that growth is also benign.
-Going to talk to Kyle Busch today in Martinsville. Anybody have any burning questions for him?
-Braves clinch a playoff berth with a walk-off homer by Freddie Freeman.
-Tigers move into a first-place tie in the AL Central.
-Orioles and Yankees both lose; New York maintains 1.5-game lead in AL East. Yankees play at Minnesota at 1 p.m. today on MLB Network, while the Orioles host Toronto (7 p.m., MASN2).
-The Angels win their fourth straight and are two back of Oakland for the second AL wildcard spot.
NAME THAT TUNE
I’m outa luck, outa love
Gotta photograph, picture of
Passion killer, you’re too much
You’re the only one I wanna touch
I see your face every time I dream
On every page, every magazine
So wild so free so far from me
You’re all I want, my fantasy
September 26, 2012 - 8:28 AM
It is kind of hard to take the replacement refs seriously if they were actually let go by Lingerie Football League. Then again, it is hard to take a league like LFL seriously when they have half naked women playing football. I also have been hearing rumor that Ron Cherry was the man responsible training the replacement refs.
Def Leppard…Photograph. Finally one I recognize. The Hokies can prove to me against Cinci that they,ve righted the ship…but considering how this team run by and around Pitt I’m skeptical they can get it done. Hope I’m wrong (again).
These refs have no realistic chance of becoming better any time soon. Most of these replacements are high school or lower level college refs. The speed of the game at the NFL level is so much greater than even top level college football that these guys need years of experience before they could even begin to work these games. I really don’t blame the replacement guys because nobody could step in there and do any better without the experience and knowledge of the regular refs. I know this would never happen but if even 10 percent of people would not watch the NFL this week it might change things. The League is really arrogant in it’s statements regarding the game. Basically they just told the fans we can run this sport any way we want and you will still watch. I will watch something else this week becuase I don’t like being insulted thatb way. There is more to life than the NFL.
Baseball is great this year. With all the great stories and playoffs coming up too I will watch baseball and let the NFL run their clown show however they please. NHL you can get lost too.
Good tune. Photograph, Def Leppard.
My wife asked me about the replacement refs. You always here about players taking the next step, from NCAA to the NFL and talking about how fast the game is. Guess that applies to officials too.
Notre Dame is opting out of its annual series with Michigan, huh? Isn’t that an interesting piece of news. Yeah, yeah, they’re staying independent in football, for sure (as my eyes roll). I guess the $64k question is – will they be in the Atlantic, or the Coastal? And who is #16? Rutgers or UConn? This “deal” they got, I said it before, it was all about them looking like they got there way.
Ask Kyle – “do you practice being an ass, or are you like Rick H., where it just comes naturally?” Geez, you went to baseball games on Monday, and are going to Martinsville today, probably stopping at Dodge’s Store on the way down for a leg, breast, biscuit and a beer, and then going to chat it up with Rowdy Busch. I am definitely in the wrong line of work.
Ditto on the comments about the NFL situation. It is nice to see Goodell and clowns (the owners) submarine a good thing. $100k a team, huh? That’s $12,500 per home game that they have to come up with. All the owners need to do is consult Danny Boy Snyder on how to rip everybody off an extra 25 cents, per person, per game, to cover their wallets. Boy, how I’d love to see the NFL tank.
I have to say Roger Goddell is a genius. By having the replacement refs calling the games, more people are gonna tune in to see what calls is going to get screwed up. The fans are going to tune in and see coaches like Belichick grabbing the refs and get away wih it, to see the coaches face get redder than a cooked lobster. I mean, Goddell should get ton of credit for making the NFL the butt of late night show jokes. He has done a blo
Shaun, using your logic, I say there’s more to life than Major League Boringball.
If anyone thinks ending the strike and bringing the “real” refs back will end controversial calls then I have some swell swamp land to show you. I remember Pittsburgh getting ripped off when they were called for “too many players on the field” and Cowher getting a picture from the booth of only 11 on the field and the ref wouldn’t even take the picture and so Cowher stuffed it in his shirt pocket. That call cost Pittsburgh.
This is not hurting the league. Ratings are as high as ever.
BTW, what I have heard is being reported erroneously. The NFL is not saying the right call was made ont he field, they are saying the right call was to not overturn the play based on the video evidence.
It is a 16 game season people…..
Good read from Doughty. Interesting that Louisianna Tech opned as a 3.5 favorite on the road against a BCS opponent.
Then there is the “Tech” factor for UVA. Whenever they see that word beside their opponents name on the scoreboard they roll over and quit.
Just to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment: Sure, it’s only $100,000 per team –this year. But if the refs end up getting everything they want, they’ll just be back next time asking for more. It’s a power struggle, plain and simple, and neither side can afford to give in without at least some face-saving concessions at this point.
Aaron, would be interesting to see where MLB attendance is up. Team, by team, because there have been some teams come along and have done much better than the past few years.
Certain teams will draw a fairly consistent crowd (Boston, NY Yankees), but teams like the Nats and O’s, they bring in more when winning, and there have been some performance surprises this year, compared to the past couple of years, and I’d be willing to guess that is a reason for the MLB bump in butts in the seat.
Honestly? I’ve noticed no difference in the officiating. The NFL refs, in my opinion, are just as bad or – as a few Super Bowls have shown – worse. I personally feel that the reason you’re seeing a bigger deal about the officiating than normal is due to the fact these refs are strikebreakers and that there may be an pro-union agenda underlying the situation.
As for the other stuff, NFL refs aren’t full-time employees so why should they get a pension? Why should they get most of what they’re negotiating for? And if the players strike over this like T.J. Lang suggests? Get scabs like the ’87 strike.
Here’s my thoughts as far as the refs:
There is absolutely nothing unfair about the refs. All teams are playing with the same crappy refs. Nobody has an advantage because of the refs.
My problem is with the players and coaches who are willing to accept a win that they only got because of a blatantly bad call. I don’t give a rip about the Packers or Seahawks, but I’m disappointed that the Seahawks would gladly accept that win.
We’ve all watched games where we thought a questionable call here or there may have cost our team the game, but when a call is so close that the color of your fandom effects how you see the call, then I can deal with those calls not always going my way.
But in Monday night’s game, that was obvious to everyone, Packer, Seahawk, or indifferent, that the call was really, really wrong. I would hope that people who consider themselves to be true competitors would want to play by the rules, and not accept wins that they didn’t earn.
Bob H, your comment reminded me of the Seahawks-Steelers Super Bowl game a few years ago. I remember the BS call by the referee when Big Ben snuck the football over the goal line when he was clearly down a yard shy of the goal line. The replay showed clear as crystal that Big Ben moved the football as the referee was rushing over to make a ruling. It’s one of the many calls that still make Seahawks fans steam.
Regular or replacement refs, there’s always gonna be controversial calls. It’s kinda like Teddy Valentine, already trying to goad coaches into a tantrum so he could whistle them for a T.
To me it’s not the blown calls that are the bigger deal. It’s the operations issue, those times when the crew is standing around looking at each other and refusing to make calls with confidence.
The vibe these guys give off (at least to me) is that they don’t know the rules. That destroys the credibility of your game — as does that Saints fan almost reffing a Saints game.
It’s not the ref’s. Bad call in the GB, Seattle game but who’s to say the regular refs would have called it differently. It could be the reverse. Everybody knows the regular refs overlook minor infractions that the replacements might be calling. The coaches know they are subs so they are going to try everything in their power to sway the subs. Play the game and concentrate on football. If you have a lousy game plan and lose, you can always blame the refs.
Ask Kyle if he thinks running less races other than cup has hurt him this year. Be interesting to know how much pressure he feels to be more marketable these days and not be “Rowdy” anymore. I guess I would really like to know if the drivers feel like they can be theirself or do they have to have a certain”image” all the time.
According to some reports the NFL is near a deal with NFL officials union and we could have regular refs back this weekend.
I have to say, in all honesty, I have yet to watch a snap of the NFL this year. I’ve kept up with box scores, but haven’t watched a game at home, or watched a game at a sports bar or anywhere with a TV. Part of it has been the ref issues, part has been I’ve just had a crazy schedule (also mostly why I’ve been gone lately). Plus, baseball has just been more interesting this year with the added Wild Card, and that my Tigers are still in it, despite all of their flaws.
As for the cost, think about this a moment: at $100,000 per team per year, if the average attendance is say 50,000 per home game, and each team hosts 8 home games (not including pre-season and playoffs), that means the cost is a measly quarter per ticket sold. Yeah, 25 whole whopping cents per ticket is what the owners are b*tching over.
Sorry Rick H, I didn’t see your mention of the quarter in your comment before I posted mine…
Let’s see. Calvin Johnson catches the ball in the end zone. Wraps up with both hands, takes a couple of steps and falls down. AS HE IS GETTING UP, he uses the ball to push himself up and leaves it on the ground. Touchdown denied. Lions lose. Tom Brady “tuck rule.” Patriots win. There are lots of other examples of questionable, game changing calls made by the regular refs.
The ACC will want Navy as the 16th team.
I’m so done with the refs and the NFL until it’s fixed. So on to something more important. I’m I the only that struggled with the Fearless Forecaster picks this week? There are some real toss ups this week. It will be interesting to see if AM can keep his lead after this week.
The story in the WP is that they are having to give away tickets in DC to get fanny’s in the seats for the Cincy/ VT game at Fed Ex field. Seems only 38000 have been sold to date for the game Saturday. If sales continue to go this way,this will end up being the poorest showing in Fed Ex for a VT team. What does one expect for two un-ranked teams.
Aaron, you are exactly right. It is the vibe these guys give.
If I am wrong, by damn, I’ll convince you I am right, if for no other reason than I’ll be assured in what I call, be it right or wrong. These guys are so hesitant – long discussions, huddles about what to call, etc – just throw the damn flag, move the ball, and act like you know what you are doing.
That’s pretty much what the problem is. Yeah, they’ve blown some calls – and I mean REALLY blown some calls, but what stands out is the indecision. Decide whether you are going to buy white or wheat bread and get your ass out of the bread aisle and into the beer aisle.
These Refs have definitely blown it on a constant basis but football fans will still tune in, just when the replacement players were around in the early 1980′s. People love football and I agree with the earlier writer, fans will tune in to see what gets screwed up next. It is all a very entertaining, profitable business. As far as the call Monday night, it was clear to any half wit fan that the Packers intercepted the ball but would you want to be the one that makes that call in a hostile environment? Much like the miracle catch that Franco Harris made in the 1972 playoffs against Oakland. The refs admitted later that they made the wrong call but also made it clear that if they had ruled against the Steelers, none of them would have made it out of Pittsburgh alive. So there it is folks; it is about integrity and you must choose every day if you will make the correct and honest decision. The replacement refs did not and it will never go away. The Packers have 13 more games and they should be fine in the final analysis but this blight from Monday never leaves. The memory of Pete Carroll and his obnoxious behavior will never go away either. In Seattle’s defense on another matter, they were screwed royally by the real Refs in the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh a few years ago, that was obvious to all as well but no one changed anything for them. Final: Bearcats will smother and dazzlde the Hokies on Saturday, 28-13.
News now is that the NFL has settled. My observation on the replacements is that the players and coaches seem so convinced that the refs don’t know the rules that the games are getting out of hand. You see a bunch of coaching stunts and “dirty” play that you would not ordinarily see. I will be glad to see them go.
“What does one expect for two un-ranked teams.”
With a name like ‘proofreader,’ you’d think you wouldn’t make mistakes like this.