OT: NFL replacement refs

[UConn990411]

Can we label it comical now?

 

[mets1090]

That was a difficult call. I think the regular refs probably discuss it and get it right though.

 

[Fishy]

Patriots fans went crazy here last night - the Packers obviously are gonna go berserk now.

If nothing else, those refs are choosing the prime time games to really stand out...the regular refs have to be thrilled at their new bargaining leverage.

Whatever their demands are, they should adjust them north.

 

[superjohn]

The NFL has been a joke since the season started, it isn't even real anymore. Be careful posting anything about the NFL refs here though, Fishy will scold you for cluttering up bandwidth.

 

[hooskies]

horrific.

 

[AtlHusky]

That was a difficult call. I think the regular refs probably discuss it and get it right though.

I don't see it as difficult. Not only did the defender come down with the ball, his body was fully between the ball and the receiver. I don't see legit dual possession and not sure how you could call it any other way. Yes he had his hands on the ball, but only well after the defender had it into his body.

I also think there we close to double digit calls where the refs just flat saw the play incorrectly. It really is a joke at this point.

 

[UConn990411]

Patriots fans went crazy here last night - the Packers obviously are gonna go berserk now.

If nothing else, those refs are choosing the prime time games to really stand out...the regular refs have to be thrilled at their new bargaining leverage.

Whatever their demands are, they should adjust them north.

For what it's worth, I thought last night was the worst officiated game I've ever seen.

Till tonight.

 

[johnhuskies95]

I'm absolutely livid right now as a Packers fan.

 

[Dann]

I'm absolutely livid right now as a Packers fan.

i lost in my fantasy league this weekend 75-73. i have the packers d.

 

[Rico444]

i lost in my fantasy league this weekend 75-73. i have the packers d.

Same here. And nothing will change; the owners know fans won't stop watching games, so they'll keep the hard line against the real refs.

 

[jleves]

Aside from the TD Int - how do you not call offensive pass interferance when the guy took out three defenders with the spread eagle push back?

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[superjohn]

I'm a Giants fan and I can laugh at what a joke the league is right now because my team hasn't been royally screwed yet, although it's just a matter of time if they don't bring back the real refs. The NFL has lost all credibility but I guess we are all the shmucks because we keep watching.

 

[dapriest]

I have never enjoyed football as much as I have this year. With the new refs, every play is exciting. It's like an element of Calvin Ball has been introduced to the game. Next year they should use women's field hockey refs with 2 months of NFL preseason experience.

One nice thing about the MNF game result is that now there is zero doubt that the refs' screw ups have inarguably changed the proper result of at least one game.

You've got to hand it to the Football Gods - the dual-catch ball in the endzone on the hail mary, final play of the game on Monday Night Football in week 3 after a horrendous Saturday and Sunday of calls is just catastrophically perfect. And the cameraman getting in there for the sky-cam view of the scrum, with the ref's hat getting knocked off and the receiver ending up in the Jesus position on the field with the ball? Holy that's Stanley Kubrick level of surreality. Beautiful. It was literally the funniest thing I've seen on TV since I threw out my TV.

 

[aceboon]

besides the last play, the overturned interception on that roughing the passer call was pretty awful as well. Packers probably could've iced the game then since the interception happened in Seattle's own territory.

 

[upstater]

Aside from the TD Int - how do you not call offensive pass interferance when the guy took out three defenders with the spread eagle push back?

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That was a horrid call on the TD; but on hail marys you never see PI called on either team.

 

[NOTaDIME]

I just think this goes to show just how good the regular refs were. We all like to rag on officials but it might take something as significant as this for people to actually appreciate the quality of referees at a high level. The speed of the game is unreal and it is obviously very hard for these guys to adjust. Bottom line is this is a bad situation for most involved. The players, the fans, the coaches and yes, the replacement refs. They aren't trying to blow games, they have just been thrown into a bad situation.

 

[superjohn]

There is a fair amount of crazy/unstable fans and my fear is these replacement refs safety could be in jeopardy. The entire situation has gotten out of hand and the replacement refs should get zero blame, they simply were thrown into something they were completely unqualified and unprepared for. Goodell and the owners look awful in all of this.

 

[dsturdy5]

That was a horrid call on the TD; but on hail marys you never see PI called on either team.

98, Buffalo at New England. Final play, Bledsoe to Glenn, DPI is called. Patriots win on an untimed down.

 

[Waquoit]

Why isn't the media calling these replacement refs what they are - scabs?

 

[dapriest]

Why isn't the media calling these replacement refs what they are - scabs?

Maybe the media thinks the regular refs are overpaid, and that the union functions to protect that overpayment.
Maybe the media thinks that NFL refs have a particularly protected job given that the only other people in the country doing anything close are Division I refs, who are all under contract and therefore not available as replacements.
Maybe the media thinks that 8,000 dollars a game for each ref is way too much.

What's unfortunate about this situation for the NFL is that there is no pool of qualified people to step into the shoes of the locked out refs. If there was, this would be a non issue. Hand them their walking papers and tell them to take their greed to some other league.

As it is, however, the refs are holding more cards than the difficultly of their job suggests they should. That gives them more leverage than they would have otherwise.

They are, no doubt, good refs. But so are the DI refs. You don't hear about constant reffing issues in DI. There is nothing about the locked out refs that make them particularly attuned to the "speed of the game". The fact that the scrubs they brought in - the best available not under contract - aren't doing so well should not be used to infer in the inverse that there was something special about the regular refs. If the NFL could have gotten the DI refs, the locked out refs would have been fired already. Bye.

Likewise, if the NFL could bring in a few new refs not in the union to start working games each year, in 5 or 10 years they wouldn't need the union refs, and the replacement refs would get market pay. Of course, the union would strike to prevent that from happening.

The thing that is going to save the NFL refs is not their talent, but rather the unique circumstances that prevent viable replacement workers from taking their spots.

So, to answer your question, the word "scab" is one thrown around by union folks and union supporters to help maintain higher-than-market wages for union workers. Perhaps the "media," which is run by fortune 50 companies, does not agree with the distorting effects of unions on wages.

This is a proxy fight for the country. The Chicago school union and the Refs are on one side. Apparently the media is on the other.

 

[Danzz]

The regular refs would have called offensive pass interference . The refs expect some pushing and shoving on a hail Mary but #81 pushed the defender in the back in the open so bad that it changed the play. It would have been too obvious to ignore.
I kind of feel sorry for the scab refs. The speed of the game combined with players pushing the limits put additional pressure on them. I liken it to being a substitute teacher.