NFL losing credibility with each blown call by replacement refs

Los Angeles Times ^ | September 24, 2012 | Bill Plaschke

[Zakeet]

Monday's debacle only crystallizes what was already clear: NFL's substitute officials are a joke, and it's time for Commissioner Roger Goodell to end lockout.

Hail Mary. Holy hell.

On the final play of the final game of one of the most shameful weekends in NFL history, a last-gasp pass from the Seattle Seahawks fell from the sky into the arms of the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

Touchdown, Seattle. Chaos, NFL.

Three weeks of gross incompetence by unqualified replacement officials crystallized in two moments Monday night that pushed the league's integrity to the brink.

In one moment, Packers safety M.D. Jennings clearly intercepted a final-play pass while falling upon Seahawks receiver Golden Tate in the end zone, preserving an apparent 12-7 Green Bay win.

In the next moment, the replacement officials ruled that Tate had made the catch, and upheld that ruling after replay review, giving the Seahawks a 14-12 victory.

Said Packers Coach Mike McCarthy: "I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football."

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman tweeted: "These games are a joke."

It's finally happened. After three weeks of forgetting the rules, losing track of the ball, and haphazardly administering this country's national pastime as if they were salesmen on vacation from Foot Locker, the replacement officials have finally done serious, irrevocable damage. The arrogant NFL's middle-school and small-college substitutes for the locked-out regular officials have finally, actually, literally made one wrong call that decided the outcome of a game.

It was one of the worst calls in the history of the league, yet it might turn out to be one of the best calls if humiliated Commissioner Roger Goodell was listening to the message it sent.

[sargon]

There have been plenty of bad calls before this year, as well. I don't see that the quality of the officiating has gone down that much.

A regular officiating crew could have made this same mistake. It's just a bad call. They happen. Good teams overcome them and it all evens out over time...

[discostu]

Definitely. That’s a big part of their problem, they just can’t exercise control over a game. The regular refs would have told Carroll to get his guys off the field, conferenced, and then probably settled on a reversible call so they could get it right with review. The replacements get caught up in the moment too much. I feel bad for them, they’re trying but they’re just not ready.

[MHGinTN]

The official closest to the action and in full view of the GB DB clutching the ball to his chest as he fell and turned over to land on his back atop Tate called it a touchback, but the official up the sideline who ‘missed’ the blatant shove Tate put on the GB DB called it a touchdown AFTER HE RAN UP AND LOOKED DOWN TO SEE THE GB DB HOLDING THE BALL! Crooked offocial in my book ...

[MHGinTN]

The official closest to the action (in the in-zone) and in full view of the GB DB clutching the ball to his chest as he fell and turned over to land on his back atop Tate called it a touch-back, but the official up the sideline who ‘missed’ the blatant shove Tate put on the GB DB called it a touchdown AFTER HE RAN UP AND LOOKED DOWN TO SEE THE GB DB HOLDING THE BALL! Crooked official in my book ...

[CodeToad]

The NFL lost ALL credibility when they kept Rush out of ownership but let in all kinds of liberals.