It was a regular ref who got the coin toss wrong in that playoff game a few years ago and it was regular refs who embarrassed the NFL in the Steelers/Seahawks Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, you have replay officials — not locked out or on strike — who are every bit as bad as those on the field. Evidently there was no NFL representative in replay booth on Sunday who could have told the referee in that game that San Francisco made two illegal challenges within a span of six plays.
Packer and Patriot fans are finally getting a taste of what the ‘lesser’ teams have had to put up with for years. Eye-opening, isn’t it?
Incompetence is rife in NFL officiating no matter who wears the stripes. So buckle your chin straps and play football or hold your breath till you turn blue, take your ball and go home.
The old refs sucked (but were only rarely called out on it). The new refs are trying, but they are clearly looking overwhelmed and under-trained.
Best solution I’ve seen to date: make do, for now, with the replacements and ditch the “regular” refs altogether. Recruit a new generation of younger, fitter refs, as full-time employees, paying them year-round and putting them through rigorous training to gain certification, plus annual off-season re-certification and pshyical evaluation. As full-time employees, pay them a full-time salary, benefits, etc.
Even if they “graduate” more refs than they need for their games, these guys will likely be in demand by top college conferences due to their training (and more so for the ones who have proven themselves in the league).
Don't forget the Steelers. I thought I was the only one who noticed that notoriously dirty teams (ahem, Patriots) are now suddenly getting penalties that they would never have been called for under the regular refs. Personally, I think it's made the game more exciting.
The only thing different about the "quality" of the officiating this season is the fact that you have to listen to every sportscaster, talking head, lib journ-o-list, etc. whine on and on incessantly about it. That's the only reason anyone has noticed it and noted that it seems soooooo bad. Take that away, and you just have the normal NFL with botched calls all over the place.
It's the Lib Media supporting their union brethren.