Monday night football

[alaskandave]

I live about 40 miles from Green Bay, WI. I have grown up a Packer fan all my life. I cheered on the Packers all the way from Alaska when I lived there. I also am friends with several of the players. Anyways I wanted to hear your guys input on the call in the Packers vs Seahawks game.

[Sir Harry]

I have been saying since the preseason ended that these scab refs was going to cost a team a game...well it happened, I hope you're satisfied Roger Goodell. Who officiated this game, Stevie Wonder? All joking aside, it was clear that there was no "simultaneous posession" in which the ball would be awarded to the offensive player. What was more blatant is that the receiver who caught the winning"touchdown" pushed off on another Packers player, which means that had that been called who caught the ball would have become a moot point, it should have been offensive pass interference, game over, Packers win. As a Saints fan, we had our fair share of bad calls, but the refs didn't cause us to lose, we just didn't finish against the Chiefs. The bigger ramifications of this bad call may be felt even more at the end of the season if somehow either: 1. The Packers and Seahawks tie for the last playoff spot or 2. The Packers fall one game short of a division title, first round bye or even homefield advantage. You know officiating is bad when even your division rivals say that you were robbed. A big lesson learned if you are an NFL defensive back....On all Hail Marys at the end of a game, just BAT THE BALL DOWN! Don't try to be a hero/highlight reel.

[tomgallagher]

Is it almost time for the basketball season yet.?

[RoWilJr]

Nuff said...

[Slynito]

Yep, the scab refs should go back to their day jobs!

[warhawk]

I'm not a Packers fan but that last call was horrible, insulting, and disgraceful.  That was clearly an INT by the Packers.  I can't believe what I just witnessed last night.  I am speechless.

WARHAWK

[buddha]

One of the ESPN commentators immediately following the game said it best when he said that the NFL views the refs as "a commodity". This, to me, means that The League may not take any steps to hasten the return of the regulars because they have no desire to negotiate in good faith. Remember that the owners are diversified, they have many other financial interests outside the NFL. The players and the refs??not so much. So the question is whether or not they really care if the fans maintain an interest in watchingand also whether they will allow the league to fall into disrepute in order to prove the point that they are in charge. Remember also that these refs are said to be rejects from places like division 3 or the NAIA or high school that were judged to be incompetent in those venues. With the speed of the NFL game as opposed to the NAIA or lesser NCAA divisions these guys are probably trying their best but clearly that is not good enough.

I'm not holding my breath.

[Mikekoz13]

No doubt about it... the refereeing has been brutal

The sticking point in negotiations, from what I understand, is that the Refs want a pension plan. The NFL says no because they are "part time" employees. I agree with this to a point.

Not in the refs favor is that the NFL got rid of pensions for at least some full time NFL employees a while back. They'll never give the Refs a pension as long as the full time employees are still without one, IMO.

[alaskandave]

Sir Harry I think you said it best. It is still hard for me to agree with the regular refs. They work 4 months and make 180,000 dollars. These guys regular jobs are doctors, lawyers, and Judges. With all that said its time to bring them back whatever it takes.

[buddha]

I heard Bill Parcells interviewed on ESPN about the ref situation. He likened it to rain in that if it's raining during the game it doesn't just rain on one team, it rains on both of them. The same can be said of the ref situation. These guys make a lot of bad calls but they make bad calls (or non-calls) against everybody. I think that the teams need to plan for this during their preparation for games, that the refs will make bad calls. In the case of the Green Bay/Seattle game I don't think that anyone would have guessed that with 6 seconds to go in the game that Green Bay would have only scored 12 points. This is a team that averaged, what?, 35 last year and the best they could do was 12? And Rodgers gets sacked 8 times in the first half? When was the last time we saw that? (Never?). 

The more I think about it, even though (as primarily a Bears fan) I like the Packers they should have had more than 12 on the board. This is like what they say in UFC matches: If you don't finish your opponent you're leaving the decision in the hands of the judges. This is what Green Bay was guilty of, they didn't finish the Seahawks. They left it in the hands of people they knew were not competent to make the decision and they paid for it.

[Sir Harry]

I heard Bill Parcells interviewed on ESPN about the ref situation. He likened it to rain in that if it's raining during the game it doesn't just rain on one team, it rains on both of them. The same can be said of the ref situation. These guys make a lot of bad calls but they make bad calls (or non-calls) against everybody. I think that the teams need to plan for this during their preparation for games, that the refs will make bad calls. In the case of the Green Bay/Seattle game I don't think that anyone would have guessed that with 6 seconds to go in the game that Green Bay would have only scored 12 points. This is a team that averaged, what?, 35 last year and the best they could do was 12? And Rodgers gets sacked 8 times in the first half? When was the last time we saw that? (Never?). 

The more I think about it, even though (as primarily a Bears fan) I like the Packers they should have had more than 12 on the board. This is like what they say in UFC matches: If you don't finish your opponent you're leaving the decision in the hands of the judges. This is what Green Bay was guilty of, they didn't finish the Seahawks. They left it in the hands of people they knew were not competent to make the decision and they paid for it.

Nothing more needs to be said...and this applies to all 32 teams.

[buddha]

BREAKING NEWS!

http://blog.packers.com/2012/09/26/nfl-officials-come-to-agreement/?campaign=fb120926