I have to admit, I didn't watch all of the Monday Night Football game last night. I also didn't want to be up until 2am watching it. You couldn't say the NFL replacement refs are horrible and can't do their job. You can say they're overwhelmed and not as efficient. The negotiations between the referee union and the NFL are now at a standoff. The refs can hold on and say "Look what you're doing to the product by being so uptight." The NFL can turn around and say "Look what your selfishness has done to our brand." I don't know which side will give, but Roger Goodell has had a bad run of publicity as of late.
Last night, the dissatisfaction with the replacement refs finally hit critical mass. Fueled by a controversial last play where Packers Defensive Back M.D. Jennings look to had intercepted a Hail Mary pass by Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. However, Seahawk WR Golden Tate tied up Jennings and was awarded the touchdown by the replacements which won them the game.
There's many things you can criticize in regards to that play. The positioning of the back judge where he got into position after the play had ended. The indecision of the side judge in the end zone to make a call. The confusion was obvious.
The plays I watched on SportsCenter that Matt Millen pointed out that were just as bad was a roughing the passer call that really wasn't roughing the passer, or a pass interference call against the Packers that should have been called on the Seahawks. So there's something in common in all three. The Packers defense got screwed over and over again last night.
Let me try and make you think, or you can fill in the holes that I missed last night because....I didn't watch the whole game.
How many points did the Green Bay Packers score last night? 12 right? 12 points against the Seahawks. Not to discredit the defensive performance of Seattle, but Green Bay has a Super Bowl winning QB who has lifted himself from the shadow of #4. If you want to say the refs screwed the Packers defense, then you have to also say the Packers offense screwed their defense by putting them in that situation to begin with.
Think about that and then fill in the holes that I missed.
