Breaking point

First thing’s first, refereeing an NFL game is not an easy job and the step up from officiating small college games to the big league is a daunting one, but while I am sure the ‘replacement referees’ are doing their very best, things have now got to the point where Roger Goodell and the league has to step in.

After watching this week’s Sunday Night Football encounter in Baltimore between the Ravens and the Patriots, I was left exasperated by at least 15 (yes FIFTEEN) calls that were bogus, phantom or just plain wrong. For example, last time I checked, illegal contact on a receiver was impossible on a four yard reception when you are allowed contact within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. Well apparently not for these referees. Now I expected the confusion that sometimes occurs regarding calls, the extra time it has taken for decisions to be correctly made and some frustration from players, coaches and fans, I did not expect the complete cluelessness that some of these refereeing crews seem to have when it comes to knowing the rules of the game.

I’m not generalising here, there have been some very good calls in many games, but in terms of knowing simple things like when the clock stops after certain penalties, the difference between holding, pass interference and illegal contact and just knowing what constitutes holding, I have seen so many examples where officials simply do not have a grasp of what is written in the rulebook. The Patriots can attest to this, especially with holding calls. They have been hit by terrible phantom calls on Rob Gronkowski twice in two weeks now, possibly costing them two wins, and while I do not condone Bill Belichick’s actions after the Ravens game, where he chased after an official after the final whistles had blown, I completely understand his utter frustration.

And this is the point, when the poor decisions begin to affect teams in terms of winning and losing games, then something has to be done. The league has started to clamp down on coaches, players and teams criticising these refereeing crews, but while it is natural for the league to protect them, it is not highlighting the magnitude of the consequences that the poor decisions are having on teams around the league. Take the Saints for example; in control of the game against the Chiefs until a missed hold (that was obvious to everyone in the stadium) led to a Jamaal Charles 90 yard touchdown run. This changed the flow of the game, gave the Chiefs confidence and momentum that they would not have otherwise had, and eventually ended up with the Saints being 0-3 and looking at a wildcard spot at best.

The most disturbing thing about the officiating though is that players are beginning to take liberties with the safety of their fellow professionals. I saw two hits from Ed Reed on Sunday night that could have caused serious injury, especially a helmet-to-helmet offense on Deion Branch that could have taken his head off, Matt Schaub lost some of his ear after a horrendous hit from Broncos’ linebacker Taylor Mays and some of the scuffles throughout the weekend just looked as if there was no control from the ‘zebras’. While Reed and Mays can expect large fines sitting in their mailboxes, the worry is that players are risking these dangerous hits because they believe that they could get away with it. This is just not good enough.

Yes this is a strong criticism of the officiating in the NFL right now, but someone has to say it. The painful truth of the matter is that these referees are simply not qualified to do the job they are trying to do, and while they flounder around game after game, they are not only affecting some teams’ chances of being successful, but they are alienating the fans as well, fans who have been watching the game all their lives, and now haven’t got a clue what is going on at times.

You know the saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’? Give Ed Hochuli and co. their money Mr Goodell, we want our game back.