About that Touchdown Call…

Well, last night’s post was timely, no?

They say “reasonable minds can disagree.” By that standard, last night’s controversial ruling by the officials demonstrates that the sports media is completely unreasonable. As for fans, we already knew they are unreasonable- that’s the point and the joy of being a fan.

I’ve watched the replay from all the different angles and I’ve come to the conclusion that the call was a reasonable judgment by the officials. When the players come down to the ground to establish possession, both players have both hands on the ball. That cannot be disputed when watching replay. There’s plenty of BS about Tate only having one arm on the ball, but it’s false. He has an arm and a hand. The defender is on top of him and able to make it look like he has “more” possession of the ball, but that doesn’t matter. Both players can reasonably be determined to have possession; thus, simultaneous possession.

As for the missed PI call- bah. Happens all the time. But that gives me a chance to point something out that is being missed in the rush to crucify the replacement refs and, by proxy, the NFL owners.

The regular officials make controversial calls all the time. They make mistakes all the time. But because they are the “regular officials,” everyone gives them deference.

Not so with these replacement guys. They get no deference what-so-ever. Not from the players. Not from the coaches. And not from the sports media. Thus, anything that could have been ruled another way is magically transformed into “the regular guys wouldn’t have made that call.” Any missed calls become “The regular guys wouldn’t have missed that call.” Any incorrect calls, like the roughing the passer call on the Packers last night, become “The regular guys wouldn’t have made that mistake.”

These comparisons are all crap. I’ve been watching pro football avidly since 1980. I’ve slowly watched the pass interference penalty evolve from an obscure, almost-never made call to become a staple of the game now- along with the introduction of defensive holding and the 5-yard zone. I watched instant-replay go from a media-driven wishlist item to become a full-blown part of the game. In all that time, I’ve seen more blown calls going every which way imaginable- phantom holding calls that affected Super Bowls, blown overtime coin tosses on Thanksgiving day, uncalled pass interference penalties, missed fumbles. You name it, it’s happened on the “regular official” watch. In prime time games and doormat games.

Until now, though, people pissed and moaned with only the most die-hard fans holding a grudge. There was no one else to make those calls, and the NFL wasn’t in the business of overturning game results. Not one game in all the years I’ve watch has been overturned by the NFL.

But now, the script is different. We’ve got a bunch of new guys making calls, and suddenly, every mistake, real or perceived, is up for debate. Suddenly, the “regular officials” with years of mistakes and blown calls behind them are a “gold standard” for officiating who have never made mistakes. Thus, the press and all the Monday- and Tuesday-morning armchair football geniuses in the country are completely “justified” in declaring, or implying, that every little nit to pick could affect the outcome of the game. And more importantly, that the regular officials would magically make all the correct calls because they “always” did before.

For some, the replacement officials are scapegoats. My team lost? Blame it on the replacements. My fantasy receiver had a sub-par game? Blame it on the replacements. My girlfriend left me? Blame it on the replacements.

For others, the replacement officials are a cudgel with which to whack the hated NFL owners. The replacement guys are ruining games, so the NFL owners are sacrificing the integrity of the game so they can screw the regular guys. The very use of replacement officials proves that NFL owners are greedy bastards who will do anything to make a buck. Plus, controversy is good for ratings.

So, here’s a little perspective. Last night’s touchdown ruling was completely reasonable. Any unbiased look at the replay will confirm this fact. Green Bay fans and players need to get over it- you did not get screwed anymore than any other player, team or fan has as a result of a controversial ruling in the past. Yes, there was a PI call that was missed. How many of you picked up on it in real time? That’s right- none of you because you were all too busy watching the football fly through the air. Would the regular guys have missed it? The right answer is no one knows, because they’ve missed those calls before.

More than anything, the focus on the officiating has shown just how difficult a task officiating an NFL game is. Making calls in real time, with emotions and egos running in the red-level on all parties involved takes guts and a level of cool-headedness that clearly the majority of NFL nation, and most certainly the football press, lacks. Making matters worse, these replacement officials are under more scrutiny that the regular ever were, being subjected to an unprecedented level of scrutiny on every call and non-call imaginable.

But they are not ruining the game. The ones ruining the games are those complaining about every mistake, reasonable or otherwise, made and then blowing them up into a full blown scandal. Those people are called whiners and sore-losers. They are called that because they never accept responsibility for their actions- someone else is always to blame. Just ask the replacement officials.