Zebras, Foot Locker and the NFL

Just like everyone else in the sports world, I believe this Replacement Refs controversy is ruining the NFL.  Absolutely horrible calls are being made, play has been getting way out of line, and the outcomes of games are being put at risk.  But, let’s not put the complete blame on these D-III , NAIA and Lingerie Football referees.  THEY. ARE. NOT. NFL. REFEREES!

Look, would you throw elementary teachers in as college professors if the professors went on strike?  Would you expect those elementary teachers to perform as well as the professors if they were put on the spot immediately? These replacement refs were thrown into the fire, put on the spot, etc. and expected to perform at a caliber that has never been familiar to them before.  Remember, they were probably lower-level referees for a reason!  Yes, the calls are bad.  Yes, the reviews are even worse.  But, let’s give these guys a break.  They aren’t the ones on strike or refusing to pay a pension.  Now, coaches and players are taking advantage of the replacement refs and seeing just how far they can take it.  This is becoming a farce! 

The end of the Green Bay-Seattle football game was one of the craziest endings of a game I’ve ever seen.  And of course, the replacement refs were the ones that had to make the tough call.  Unfortunately, they made the wrong call.  As I’m sure everyone else expected, I couldn’t wait for the postgame interviews.  I just knew that Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and the rest of the Packers were going to explode and provide plenty of great sound bites.  But no, they were respectful, professional and classy in the way they handled the tough questions from the media.  Besides a few explicit tweets, I was thoroughly impressed with the way the  Packers organization handled the situation. 

Here’s the real problem.

The regular referees want more money and pensions.  The NFL is refusing to pay this.  The NFL is a multi-billion dollar corporation and the referees are now trying to get their cut. GREED seems to be a common theme here, but isn’t that the bottom line of all lockouts? 

Aaron Rodgers may have said it best when he was quoted yesterday, “First of all, I've got to do something that the NFL is not going to do, and I have to apologize to the fans.  The game is being tarnished by an NFL that obviously cares more about saving some money than having the integrity of the game diminished a little bit.”

Thank Jerry Jones!! The NFL is Back!

Last night kicked off the beginning of the National Football League regular season with a game between the New York Giants who hosted the Dallas Cowboys and I think I could feel the sports world take a breath of release.  Finally, something for us to look forward to on Sundays; finally a sport other than baseball to talk about; finally, a season where everything will go smoothly.  Wait, they’re using replacement referees? Scratch that, there’s already controversy. 

But, at least the game is back. This year is going to be a little bit different for me as a fan as I joined a Fantasy Football League for the first time.  I drafted, I negotiated, and I’m ready for this season! As if I wasn’t already a fan of football, Fantasy Football is going to make watching the other teams play more enjoyable and I’m excited about it.   I’ll be rooting for guys I normally wouldn’t and defenses I probably shouldn’t and I’m going to win.  Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, and many others better step up for me big this year!  Fingers crossed for no injuries.

You should be just as excited as I am.  I’m excited to see how this new breed of rookie quarterbacks will fare against the hard-knocking NFL defenses.  I’m excited to see how Peyton Manning will do coming off a whole missed season in a new city.  I’m excited for the Rams to win a few more games this year.  I’m excited for my boys, Adrian Clayborn and Mike McNeill to have HUGE years!  I’m just excited for the game to be back!  Good luck to all the Fantasy Footballers, the players but more importantly the replacement refs (you’ll need it)!