A brief word about the NFL replacement officials who have officiated their last NFL game now that the regular officials are returning. Yes, they blew a call in the Green Bay game this past weekend in dramatic fashion, but the regular referees never made an incorrect ruling which impacted the outcome of a game? The only difference is people were waiting for the replacement officials to blow a call where the regular referees are given the presumption of being near infallible.
Before anyone goes blaming the replacement referees, the question that needs to be asked who was to be blamed for this debacle? Is it the replacement referees who were clearly not ready for prime time or t is the NFL and owners who decided to lockout the regular referees and put them on the field. If they didn't lock the regular officials out, the replacements wouldn't have been out there.
Besides, what do you expect when you get referees who work Division III college football games working NFL games? Put a bunch of M(atinee) drivers behind unraced two year olds making their first start at a parimutuel track as a result of a driver boycott and see what happens. Remember the times when the jockeys went on strike and NYRA management put exercise riders in the saddle for the races (us oldsters would remember)? Who would have been to blame if an exercise rider caused an accident? Yes, the exercise rider would have been blamed but the ultimate question would have been who put the rider in the saddle?
I rather think if not for the replacement officials, there would not have been a football season up to this point. I thank them for their efforts in a no-win situation and blame management for letting things get to the point they did.
No comments:
Post a Comment