The NFL is a multibillion dollar organization that stresses the integrity and safety of their game. I know this horse has been beaten many times over the past couple weeks, but the NFL is doing the fans, players, coaches and itself a disservice by continuing to use replacement officials. I am not blaming the replacement officials by no mean, I agree with Brett in his previous article that they are doing what anyone would do, take a promotion. While Joe Flacco sounded like a whiny baby last week complaining about the officials in a loss to the Eagles, I am starting to see his point. While the amount of holding penalities and pass interference calls seem to be down; players fighting with other players, illegal hits and players telling the refs what calls should be made have increased. Also the length of the games has increased, while officials try figure out the correct calls. I appreciate the fact that the replacements are huddling and conversing with one another to get things right. What I don't appreciate is the players showing a lack of respect for the sub par officials and continually arguing while the refs try and figure stuff out. Do you think if Ed Hochuli told Carson Palmer or Lamar Woodley to get away that more players would jump into the ref huddle? The answer is no because first off Ed could rip half their heads off and second the players respect him and wouldn't try those antics. In the this same where it took the refs almost 3 minutes to figure out the Brett Keisel clearly jumped offsides (because players wouldn't get away and let them have a quick discussion), a few plays later Darrius Heyward Bay was knocked unconscious. While this could easily have happened while the normal refs were officiating, the difference was the lack of a 15 yard personal penalty for a head to head hit to a defenseless receiver. Heyward Bey laid on the ground motionless for roughly 10 minutes and fortunately Bey gave the thumbs up as he was carried off the field on a stretcher. Roger Goodell says he cares about the safety and protection of the game, I say he is full of it. If the Commissioner of the league truly cared about the players of this game he would get the real officials back on the field. Another thing I have noticed is the replacement officials lacking the testicular fortitude to call not offsetting personal fouls. I know they are in a bad position, I get it,but man up and hold a guy responsible for his team losing 15 yards. If you start penalizing these guys for taking advantage of this situation, they will at least fear the penalties if not gain a little respect for the refs having a backbone. Lastly, I need the coaches to lay off the officials as well, players see there coaches not respecting and yelling at the officials they feel why should we. Bill Belichick ran after an official, last night after a loss to the Ravens. He gripped up the official (in what I will say was a poorly officiated game), but once he caught him, the official continued jogging. Hey Bill, try doing that to the Hoch and see what happens pal. While the officials may have blew a bunch of calls in that game, that behavior just shows the lack of respect the players and coaches have for the current referees. I mean Andy Reid was screaming at refs during the beat down they received in Arizona, Andy is a man of very little emotion on the field. Once again I am not blaming these replacement officials, they are just trying to do there best in the position they are in. I can however blame Roger Goodell for not making sure a deal got done and preventing "HIS" game from resembling the XFL.
-Brett D
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