Blame the Referees!!!

Because the NFL professional refs are locked out, there has been a lot of blame put on the poor refs from other venues, non-professional part-timers, who have taken over temporarily. These guys and gals (that is important to note) step onto the field prowled by giants (literally) and are expected to keep order, forcing these often uncontrollable behemoths to play according to the rules. The refs do what they can under the circumstances, and the big guys are usually very respectful, despite, I am sure, many temptations to tell the refs where to get off, or simply tear them apart. Fortunately, there is some locus of control in the players who for the most part are accepting of the situation.

Then comes the hard part. A disputed call on the final play of the game, where two players from the opposing teems appear to have caught the same ball in the end zone, and it is either a winning touchdown or a game ending interception. Whatever happens here, it is the refs fault. The call is a touchdown, the review is a touchdown (or not conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field.) And it is the refs fault that one team lost and the other team won. Some one said: "The Packers got screwed!"

Now I ask you, is that fair. These teams are good. But they play a somewhat mediocre game for almost three hours counting time outs and intermissions. (These are important because strategy is developed during these times, so what is a time out is actually important to the way the game is played.) If they really put a full effort into it throughout (maybe they did, and then I am mistaken when I call them good teams) it would not be the referee who makes the final judgment call. (It is hard to argue that a team put in its best effort when a franchise quarterback gets sacked 8 times, or when they give up the ball with 51 seconds remaining.)The winner would be apparent. The refs who are probably in it over their heads are not really the final arbiters on a field where all the players and coaches are raking in millions of dollars each. It is the players themselves who hold their own destiny, and who ultimately decide who wins and who loses.

Certainly, since they get paid enough, they can and should do their job, and lay off the substitute refs who are trying their best to do theirs.