Blown Calls will help NFL See the Light

 

Week 3 of the 2012 NFL season has come and gone with even more calls, non-calls, SNAFUs, and controversies. The Ravens win over the Patriots was a hot topic of conversation until the drama in the waning seconds over Monday night's game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.

 

(photo: cbs news)

In case you missed it: The NFL has been using replacement officials while the league locks out the regular officials who were asking for a raise in salaries and pensions. The NFL, meanwhile, wants to convert from a pension system to a more widely-used 401(k). While the league and its permanent referees are working together to bridge the labor gap, replacement officials are manning the games. They, like players and coaches, had the preseason to fine-tune their skills and prepare for the regular season. Now that the season is underway it looks like they need another preseason.

The first three weeks of the season have been fraught with penalties, non-calls and irate players and coaches who have been flagged for things when they didn't touch anybody and who were held halfway down the field with no penalty for it.

Two glaring examples of the officiating debacles are the aforementioned games. In Baltimore, kicker Justin Tucker kicked a 27-yard field goal in the closing seconds of Sunday night's matchup between Baltimore and New England. The disputed kick appeared to go directly over the right upright but was ruled good by officials.

That call sent an irate Patriot Head Coach Bill Belichick after an official. Belichick demanded to know what officials saw that made them rule the kick was a succesful field goal.

Meanwhile in Seattle, The Seahawks defeated the Packers on the last play of the game. Russell Wilson's pass to Golden Tate appeared to be intercepted by M.D. Jennings. Officials ruled that the ball was caught by Tate and Seattle had scored, winning the game.

Both of these games were decided on the last play of the game by controversial calls. I believe the contentious negotiations between the referees and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will soon come to an end.

Coaches and players on both teams were furious and they let officials know it. Belichick and Green Bay Head Coach Mike McCarthy lost a gmae because of disputed calls. Losing a game in September is one thing. Imaine if these games were played in December and the winners of the two games would advance to the playoffs. The loser would be watching from home.

These games left a bad taste on the mouths of people everywhere. Goodell isn't saying publicly but I am sure even he knows something must be done before bigger games with bigger consequences are decided by botched calls and non-calls. The NFL is a muli-billion dollar enterprise that generates gargantuan revenues. Among the enormous sea of green, I'm sure Goodell and representatives of the officials can find some common ground.