We're Not Gonna Take It

To quote the immortal cartoon character Popeye, “I’ve had all I can stand, I can’t stand no more.”

I am done, finished, throwing in the towel. Since returning to the blogging sphere, I’ve done my best to write objective, unbiased posts, meant to inform and inspire others to create their own opinions. I tried to take the high road Roger Goodell, I really did. I tried not to stoop to the levels of every sports media outlet. Constantly I remind myself, that these “officials” are doing the best they can. Isn’t that all we can really ask for?

Nope, not anymore, enough is enough. The gloves are coming off and I am going to thoroughly enjoy this. Fault me for being a cliche or a band wagon jumper. I can live with that. I would not be able to live with myself if I don’t put in my two cents on this ridiculous saga known as replacement referees. To keep this tirade from going overboard, I've limited my outrage towards two key points, plus added a solution to the entire replacement situation. 

1.)    Integrity of the Game

The biggest concern going into this season was without a doubt; what if the replacements cost a team a win? We’ll ladies and gentlemen, the Packers got screwed. Green Bay is starting the season 1-2 because the NFL appointed replacements did not do their job. In case you missed this past Monday’s absurd ending, just Google “Monday Night Football Referee Controversy”. Week 3 was littered with incompetence and the MNF decision was the final straw. The replacements are unqualified to be in such an influential position. The players know it, the coaches know it, and sorry NFL but the fans know it too.

Steve Sabol must be doing cartwheels in his coffin because the beauty of football is being massacred by these Scabs. That’s right, I call it like I see it, and these replacements are Scabs. They award 27 yard personal foul penalties, they call roughing the passer when the QB is no longer in the pocket, and they award half the distance to the goal on a penalty, when the team is on the 35! While only one game thus far has had its outcome directly affected by a Scabs call, every game this season has been altered because of these blind zebras. Referees provide credibility to the game of football. Without competent, trained, officials on the field, the credibility of each game played is automatically lowered.

Not to mention, these Scabs are killing the leagues efforts to enforce player safety. Poor, Darrius Heyward-Bey. He was carted off the field for a clear helmet to helmet hit in the end zone this past Sunday. As insult to the injury, the “referees” didn’t throw a flag. If there was ever a time to throw a flag it was that moment. The Scabs know how to throw flags. NFL games on average have run 5-6 minutes longer this season because of penalties. A player was injured because of an unnecessary hit and the Scabs just stood by. Single-handedly, the replacement refs are dragging the integrity of the NFL through the gutter and the league just sits by and watches.

2.)    Players and Coaches are behaving like Scabs

Remember when you were in high school? Think back to when you had a substitute teacher. Your class assignments never got accomplished and you orchestrated some pretty epic paper football games.  Well while the real referees are away, the players and coaches will play.

If the league isn’t going to do anything about the Scab officials, what’s to keep teams from exploiting their incompetence? You have coaches calling four time outs in a half, challenging plays that you simply CANNOT CHALLENEGE, and demanding plays be reviewed that are defined as “unreviewable”. They wouldn’t be able to get away with these requests when the qualified officials are on the field, so I do not see why they are trying to sneak it by now. Instead of sinking to the Scabs level, try behaving in a more professional manner coaches. Just because you can get away with it, doesn’t make it right.

The players are exploiting the replacements as well. Corners and wide receivers are having slap fights running down the sidelines, quarterbacks are getting railed after they throw the ball, and there have been an increased number of unnecessary roughness penalties. I shudder speculating what is occurring in the trenches between the defensive and offensive lines. Watching at home, you can clearly see holding penalties being ignored by the Scabs. So what else is happening between the lines that we can’t see? The sad reality is the players know exactly what they’re doing. Each week they learn what they can and cannot get away with. Unfortunately, they are finding out they can get away with a lot and are taking full advantage. If you care so much about the rules of the game being upheld, then stop bending them and finding every loop hole available with the replacements. The players and coaches, no matter how hard it is, need to hold themselves to a higher standard, for the sake of football fans at least.

3.)    Time to Take Matters into our Own Hands

From being at the stadium, to watching games at home, I have experienced Scab officiated football from every vantage point. The TV announcers, the fans in the stands, the hot dog vendors, we cannot take the madness any longer. Coaches are being fined, players are blowing up Twitter, and the league is standing by its completely unqualified replacements. Some of these Scabs were fired by the Lingerie Football League for incompetence! Football is becoming almost unbearable to watch.

But I have a plan! Oh it is a wondrous plan. A wondrous plan that will show Goodell’s cheap ass and the Scabs replacements he brought into the league. We boycott. Hear me out people, we the fans, the players, the coaches we boycott! All we do is complain, but we take no action. Let’s hit the league where it really hurts, their wallets. No betting on games, no spending all day Sunday at your local sports bar, no buying tickets to go to games either. In actuality, if the players and coaches were to boycott, the league may be stubborn enough to bring in replacements for them as well. Then what? We have no talent players being coached by unqualified coaches, being officiated by Scabs. Sounds like a real money maker NFL, I’d get right on that.

I’ll admit, the idea is a long shot and totally out there. However, each week we keep telling ourselves the replacements will get better and they don’t. If Week 4 continues with controversy, I may hang up on the NFL till the Scabs are run out of the league.

Let me throw something out there for you to ponder. This Sunday is Giants vs. Eagles in the night game at Philadelphia. Imagine if the game comes down to one play, a TD catch or fumble recovery. What if the replacements make the wrong call AGAIN? Remember, Philadelphia is the city that threw snow balls at Santa Claus. If the Eagles lose on an officiating error, their fans will have no issues pushing past security, bombarding the field, grabbing the replacements around the throats, and berating them for their stupidity. And that’s the BEST case scenario people. I will be at the game this weekend with fellow Pond Scum Sports contributor Dan. I honestly fear for our safety should the worse happen. At the same time, there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t be right with the mob scene, looking to get my hands on any Scab I could to take out my frustrations.  Not because I am an Eagles fan at heart, but because I have too much respect for the NFL to see these jobbers ruin it any further.