The referees were not the ones responsible for the Green Bay loss.
The culprits are the members of the Packer offense that concentrated on the attempt to CATCH the ball.....when all they had to do is knock/deflect the ball out of bounds or to the ground.
Mike Jennings had possession of the ball when the "scrum" hit the ground. The refs blew the call. Finally, these amateurs have cost a team a game.The problem is that it isn't just the referees that blew this. It was reviewed in detail-- and upheld. The league reviewed it-- and still upheld it. This was despite such obvious evidence to the contrary. This isn't just the scabs screwing something up. It is a catastrophic failure of the entire system.
However, I don't feel sorry for anybody. It's the owners who refuse to negotiate in good faith the regular refs, so it's poetic justice if an owner or two gets his team stuffed.
The problem is that it isn't just the referees that blew this. It was reviewed in detail-- and upheld. The league reviewed it-- and still upheld it. This was despite such obvious evidence to the contrary. This isn't just the scabs screwing something up. It is a catastrophic failure of the entire system.
Once again, had the defenders acted like it was volleyball, we wouldn't be discussing this.In the Tennessee - Detroit game this weekend, the defender attempted to do exactly what you said. He wound up batting the ball directly into the arms of the offense who walked in for a TD.
IMO, it was a breakdown of the defense. Period.
I'll bet you teams will NOT be trying to 'intercept' in that situation ever again. Should have been battered into the stands.
Once again, had the defenders acted like it was volleyball, we wouldn't be discussing this.
IMO, it was a breakdown of the defense. Period.
I'll bet you teams will NOT be trying to 'intercept' in that situation ever again. Should have been battered into the stands.
When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player. The result of the play was a touchdown.
but...but...that's not what happened. The Official(s) didn't call touchdown . One called touch back.
simultaneous catch...there was no simultaneous catch. Tate didn't get control of the ball until the ground scrum.
In the Tennessee - Detroit game this weekend, the defender attempted to do exactly what you said. He wound up batting the ball directly into the arms of the offense who walked in for a TD.
I really do not care much for the refs and their demands seeing how much they make. Even the starting pay for NFL refs is more than what I make in 2 years and the top of the line refs like Ed Hochuli and Mike Carey can easily be making 140,000+ a year.
I'd like to make that much for 5-6 months of work (a few days a week) and probably having a lot of fun doing it.
Unions always try to demand more than they deserve.
But as we saw over the past three weeks, there is great value to the work they do, and IMHO they are worth what they make.
Pay them. Pay them now. Pay them whatever it takes to get them back out on the frickin' field. It isn't like the NFL doesn't have the money. Buy fewer pink breast cancer accessories this year. Whatever it takes.
It's not pay they're fighting about, it is the pension system. They want the exact same pension system the players get, which IMO is overkill for the amount of work they do. The players don't just work 1-2 days a week; but are always practicing, working out, and preparing for the next game. Most of the refs have other job they go to during the week.I think the refs are asking for the same pension system that they NOW have. The owners want to change it. When the refs refused, the owners locked them out. The refs are not on strike, they are locked out.
But as we saw over the past three weeks, there is great value to the work they do, and IMHO they are worth what they make.Well, here's the other wrinkle:
Pay them. Pay them now. Pay them whatever it takes to get them back out on the frickin' field. It isn't like the NFL doesn't have the money. Buy fewer pink breast cancer accessories this year. Whatever it takes.
I was with you till this comment...The idea is that the league can say "look at this, by not agreeing to our terms you're putting the players and the integrity of the game at risk, and we're not going to stop the entire league just because you can't come to a deal with us." Of course, it makes the league look bad too, but that seemed to be the only logical line of reasoning for not getting the best possible officials out there. This is like putting the guy from the local semi-pro football team down the street in as your starting quarterback when your starter goes down.
".. but more likely to bring in purposefully bad talent to try and force a deal."
Why would the owners do this?
Well, here's the other wrinkle:
This isn't the first time they've used replacement refs in a lockout. They also did it 11 years ago-- I remember it well. Those refs were competent-- better than even the regulars. This year they purposely excluded the best replacements (e.g. Division I-FBS college ball, CFL) from the field, ostensibly to prevent them from being blackballed as scabs, but more likely to bring in purposefully bad talent to try and force a deal. (It's working.) At least one of them has been identified as someone who was fired from the Lingerie Football League for incompetence.
There are ways to do this lockout without sacrificing the integrity of the game. The NFL chose not to go that route this time around.
Well, here's the other wrinkle:
This isn't the first time they've used replacement refs in a lockout. They also did it 11 years ago-- I remember it well. Those refs were competent-- better than even the regulars. This year they purposely excluded the best replacements (e.g. Division I-FBS college ball, CFL) from the field, ostensibly to prevent them from being blackballed as scabs, but more likely to bring in purposefully bad talent to try and force a deal. (It's working.) At least one of them has been identified as someone who was fired from the Lingerie Football League for incompetence.
There are ways to do this lockout without sacrificing the integrity of the game. The NFL chose not to go that route this time around.