Okay, I'm Out...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for!!!

They finally did it. With the nation watching last night on Monday Night Football, the replacement referees screwed up so badly that it actually cost the Packers a football game. If you didn’t see it, (and I didn’t until after the game because I am boycotting as best I can) it was one of the most absurd plays/calls/endings of all-time as Seattle was handed a fraudulent 14-12 win at home.

On the last play of the game, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson dropped back and threw a hail mary to wide receiver Golden Tate. Tate, blanketed by several Green Bay defensive backs, went up for the catch but did not come down with the ball. Instead, Packer cornerback M.D. Jennings clearly intercepted the football. With Tate tugging at the ball, two referees came over and decisively called the play correctly. Just kidding, one signaled a touchdown and the other signaled that time had expired, in one of the most hilarious/pathetic/embarrassing moments in sports history.

Did they communicate with each other at all verbally? Of course not.  Simply looking at one another for a millisecond before giving two separate rulings would suffice. What a joke.

And if you thought Brandon Spikes’ tweet was bad, check out what Packers guard T.J. Lang tweeted after the game “Got fucked by the refs… Embarrassing. Thanks nfl.” Followed by “Fuck it NFL..Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.” At this point, I’m willing to chip in as well.

To make it worse, we then had to watch Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll (former Patriots coach) jump up and down and pump his fist like he had just won the damn Super Bowl. Jesus, how much punishment do Packers fans need right now?

This has gotta be it for Goodell and the owners right? I mean it was all fun and games when guys were running around wondering where to spot the ball, losing control of football games and taking 10 minutes to get clarification on a ruling. Now games are being lost as a direct result of these guys' incompetence. I don’t care where they have officiated before; there is no way anyone could have looked at that play last night and thought anything but interception.

If money is the top priority for the NFL and its owners, than public relations has to be priority 1-A. Thanks to these bozos, the running theme of this season so far has been the referees. Think about that for a second.

I didn’t watch last night because I have no interest in watching a knockoff version of the NFL. That is the only way that the owners will take notice. If Goodell and the owners want to salvage any part of this season, they have to accept pretty much anything that the referee’s union wants at this point.

At this point, the referees should double what they are asking for and if that doesn’t work, maybe Ed Hochuli can physically assault anyone standing in his way. All I know is Bill Belichick isn’t putting his hands on those guns.

Pause.

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It's Pretty Clear Bill Belichick & Brandon Spikes Aren't Fans Of Replacement Refs

Wow! Tell us how you really feel Brandon! Seriously though, he's got a point, although he's probably got a fine coming as well as a reprimand from Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick (well maybe not Belichick, more on that later).

I know it's becoming commonplace to bash these replacement referees but last night's debacle in Baltimore was Exhibit A of why this cannot go one week longer but hey we all still watched, so what do the owners care? As Steve Young said on ESPN last week after a brutal Monday Night Football game, the owners will still eat their cake.

I honestly had no idea these guys would be this bad, I mean it's not like we are dealing with replacement players right? However, just three games into the 2012 NFL regular season, the fans, players and coaches are being victimized by the absolute incompetence of the replacement referees.

Look, I get it. Replacement refs are people too and are doing the best job they can but that isn't the issue here. We are all fed up with the NFL owners' refusal to comply with the referees' unions request for pretty much whatever the fuck they want as this point. Everyone is pissed but the owners know that come kickoff on Sunday, we are all going to tune in no matter what.

Coaches and now players are starting to speak out. Check out some statements from the NFLPA's letter to NFL owners:

"Your decision to lock out officials with more than 1,500 years of collective NFL experience has led to a deterioration of order, safety and integrity," the NFL Players Association wrote. "This affirmative decision has not only resulted in poor calls, missed calls and bad game management, but the combination of those deficiencies will only continue to jeopardize player health and safety and the integrity of the game that has taken decades to build."

Last night's performance by the referees was unprofessional, inconsistent, random and embarrassing. On a weekend when every NFL team paid tribute to Steve Sabol for his contributions to the game we love, it has taken Roger Goodell and the owners just three weeks to put that same game in the hands of guys who would be overmatched officiating intramural flag football.

We saw headshots go unpunished. We saw "illegal contact" penalties left and right. We saw guys not have a clue where the hell to spot the ball. We saw coaches instructing referees on the rules of the game they are paid to officiate. We saw games across the slate moving at a snail's pace because owners can't/won't pony up the chump change it takes to restore some semblance of order to the most popular game this country has ever seen."

 It got so bad that Belichick almost coded on the sidelines on numerous occasions and then after the game did this:

Who wouldn't react the same way? Honestly, I hope he went to Kraft's office today and did the same thing to him!

Imagine if the crew that we had last night (best crews referee the marquee games) performing like this in the Super Bowl in February! It is simply unconscionable.

In fantasyland, the NFL would wake up after watching this but in the real world, we all know this is going to continue. We'll all still watch too.

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