Silverman: In The End, The NFL Couldn't Stomach Itself
By Steve Silverman
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The worst part of it was that the NFL defended the call.
Thankfully, they didn't believe their own words and they have come to a reported agreement with the NFL Referees' Association.
But when the NFL came out with its statement that there was "no indisputable visual evidence" that Golden Tate did not have simultaneous possession of the ball in the endzone with Green Bay's M.D. Jennings, it was Mt. Everest of arrogance.
Arrogance to the NFL is what oxygen is to the rest of us. We need it to survive, and, apparently, the the Park Ave. power brokers must make daily or hourly displays of hubris.
There will be no apology and no recognition of what has happened.
The NFL does not go public with its laundry – clean or dirty.
But they badly miscalculated the impact of replacement officials on the game. The game is too fast, violent and decisive to employ anything but the best and most experienced officials. The game was being ruined and it would only have gotten worse.
The players and coaches were out of control. They could not contain themselves as they watched replacement officials blow call after call.
As the season moves along, the games mean more. That increases the pressure on the officials. When they are not up to the job and everyone knows it, it just becomes a matter of waiting for the next mistake and when it will occur.
The NFL wanted to save money on pension and salary of the officials so the league decided to play hard ball with them.
The NFL may have many successful and intelligent leaders running the league office and the 32 member teams, but they did not make their most intelligent decision when they decided to punish their officials.
The product was put at risk and it has been damaged.
By ending the lockout now, the NFL will stop damaging its own product.
That may not help the Green Bay Packers, who were victimized on Monday night. But at least it will stop the blood and the tears from flowing.
The lack of control and poor positioning was nearly as bad as the game-ending decision in the Packers-Seahawks game.
The replacement officials could not command and control the game. The respect factor was not there, no matter how many orders and edicts came from Park Avenue.
The replacement officials know who they are. They may have striped shirts on, but they know they are not really worthy to be out on the field in NFL games.
When you come from the Lingerie Football League, the lower levels of college football and the Arena Football League, you know you are not the best in the business.
When you are constantly out of position, you can't feel good about yourself or the job you are doing.
When you don't know the rules, don't know where the ball belongs and you don't know how timeouts are administered, you don't belong on the job.
The NFL may have made statements of support, but nobody believed them.
While there have been no official announcements about the new deal yet, it is coming.
Roger Goodell knows that the sham of replacement officials has been fully exposed and nobody is being fooled.
Did the NFL embarrass themselves with their replacement ref fiasco? Share your thoughts below...
