Should've Seen This Coming

Week 1 looked alright, Week 2 middling, and Week 3 nauseating.  Replacement officials hijacked multiple games this past weekend, digging deep into their bag of tricks to make still more bad calls.  The result: a general decline in the NFL’s product, not just by officials but also by players and coaches.

For the new guys on the block, coming from Division III to the NFL made only a smidgeon of sense to begin with.  Now, these dudes look to be out of their element every game of every week.  I wrote the truth last week: missed calls are not something to complain about as a fan.  Full-time referees miss calls all the time (i.e. offensive holding on almost every pass rush), and will often not be consistent with their flags.  But, the full-time NFL officials can always be relied upon for procedural integrity.  The spot of the ball, proper administration of penalties, dispensing with challenges and timeouts…all become a point of controversy once a month with full-time officials.  Even then, the scrutiny always focuses on a challenge or booth review, not improper yardage after a penalty.

Yesterday, the Lions and Redskins received 15-yard penalties, but lost 20-25 yards.  Those measurements, elementary to seasoned referees, take on added significance during the Replacement Era.  For the Lions, the penalty was enforced in OT, moving the Titans closer to a game-winning field goal.  While almost everyone can accept poor calls, I wonder if Division III only uses the metric system, based on the mathematical calculations from these referees.  Fifteen yards does not differ by state (the Constitution hopefully took care of this a while ago), and these refs have a pow-wow for every 5-yard penalty, first to discuss it, then to walk off the yardage.  All that time spent conferencing has led to a huge increase in the average time of games.  Yet again, the late game on Sunday went for 3.5 hours without reaching overtime (Raiders-Steelers).  At that rate, CBS will have to broadcast 60 Minutes in podcast form (since we all know the thing you most want to watch after a 3.5 hour football game are dueling interviews between presidential candidates).  While football fans are devoted, the cost of being bludgeoned repeatedly by poor refereeing can only go so far.

Bucs DT Gerald McCoy, however, made a great point on Sunday afternoon after losing to the Cowboys.  He reminded a reporter “no ref wants to go out there and make a bad call.”  He’s right.  The marks on my table might indicate my personal hatred towards replacement refs, but truthfully the league should never be in this situation.  While there are core economic differences between the refs and league, the NFL’s product suffers weekly.  These transplants from Division III continue to display their ineptitude, despite well-intentioned attempts to call games properly.  They can’t keep up with the NFL’s speed, intensity, or personalities.

That’s right, personalities.  Lost amidst the furor surrounding poor on-field arbitration is the incessantly immature behavior of coaches and players.  The Ravens-Patriots game Sunday night remains fresh in my memory on this score.  Bill Belichick, a Hall of Fame coach and arguably the best since Bill Walsh, grabbed the side judge’s arm after the judge signaled the game-winning field goal was good.  The ref, trying to run off the field, didn’t stop or look back.  With all due respect to Belichick, does he think grabbing these guys will change their minds next week?  Not only does such contact do very little to ingratiate coaches to the replacements, but he broke a cardinal rule in major sports.  You do not make sudden physical contact with referees or umpires.  NFL coaches receive a little more leniency on the sidelines, but in the wake of a call that doesn’t go your way, absolutely nothing allows you to grab a ref.  In any other sport, he would be fined $10K and suspended a few games.  In the NFL, he deserves a fine. (A brief aside for Boston fans: the Ravens received more penalties and yardage than your team, and you gave up over 500 yards of offense.  Complain about that and not the officiating…but wait, I’m addressing Boston fans so clearly any reasonable expectation of your team’s performance in relation to officiating doesn’t exist.)  I find it funny as well that Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco complains weekly about refs while receiving not one but two extra challenges in Sunday’s game.  The coaches understand what they’re doing…intimidating and bullying guys who have not been to these parts before now.  The league finally stepped in to make clear that behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. 

But, in general, the coaches who make the most stink about replacement refs lose these games on the field, and normally not because of the refs.  Broncos coach John Fox couldn’t contain the red in his face after last Monday night, blubbering about poor officiating and various other topics of little interest.  And why were they of little interest?  Because his quarterback threw three picks in the first 8 minutes of gameplay.  I don’t see the refs in that, John.  Nor do I see the refs in 500 yards allowed by the Patriots defense last night, Bill.  Go back to the drawing board and re-tool.  The Redskins were inside the 20 yesterday before losing 25 yards in penalties, one being an improperly measured unsportsmanlike conduct call that did not make any sense.  And yet, ‘Skins fans like me shouldn’t complain…we can’t play that poorly in the first half and expect to win the game.  No ifs ands or buts about it.

For the players, they have joined in.  Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco bored media to tears complaining about refs after losses, but weren’t heard from after wins.  While that might be natural, the amount of attention lavished on refs comes overwhelmingly from losing teams.  If the refs have lost their credibility (and they have), players should also suffer the same skepticism when they complain loudly after a loss.  I have no doubt if the Ravens lost Sunday night’s game, our ears would be overwhelmed by a cacophony of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Joe Flacco, etc. explaining how poorly the refs performed.  But, on Monday, silence reigns.  Seriously, losers will whine.  Replacement refs don’t mean losers deserve more attention than before.

Overall, the NFL product suffers, but there’s plenty of blame to go around.  Replacement refs are, obviously, bad at officiating NFL games.  Which begs the question of why they are here in the first place.  Lay that at the NFL’s feet for refusing to see the frustration of fans and continuing the farce of Division III and Arena Football refs refereeing at the highest level.  But, for all the confusion, we should not lose sight of the tactics employed by coaches who continue to intimidate the new blood on the field.  Even when their team plays poorly, coaches now refuse to accept anything caused the loss except the officials.  I, for one, am tired of the whole mess.  The NFL needs to bring back the full-time refs to stop the madness.

Bit #1: Redskins Loss to Bengals

To get it out of the way early, the unsportsmanlike call on the Redskins at the end of the game should not have been called and definitely should not have been improperly measured.  Still, that penalty did not cost the game for Washington.  The offense, so good in the last two weeks, did not score until their first drive of the second half.  I do think play calling in the first half precipitated a lot of the offensive problems, since the Skins had no plays of 20+ yards at halftime, but the real problem rests with the offensive line.  Robert Griffin took a pounding, being sacked 6 times for 53 yards (a particular sack at the end of the game adding insult to injury) and consistently taking hits.  While Trent Williams left the game early, the pass blocking has jumped off a cliff since an overachieving performance in Week 1.

But, like last week, the defense lost this game.  For whatever reason, the Skins could not stop the Red Rocket in the second half when needed.  While we can go back and forth on the causes of that, I will focus on the safeties.  I have absolutely no idea who picked this lot of good-for-nothing degenerates, but they need to go.  Safety coverage created both long Bengal TDs to A.J. Green and Andrew Hawkins.  On the Green play, Gomes looked lost covering one of the better receivers in the league, and the Hawkins play yet again exposed Gomes, who drifted away from Hawkins despite rookie Richard Crawford lining up opposite the speedy wide receiver.  Mdieu Williams, Gomes’ counterpart, also watched more than participated.  The Redskins have scored in bunches thus far but cannot pull away from their opponents.  In this game, the offense came back to tie the contest, before the defensive units betrayed that momentum.  Offensive line and safeties needs serious, serious help.

Bit #2: FedEx Cup ends memorable PGA season

In a little known event on Sunday, Brandt Snedeker won the FedEx Cup, ending the professional golf season.  Snedeker’s play on Sunday clearly set him up for the win, as he was the only player in the last five groups to finish his round under par.  Winning $10 million as a bonus certainly will make the winter sweeter for Snedeker.

Overall, the culmination of the season puts to rest one of the better golfing tours in recent memory, even if the major winners weren’t necessarily memorable.  While few will remember Webb Simpson winning at Olympic Club, 2012 contained its share of surprises.  Bubba Watson, the sober John Daly, won the green jacket with a characteristic contortion of a golf shot.  Ernie Els turned back the clock, winning an Open Championship that will be remembered for Adam Scott’s ridiculous collapse.  But, the season turned on the fates of two guys.  For Tiger Woods, three wins put him back in the spotlight, and his play at majors this year certainly bodes well for the future.  Rory McIlroy, anointed the latest “next Tiger,” finally proved his skeptics wrong by finishing the season on a torrid pace, winning three of his last five PGA tournaments.

Overall, I’m excited for next year, only because the biggest names in golf played to their potential this year.  For the first time in a while, the FedEx Cup actually garnered interest as an institution, featuring the top players at the top of their games.  A great Ryder Cup this weekend will serve to make the season special.

Bit #3: Baseball happenings

Apparently, now is the time to be watching baseball.  No one told me, but the MLB season winds down over the course of the next week and a few intriguing storylines still exist.

For one, the Nationals clinched a playoff berth over the weekend, beating the Dodgers 4-1.  A Washington baseball team has not made the postseason since 1933, so the 2012 Nationals have already proved their worth historically.  Elsewhere in the NL, the second wild card berth suddenly looks to be in flux.  The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, middling for much of this season, have a 2.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers, who unfortunately have not been able to catch the Cards.  While it looks likely the Cards will take the spot, they finish the season with series against division leaders Washington and Cincinnati.  The Brewers, on the other hand, finish with Houston, Cincinnati, and San Diego to close the season.  Depending on how the schedules shake out, Milwaukee might be able to eke it out.

In the AL, drama happens every day.  The Yankees and Orioles cannot seem to get rid of one another, matching each other win-for-win over the past week and a half.  The O’s, still one game back, need to win the division.  By winning the division, Baltimore would forego the Wild Card game and play the AL Central champ.  The wild card berth brings the Wild Card game into effect and the behemoth Rangers out in Texas.  The difference will be astronomical.  But, the Yankees finish with an easier stretch than Baltimore, so chances are not good of Baltimore winning the division outright.  Still, wouldn’t a play-in game for the divisional crown be awesome?  In the AL Central, the White Sox have lost their last five and can send presents to the Tigers for similarly falling flat over the past week.  The Tigers, however, finish with series against only Minnesota and Kansas City, while the White Sox finish with the Indians and the Rays.  On the face of it, advantage Detroit, but the season has been so disappointing for the Tigers, no one knows if they can make up 2.5 games.