We're Back!!

     As many of you have heard by now, these replacement referees in the NFL are turning many people away from the NFL. They are not only making horrible calls, but taking wins away from teams that deserve to win. I know I blogged about this not too long ago but after watching the Monday night game this week, it is once again a hot topic.
     In the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks the refs were calling supposed penalty, after penalty, after questionable penalty. It was becoming ridiculous. Now granted some of those penalties were deserved, but a lot were very unnecessary. In the situation in the Packer game, there were about 250 yards in penalties and countless horrible calls. One including a game deciding call that may go down as the most controversial call in NFL history. As the Seahawks quarterback threw a last second hail marry to the end zone a Packer defender as well as a Seattle wide receiver made an attempt to catch the ball. One referee called a touchdown and one called an interception. They reviewed it, and called it a touchdown which gave the Seahawks the win. As this play was played over and over it becomes clear that the wrong call was made. It was clearly a Packer interception and the Packers should have won the game.
     This outraged many NFL fans and and certainly made it clear that they regular officials need to return! On Wednesday night, a deal was made. The referee lockout is over. And tonight (Thursday) the normal refs took over. It is a great relief to finally watch a game where the refs have more authority, know the rules better, and ultimately make the game run smoother. With a lot less penalties and no huge controversial calls, it was great to see the NFL back to normal again.
     It is incredible to think that a deal was made last night and tonight the refs were back on the field. The replacement refs are now dismissed, and there will be more authority in the league. Granted there will still be some poor calls, but without a doubt, games will run more smoothly. Coaches will no longer try to bend the rules nearly as much, and players will hopefully stop the unnecessary roughness that followed many of the plays with the replacement referees. Once again, it is refreshing to know the NFL we all know, is finally back! (WC 413)