The NFL has concluded its third week of action. It has also
concluded its third week of regular season action in which replacement
officials have been employed to referee the games. The regular NFL officials
are locked out until a new labor agreement can be reached with the league. The
final play of the final game of the week may have ensured that the regular
officials get what they have been wanting.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
During the player lockout of 2011, the figure of $9 billion in
revenue per year was offered repeatedly by the media as an estimate of annual
NFL revenue. Recent reports have placed the difference in monetary value of the
officials’ demands and what the league is offering at approximately $4 million.
If the NFL wants what it gets for $4 million (out of a $9 billion pie), it got
it.
Last night’s Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay
Packers and Seattle Seahawks was officially decided on a Hail Mary pass from
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to Golden Tate on the final play of the
game to give the Seahawks a 14-12 win. What really happened is that Wilson’s
pass was intercepted by M.D. Jennings of the Packers as Tate stuck his arm in
Jennings’ chest after pushing off of another Packers defender, Sam Shields.
Tate wrapped his other arm around the ball after Jennings landed on the ground.
The befuddled officials glanced at one another, then the
side judge signaled “touchdown” while the back judge signaled to stop the
clock, which typically follows a change of possession (such as an interception
in the end zone resulting in a touchback). The play was upheld by instant
replay (longtime NFL referee Gerry Austin stated on ESPN that replay could not be
used to determine which player had possession, only whether or not the ball was
caught). The game is over.
LAST STRAW
Going back to the beginning of exhibition play in the 2012
NFL season, there have been comedies of gaffes and errors by the replacement
officials. There have been missed holding calls. Late hits and illegal downfield
contact have gone un-penalized. Officials have delayed gameplay, with some
games lasting over four hours in regulation, discussing plays and applicable
rules. The NFL appears to have taken an approach that game officials are like interchangeable
parts.
Last night’s calamity is prima facia evidence that knowledge
matters, experience matters, and that the regular officials were hired into
their positions over others for a reason. The regular officials did not have to
do anything to earn their strongest bargaining chip to date. They just had to
not be there.
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| TOUCHDOWN SEAHAWKS??? 1 |
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