Replacement refs: The story the NFL wants to keep quiet

I thought they did a quite decent job last night. Professional even.

i only saw the last 20 game minutes, didn't see anything that was horrible. saw that string of, what, 4 or 5 plays in a row w a penalty

yes, last night wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but that doesn't excuse it being absolutely putrid. I make a projection that after these scabs ruin a couple games through week 2, week 3 we will see Hoculi and his cohorts back on the field not calling holding penalties for Orakpo. Mark it down, these replacements wont get any better, they will only get worse as time goes on, and the outcry for the real refs to return will soon be a huge talking point in every medium of sports media.

I think you have that backwards. The longer it goes the better they will get and more of a chance for the NFL to tell the real ref's to go pound sand. I thought they did a pretty good job. A few non calls but I actually like the fact they let them play a little more not calling everthing they see. The one holding call they missed was the worse thing they did and even the announcers said that's an easy call to miss.

I think you have that backwards. The longer it goes the better they will get and more of a chance for the NFL to tell the real ref's to go pound sand. I thought they did a pretty good job. A few non calls but I actually like the fact they let them play a little more not calling everthing they see. The one holding call they missed was the worse thing they did and even the announcers said that's an easy call to miss.

The longer that this goes on, the more and more calls will be blown, and people's opinions of them the longer they are on the field will plummet, even farther than they are now. Right now, I consider this not so much a "non issue", but an overshadowed one, considering people are just so hyped up about having football back again. Once that honeymoon with the NFL comes to an end come, say, the end of week two, all of the replacement ref's blown calls will be under a mass media microscope, and people will be wanting heads.

Thats just my opinion, but I saw a poorly officialled game last night, it was not tight, alot of missed calls, and this will continue, and it will grow like a boil, until the fans and the NFL can no longer take it. Again, just my opinion, but these scabs are nowhere as proficient as the real referees, and everyone knows it. Tis just a matter of time until this thing boils over.

what factors do you think will cause them to get worse, as opposed to maintaining their current level, or improving?

Not so much they will get worse, I guess I didn't type out my thoughts precisely enough, I just mean that the situation will get worse, and even if they do a superb job calling games, people will bitch and moan a hell of alot more than they would, just because of the fact that they are not full time referees, thus they are inefficient.

The missed calls, wrong calls, and retarded calls will happen. Its just a matter of time until a completely RIDICULOUS call occurs, after which everyone and their brother will be making this a huge issue. Just the fact that they are considered replacements makes it unfair for them, especially when disecting their calls in hindsight. Analysts and fans alike will scrutinize their calls more methodically and meticulously, until the only option the NFL has is to get the professionals back in the stripes.

I wholeheartedly believe that the refs are just biding their time until retarded and ridiculous calls get made in multiple games in the same week, and that will be magnified and pointed to by all. By waiting for the tornado of bad calls, I see the ref's gaining alot of traction in negotiations, and their leverage can only increase.

BTW - the game last night was not a well officiated game. Ignoring calls just for the sake of not getting them incorrect is a recipe for disaster.

Honestly, piss poor game last night from these "replacements"While I would agree with you,they blew calls on both sides of the ball,they were'nt why the Giants lost.

Honestly I've seen worse from some actual NFL officials. I dont think it was that bad. That said, I'm sure the NFL picked their best team for that game and I bet we can expect some off the wall calls this weekend once they have to dig deeper into the "talent" pool. I think we can almost guarantee that we'll have at least once team lose a game due to a bad call.

They missed a few obvious calls Mon. The one in the end zone when Cruz was held was god awful. I saw a few illegal contact calls that were missed. But to be honest, the regular refs make terrible calls week in and week out. They throw flags when the QB is looked at the wrong way. So what's worse, making a terrible call? Or missing an obvious one? From what I see, these new guys are letting them play a little bit and I don't mind that.

Yeah but it's probably because they didn't know the rules protecting the qb.

They really have been bad, in lots of ways. Everything from obvious bad calls - touchback at the 4, to game time management - do you really want the Giants to have a free play at the end of the first quarter? To just getting the announcement correct. Obviously the big bloopers are what get national attention, but my guess is there are plenty in each game to drive coaches, players, and soon the fans crazy.

The league has gone way too far in trying to protect the QB's. If a defender tries to knock down a pass and accidently hits the QB in the head they throw a 15 yarder. I guess the league isn't smart enough to figure out that slapping someone in the head while their helmet is on doesn't hurt, nor is it going to cause a concussion.

operation stir the pot?
success.