What kind of league is willing to throw out utterly unqualified referees, and claim that they are doing a "credible" job?
What kind of league is not embarrassed by having a former Lingerie League ref doing their games?
What kind of league is hell bent on squeezing the cost margins of an expense pie slice that is so small, you can't even see it on the overhead projector?
A league that revels in its arrogance.
Forget for a second if you think the "real" refs are asking for too much. Forget your jealousy about their 6-figure "part time" job.
Just absorb THIS latest farce: a side judge who was scheduled to do the Saints game, posed for his facebook page in FULL SAINTS GEAR! From a TAILGATE that occurred just this past August!
The latest unusual twist in the ongoing replacement official saga came Sunday courtesy of Brian Stropolo. Stropolo was scheduled to serve as the side judge in Week 2′s Saints-Panthers game — at least, until the NFL discovered that Stropolo appears to be a Saints fan.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Sunday that Stropolo, a New Orleans area native, posted pictures of himself on Facebook from a tailgate prior to the Saints’ Aug. 25 preseason game against Houston. As of noon on Sunday, Stropolo appeared to have deleted his Facebook page.
Yeah, deleting the Facebook page always works. Like, nobody ever finds out about anything once you do that.
So at this point, I wonder: is this really about saving some money on the cost of officiating? Or is really about breaking another union?
What if somehow the NFL could declare an impasse right now, and hire these officials - remember, the ones they INSIST are doing a "more than adequate" job - full time at say 50% the cost of what they were paying for elite refs, with 20+ years of experience on average?
Would the NFL do that? I doubt it. Sure, you'd be saving a few pennies on refs, but then you would be STUCK with definitely crappier game officials for good. So I doubt any owners would be happy about that. I sense they just want Ed Hochuli & Co. to cave.
Which maybe, they will. Because the NFL can threaten NFL owners with fines, and NFL coaches with suspensions via internal memos about not ripping on these dummy refs too much. Which the league did, just this week.
Furthermore, the NFL has a willing cadre of media members who will also play along with the "hey these guys really aren't that bad" spin.
So I don't know how the real refs win against a league so arrogant, so willing to be shmucks, so cheap and vindictive.
What would have been sweet, is a last minute STRIKE, where the refs walk out mid-season and say: "Good luck finding some refs by Sunday."
Next time, the refs will realize that if you don't play for keeps with this league, they will run you over.
So at this point, I wonder: is this really about saving some money on the cost of officiating? Or is really about breaking another union?
What if somehow the NFL could declare an impasse right now, and hire these officials - remember, the ones they INSIST are doing a "more than adequate" job - full time at say 50% the cost of what they were paying for elite refs, with 20+ years of experience on average?
Would the NFL do that? I doubt it. Sure, you'd be saving a few pennies on refs, but then you would be STUCK with definitely crappier game officials for good. So I doubt any owners would be happy about that. I sense they just want Ed Hochuli & Co. to cave.
Which maybe, they will. Because the NFL can threaten NFL owners with fines, and NFL coaches with suspensions via internal memos about not ripping on these dummy refs too much. Which the league did, just this week.
Furthermore, the NFL has a willing cadre of media members who will also play along with the "hey these guys really aren't that bad" spin.
So I don't know how the real refs win against a league so arrogant, so willing to be shmucks, so cheap and vindictive.
What would have been sweet, is a last minute STRIKE, where the refs walk out mid-season and say: "Good luck finding some refs by Sunday."
Next time, the refs will realize that if you don't play for keeps with this league, they will run you over.
Yet Czabe, Ed Hochuli wasn't the master a few years ago with the Broncos/Chargers game. This one cost the Chargers a win.
ReplyDeleteJust good talk fodder for Czabe and the other radio lemmings is all. Czabe regularly blasted the "real" refs in years past. Now other people come along capable of doing the same job about as well (not PERFECT, Czabe herself has said it'll never be perfect) but he's gotta blast 'em anyway in order to have something to talk about. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
ReplyDeleteAbout as well? I mean, not being a d*ck, but do you honestly believe that? Seriously, "about as well?" I'm sorry but we have completely different perceptions of reality.
DeleteDid you not see the fiasco from the "referees" in this weekends games?
DeleteSure, we all have a beef with the professional refs on a weekly basis.
But these fill-in refs are a joke.
I'm sure they are trying their best, but they do
not have the experience of the veteran NFL refs.
The officiating in the Redskins game alone was a farce.
People who think these refs are just as good and are making the same mistakes as the old refs just aren't watching the games.
ReplyDeleteTaking 5 or ten minutes to sort out the spot after a penalty is pop warner. And I watched it happen in the Ravens game and the Steelers game. And after dead ball fouls, they look like the cashier at McDonalds trying to figure out your change after you've handed them cash.
I'm not a kneejerk czabist, but I have to agree here.
ReplyDeleteYesterday's games were completely out of control. COMPLETELY.
It is a joke.
Goodell runs this league like it's the Ottumwa Community Theater.
I'm with Czabe on the ref deal. The NFL is totally bush-league squeezing the refs. Way to f..k up the most lucrative pro-sports deal on the planet guys. Good job. You need good refs for a good game. Kind of a simple thing that the NFL is kind of missing. Duh?
ReplyDeleteSteve Solomon is sounding like a fool.. in fact he is becoming Vince McMahon. I skip entire segments of the podcast when he starts acting like this. It is so obvious he just wants to be annoying. If I wanted to hear people make dumb comments just to get a reaction I would listen to Rome or Cowherd.
ReplyDelete