What else is new?!

If there's one thing I've learned this football season (college or NFL), it's that referees are bad at their job. Luckily I'm not a coach in the SEC or I'd be getting fined right now! For what? It's been proven time and time again this season that the officiating crews out there might as well be a random bunch of people who may or may not know anything about football. Do understand that I've played competitive sports at a high level for most of my life and I'm use to having to do my own officiating. I've been a line judge for volleyball and tennis tournaments and it can be pretty tough. It's one thing to be a amateur official that just has to do it to reduce costs and be a professional who gets paid to make calls.

On the other hand, their job is tough. In football, one referee is responsible for keeping up with several different jobs. For example, if there's a perfectly thrown ball to the corner of the endzone and a receiver is jumping to make the catch and having to come down with two feet in bounds, it's a lot to have to make sure the ball is in possession, he comes down with both toes in bounds, and hangs on to the ball while two grown men are fighting in the air. I understand how fast something like this happens and how it can be very difficult to be accurate on a call of this nature. HOWEVER, when these calls do get botched, it can have an incredible impact on the game. We've been fortunate in the recent years to have video reviews implemented into our officiating, but calls can and have been missed. I understand that some things are considered non-reviewable" due to the pace of the game, but is it a ridiculous expectation to have a designated official just watching video replays? With the camera technology we have these days, you can slow something down as slow as you want it, have a clearer than real life picture, and make an extremely accurate call as you can get many different angles and pause the video to analyze several different factors.

Feet in bounds? Check. Possession of the ball? Check. Breaking the plain of the endzone? Check. Looks like a touchdown, call it a touchdown.

Why does the review have to be indisputable evidence? You're getting much more information than the ref watching the action at full speed, don't you think you can make a better call? Hell, why do we even need refs down on the field? We've seen them get in the way several times and all they do is get mad that they're too slow to get out of the way. Give them a couple monitors, seem them up in the booth. HAVE A CAMERA THEY CONTROL AND ARE SPECIALLY TRAINED TO OPERATE AND LET THEM WATCH THE PLAYS THE WAY THEY NEED TO! Far too often this season (as you've seen in the video), teams have gotten bailed out by officials. I think it's time that this changed. That and a playoff system (but that's another post)!

Edit:
Chad Ochocinco fined for a little humor
Jay Cutler and Tommie Harris fined after the Arizona game
Fines issued after the Falcons-Redskins "melee"

Read those articles. They're not very long, I promise. Now, can anyone tell me why a player who punched another player in the face is fined much less than someone who uses their words like a grown man? Isn't that what we've learned over the years? Perhaps thI'm not sure why they're coming down so hard on people who critize refs or even have a little fun with them (the fact that excessive celebration penalties are given out like fruit cake during Christmas is yet another debate), but it's so annoying to see. Remember when TO would call his mom to tell her about his touchdown, or pull out a sharpie to autograph a football after a great play? Those were the good ol days. Yes, I guess it's a little showboatsmanship, but that's what makes it so fun to watch! Back to the Falcons game, Mike Smith was protecting his QB (what any good coach would do), and simply ended a potential problem before it began, yet he was the most heavily fined. Perhaps the NFL is promoting more "entertainment" in the form of physical altercations. So far, all evidence is pointing that way, right Tom Cable?


These players are the best at what they do, and if they do something that's even great by their standards, why not let them have a little fun? I'll leave you with a quote from the NFL:

"Enjoying the moment in the endzone a little because you made a sweet catch? NOT ON MY WATCH!" says the NFL. "We in no way, shape or form, condone or promote fun in our league. Take it or leave it. If players want to have fun, they're in the wrong business."