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Seattle Screw

Submitted by da HOOK on 25 September, 2012 - 20:48

Here are my thoughts on the Packer interception in Seattle that was ruled a Seahawks touchdown by replacement officials.

  • Packers should not have let the game come down to the last play. Not even a QB like Aaron Rodgers can throw from his back.
  • NFL management for locking out the union officials. According to some of what I have seen, the NFL wants to increase the size number of officials without increasing the payroll accordingly. Granted, $80,000 is not bad for a part-time job, but they should not have to take a pay cut just because they have more coworkers.
  • NFL union for pressuring the best of the college officials not to step up to the NFL. The best collegiate officials, such as those from the SEC, are not moving up to the NFL for the replacement. The FBS officials with dreams of moving to the NFL legitimately don't want to be perceived as strikebreakers by their future colleagues when they jump in. The best available officials, then, have nowhere near the experience required for the level of competition they are working. In the levels of officiating I have worked (in volleyball), both on-court and off-court, the less experienced officials are given less important positions. In some doubleheaders, they will rotate positions, but in other cases, the less experienced official stays down. As a scorer, I was advised to be ready to move to a second referee if the referee assigned by the conference did not arrive in time (he showed up, but not as early as is typical for referees); I would signal to the first referee when I observed a violation. Even when the regular crew is there, there are some calls where the second referee signals the first referee to blow the whistle for the call. I remember nights where I worked the sophomore game at a high school and then went over to watch some of the varsity match. The level of play was far superior, and somewhat faster. I would not have been ready to officiate that match on court at that level.