The NFL needs to do something about these refs!

[Tom Kessenich]

Not the least bit surprised to hear this:

http://www.620wtmj.com/blogs/gregmatzek/171124991.html

[TR]

I compare the replacement refs to a substitute teacher at a high school. You know what happens when a little old lady comes in as a substitute teacher, right? The thugs give her a hard time, try to get away with as much as they can and just dare her to take them to the principal's office. That's what is happening in the NFL right now. As Cris Carter said, there is now holding on every play, defensive backs holding 10 yards downfield every play, every trick in the book is being used. Why? Because the players are trying to get away with everything and basically daring the officials to throw a flag on every play. It's totally out of control and the players are exasperating the situation by taking things to the limit.

I earlier wondered how safety could be a concern with the replacement refs. Well, Week 3 was a perfect example of it. The Raiders were using chop-blocks on the Steelers and getting away with it. There are more helmet-to-helmet hits without flags being thrown. There are quarterback hits, which has referees scared to the point where they are throwing flags even when they shouldn't (Walden's roughing the quarterback call last night). The league says they care about player safety; well, prove it. Get the regular refs back for Sunday's game and eat the $2 million or whatever it is to get it done. PROVE IT ROGER!!!

Regular refs not the solution...many of those guys old...didn't ed hochuli blow a call in chargers game few years ago that affected playoffs? NFL should not cave and instead get younger, better refs like in college...full time refs with grading system and larger pool to more easily replace bad refs a great idea as well....definitely can't just go back to the previous system just because of what is going on now...there is a much bigger picture

[CALI CARTEL]

...didn't ed hochuli blow a call in chargers game few years ago that affected playoffs?

It almost cost the Chargers a playoff spot, but that was the year they were 4-8, won their last 4 games while Denver dropped their last 3 games -- San Diego won the division with a 8-8 record.

This actually changed the procedure of whistling plays dead during fumbles/potential fumbles. Before officials were to whistle plays dead when they deemed plays down/done...seems logical as the play is over at that point...however, in that Denver-San Diego game, Jay Cutler fumbled, Hochuli with a with a weird angle behind Cutler blew the play dead as an incomplete pass, right before San Diego recovered the fumble (and would've taken it 85 yards for a TD). It was a clear fumble, but since the play was whistled dead before San Diego recovered, the play was unreviewable and wouldn't have mattered anyways because the whistle ends the play while the ball was loose and no possession = previous team retains possession.

Now in the NFL, any play that COULD be a fumble is allowed to play out, then it changed after the play if the player was down by contact or the play was an incomplete pass -- it can make the officials look inept when a clear down by contact occurs before a fumble (as happened in the KC/NO game this weekend), but it's a much better situation that blowing the play dead when it actually SHOULD'VE been a fumble and cost the defense a turnover opportunity.