Anyone else think.....

[Mings]

That the refs were complete pieces of plop during the Bengals-Jaguars game?

They made so many dumbass calls it was unreal. Not only that, they called way too many penalties and it cost the Bengals the game.

fluff em.

[Chief.]

Fluff 'em is right. The biggest problem in the NFL is the refs. They blow so many calls it's unreal. And you're right, the number of calls was just unbelievable. I hate the fact that these idiotic referees have the biggest impact on the game. Also, is it just me, or has almost every single decent punt return been called back this year?

[slapshot]

Uh?, don't hold, and don't block in the back, and the punt return stands.

[Lumbergh]

yeah, and as i was watching the broncos-skins game, the field umpire was hit, and sat a few downs, all the time the announcer was praising him like a god when he came into the game again saying refs and umpires work just as hard as linebackers and take just as much punishment. The whole time i'm shaking my head. All they do is blow a freakin whistle and observe the game, it's not like they're in the weight room 5 days a week! Come on!

[ROCHitman]

First of all, there's a difference between the referee and any other official in football game. Anyone who refers to them all as referees, I know is ignorant to the profession.

Allow me to educat you, (it's what I like to do, on what a NFL official goes through during the season and in the off-season . I happen to know the umpire (the guy who stands among the linebackers during play) in the crew that called that Jax-Cincy game tonight. I'm not gonna reveal his name. He hails from a town nearby me and perfected his craft among the high school and college levels in this area. He and I are in email contact from the pre-season through the playoffs this year as I asked him to mentor me through my career as a football official. He's the only NFL official I know. I watch every one of his games and we excahnge emails every other week to discuss the previous two games. He's knowledge and advice has helped me immensly in my career so you won't hear me call him or his crew out.

[There is another person who visits this site who knows this umpire as well]

Before every game the crew meets for 6+ hours to go over tape, review their last game, think about things they might see in the current game and the like. After each game, each official must write up information on EVERY flag they tossed in the game no matter if it was accepted/declined or even if it was called by another official. The crews get rated and only the best work in the playoffs where the NFL gives them a much higher game fee. So, the officials as a crew must work well together week in and week out in order to secure that extra compensation at teh end of the year. In addition to all that, the NFL prohibits the from consuming alcohol/drugs from the monent they leave their homes in transit to the game (usually Thurday or Friday) to the moment they return home. Also, they cannot frequent casinos, racetracks, or any other locales that offers or sponsors gambling of any kind throughout ttheir entire career as an NFL official. Every day, every year, even the offseason.

Frankly, I'm tired of ignorant and homer fans blaming officiating left and right. Sure they make mistakes just like the players do and just like you and I do at our workplaces. They don't criticize you in your job, does the fact that you are a fanatic give you the right to publically criticize them? Until you walk in their shoes, and I know very few who frequent this site would even think about it, you should give them the benefit of the doubt.

Their job can best be summed up by a quote I recall from a longtime MLB umpire in his book. "Umpiring is the only profession where you are expected to be perfect 100% of the time, but umpires are perfect 0% of the time."

Anyone can blame an official, but I'll be the next the line to defend him/her.

gregjigga5 said it best, "Guys, refs screw up, they are human you know...we all screw up on our jobs too. Please get off this conspiracy theory :censored:, it's weak. If we all are okay with players and coaches make mistakes, why are the refs supposed to be Supermen?"

[NJTank]

Yea yea they are all still refs nobody yells kill the Head Linesman