Armchair Quarterback Tuesday…
Welcome to a brand new feature in The Highlight Reel. Every Tuesday during the NFL season, I plan on writing about the best and worst of the previous week in the National Football League. Welcome to Armchair Quarterback Tuesday!
After the first week of the NFL regular season, I think there is one thing we can all agree on: the replacement referees have got to go! Deadspin.com produced a great piece highlighting the 21 worst mistakes made by the scab officials on Sunday with videos of each one included. It is a far better compilation than I could create so I encourage you all to read it here.
Thanks to DirecTV throwing me a bone with a week of NFL Sunday Ticket for 14 years of customer loyalty, I was able to watch most of every game from Week One. Questionable officiating did not mar a couple of games. However, for every highlight in Week One on the field, there was also a questionable officiating decision that affected games as well. These were the most glaring officiating blunders that I personally watched.
- In the Washington Redskins - New Orleans Saints game, Washington started a drive on the 20 after a touchback, meaning the first-down marker was exactly at the 30. On third down, with the ball spotted at the 24, Robert Griffin III threw an incomplete pass. The Saints committed a five-yard penalty on the ensuing punt. Somehow, 24 + 5 = 29 yet it got Washington the first down.
- In the Indianapolis Colts - Chicago Bears game, Andrew Luck threw an interception on a play where a Bears defender clearly jumped offside.
- In the New England Patriots - Tennessee Titans game, the referees mistook an incomplete pass for a fumble. The replay booth reversed the ruling. However, this was too late for the Titans. On the runback during the fumble recovery, which should never have happened, Titans quarterback Jake Locker suffered a shoulder injury from a hit by a Patriots defender.
- In the San Francisco 49ers - Green Bay Packers game, Green Bay scored a touchdown on a Randall Cobb punt return when two illegal Green Bay blocks to the back, that officials initially flagged, went unpunished when the officials picked up the flags.
- Also in the 49ers - Packers game, officials flagged the 49ers for unsportsmanlike conduct for “removing a helmet” even though Aaron Rodgers’ foot removed the helmet.
- In the Seattle Seahawks - Arizona Cardinals game, the officials gave Seattle four timeouts in the second half.
- In the Pittsburgh Steelers - Denver Broncos game, the officials forgot how the two-minute warning works. When a touchdown happens at the two-minute mark, the officials are supposed to wait until after the conversion before calling for the two-minute warning. Instead, the officials sent the game to timeout right after the touchdown. The Broncos had more time to set up their two-point conversion play while Pittsburgh lost the timeout they could have used to plan their two-minute drill.
Then, there were all of the pass interference calls, missed false starts, and other mistakes that showed the replacement officials’ incompetence. With the news that the NFL Officials Lockout appears to have no end in sight, I believe we are in store for a lot more blown calls and epic failures until we finally have a huge blunder affect a marquee match-up. Then, and only then, will the NFL finally correct this issue and get the normal referees back on the sidelines. I just hope that when the major mistake that causes Roger Goodell to stop pouting over the Bounty Scandal suspensions being overturned happens, it does not affect the New York Tebows or else ESPN may implode.
Who’s Hot: Robert Griffin III set the world on fire with his performance in the Redskins’ 40-32 victory over New Orleans… After a worthless offensive showing in the preseason, the New York Jets scored 48 points in their victory over the Buffalo Bills… The 49ers defense smothered Aaron Rodgers and the powerful Green Bay Packers offense in a showing that makes San Francisco look like a legit contender… The Baltimore Ravens looked incredible on both sides of the ball in their 44-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals… Tony Romo may have another weapon in Dallas as Kevin Olgetree caught two touchdowns in the Cowboys 24-17 win over the Giants.
Who’s Not: The Philadelphia Eagles may have won over Cleveland but Michael Vick’s four interceptions did not look like the play of a winner… Speaking of Cleveland, Brandon Weeden and his four interceptions showed why you do not start a 28-year-old rookie… Ryan Tannehill led the Miami Dolphins to a 20-point loss against Houston with the skills of a QB destined for worse losses… Cam Newton ran like a chicken with his head cut off and Carolina suffered for it in their 16-10 loss to Tampa Bay… The Oakland Raiders were downright embarrassing in their 22-14 loss to San Diego as that game was never close as the score said.
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