The NFL? Not exactly our beat here at CFT. But, when applicable, we like to connect the collegiate dots regarding major issues in the world of football.
Last night’s “Toucherception” on Monday Night Football between the Packers and the Seahawks, which has officially become the climax on the replacement referee dumpster fire for those who follow the NFL, seems like an appropriate topic.
One day before Toucherception, the San Jose Mercury News published a piece featuring the thoughts of FOX officiating expert and former head of league officials, Mike Pereira (pictured, right), on the replacement officials. Pierera, as you may recall, was hired last year as the Pac-12′s interim coordinator of football officiating. Not one month into his stint with the conference, he fired (or, “did not to renew the contracts of”) 11 officials who worked conference games in 2010.
Per his interview with the Mercury News, Pereira said three Pac-12 officials let go for poor performance have found their way into the NFL as replacement officials.
We’re not going to blast the replacement refs for last night’s blown calls because they’ve been asked to do a job greater than what they’re capable of doing. In fact, many are doing the best they can in a tough situation (when they’re not trying to score as many fantasy points as possible, that is).
This comes down to the league, which has been shameless. The NFL is far and away the most popular sport in America, and the league office knows that no one is turning off the TV because of replacement refs. Still, the NFL puts the best athletes on the field and is given the best coverage, so it deserves the best officiating possible. If some of these officials weren’t good enough for the college game, they sure as hell aren’t good enough for the NFL.