What We Learned in NFL Week 1: Replacement Referees Suck

Late calls, no calls, bad calls, slow reviews and unfamiliar faces combine for the worst officiating of all time – and there are rumors that the replacement refs could be used until Week 5.  It is funny to watch them mumble the calls and get chewed out by coaches.

During the 49ers at Packers game – the NFL’s Game of the Week, a game that everyone in the United States watched Sunday – the replacement officials looked as confused as an 18 year virgin sleeping with a hooker that his dad just got him for his birthday. First, the replacement refs called a 15-yard penalty on Aldon Smith for taking his helmet off after making a big play on Aaron Rodgers – the helmet was halfway off and Smith needed to take it off to make adjustments. Yes, he did toss it off obnoxiously but give me a break.  Then, probably the biggest missed call was a flag for a block in the back that was actually picked up after the Packers’ Randall Cobb ran a punt back for a touchdown. The flag was thrown and it was picked up – resulting in a touchdown! 

Another notable mistake by our good ol’ replacement referees was during the Seahawks at Cardinals game.  The replacement officials awarded the Seahawks an extra timeout in the closing seconds.  Seattle’s last timeout was used a minute before when Doug Baldwin was injured on the field. The Seahawks fourth timeout didn’t have an effect on the game but it’s worth noting.

What might be worse then the actual bad calls is the fact that I can’t recognize these replacement refs and that I don’t know their names so I can’t call them out specifically. Meh, not worth the hassle - we’ll just bunch them up as one shitty unit.

One more thing we learned right before Sunday’s games was that the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, is a softy – that anyone can get away with anything as long as they appeal suspensions.  Come on really, Roger? You lifted the “bounty-gate” suspensions of Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith and Scott Fujita. Absolute bullshit if you ask me.

But if player safety is the number one concern for Roger Goodell and the NFL then having the most qualified officials running the games makes a whole lot of sense.

Let us know if you saw any other mistakes from the replacement refs during any of your games last Sunday.