Well, it appears that we might have reached the breaking point for the NFL and their replacement referees. It had been bad through two weeks of the season, but on Monday Night Football in Seattle, things got out of hand.
With :08 remaining on the clock, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson dropped back, bought sometime from the rush, and heaved a last-second desperation attempt with Seattle down 12-7.
Five players went up for the ball, and it looked as if Green Bay Packers’ M.D Jennings grabbed the ball out of the air, though Seattle’s Golden Bell had one arm on it as well. The two players went to the ground wrestling for the ball. Two referees rushed in on the scene. The back judge ruled a timeout as if there was an interception, while the side judge came in and put two hands up in the air signaling a touchdown.
The play was reviewed.
From every conceivable vantage point, it looked like Jennings came down with the ball, and there was no simultaneous possession. However, upon the review, the referees came back and upheld the touchdowns.
And then chaos ensued.
In the hours since the game’s completion, there has been an uproar over this result, with everyone and their mother weighing in with their thoughts.
So the main question coming from all of this is when will we see the NFL refs back on the field?
We are coming to Week 4 of the 2012 NFL Season which begins on Thursday, and it would take a minor miracle for the two sides to come to terms by then.
For the first time the refs look like they might have the edge here. Through 47 games of the season, the NFL had the upper hand. But this 48th games could tip the scale in their favor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some serious negotiations coming in the next 24 hours. The two sides reportedly met for more than 12 hours over the weekend, though nothing was solved.