Dear Football Mom,
Like your opinion about the New Orleans Saints robbed of playing in Super Bowl 2019. I’m a Saints fan, season ticket holder, and I’m mad as $#%% over the missed call! Suing the refs, NFL, or Roger Goodell is too good for them. They should lose their jobs, every one of them, never to step foot on an NFL field or be associated with pro teams again. Enough stupidity already.
Dear Reader,
Had one of my guys been on the Saints team, I would be answering this note from behind jail bars. Oh, trust me—I’m almost sure of it. But since they weren’t on the team, my new black isn’t orange. I’m wondering though, if we can blow off steam without swatting somebody upside the head, or landing in the jailhouse for being brainless.
I get it, I do. Not too sure, you really want to know my opinion. In truth, you really don’t. But since you asked, remember this: opinions are like a duck’s derrière … everyone has one.
It’s not like the refs don’t bring home some serious bacon. Most folks would be tickled pink as a pig for the high, six-figure, annual income these dudes make for half a year’s work. Not that they don’t deserve it; I’m almost sure they do.
In one sense, they are the most hated guys in America for doing their jobs—sort of like President Trump. In another sense, they are (after all) human, and just as none of us do a perfect job every day in our profession, they make mistakes. The problem isn’t necessarily the refs. It’s the replay rulings.
Of course, our powderpuff friend, Roger Dodger is used to ducking controversy. Just a few months back, the taking-a-knee thang resulted in most of us boycotting the games and lowered the NFL-ers paycheck, not a word from him until he saw his bottom line shrinking. I’m still not watching too much NFL. Poor ole Roger, just can’t get ahead of any hullabaloo storm brewing before it blows up in his face. You’d think he’d learn a thing or two by now.
Football is an emotional game, and anybody says different is a nincompoop. But emotion doesn’t win games as much as I would like to think it can. Neither does suing anyone. It should just never come down to one play, one mistake, one goof-up.
So, the remaining time on the clock was 1:45 at the time of the screw-up. Score tied at 20, third down, Saints in possession of ball. Yes, I agree, had the penalty been called, the Saints would have been given a new set of downs and a chance, notice “a chance” to run the clock down before attempting a short field goal, or even a touchdown. Game over. Saints win.
Maybe the ball would have gone through the uprights—maybe it wouldn’t have. Maybe it would have been blocked, or maybe it could have been intercepted. The should-a, could-a, would-a game plan was the call here. It just shouldn’t come down to a missed penalty call, especially in the NFL. They are, after all, pros … told ya … you didn’t want my opinion.
The debate over bad calls for refs, or “favoring” one team over another is nothing new. How many college, high school, middle school, or even Pee Wee games have been wiggled out of winning due to missed calls or wrong calls by the refs? We’ve all seen it. It happens.
Thing is—pass interference is not a reviewable play in the NFL. Neither is holding calls on Offense or Defense. This debate will live on until the rules change. No suing needed.
By the time, you see our column in print; Super Bowl LII will be in the history books to be chewed over like a dog’s bone. If you really want to argue, advocate to get the reviewable NFL rules changed and start lobbying to do just that. Now is your chance.