The countdown has begun: Today is one week from the NFL season opener between the Giants and Cowboys. And, unless a miracle happens, there will be replacement officials on the field.
Not enough is being written or said about what promises to overwhelm the football world after the opening week of the season. No matter how many excellent games there will be, surely a few (one, two, three?) games will be adversely affected by the officials.
And when that happens, that’s all anyone will be talking about. That can’t be a good thing, and the NFL should realize that.
The key question is what has to happen for the impasses to end. Some believe only the players can effect change by refusing to play until the experienced officials return.
Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe said, “It’s one of those things where you just look out there and it’s like the difference between having a high-school guy play in the NFL versus an NFL guy playing in the NFL. The speed’s totally different. Those guys are trying hard, but they’re just not used to the speed of the game and they’re missing a lot of stuff.”
As to the potential ramifications, Kluwe added, “Look at last year, the Giants, the eventual Super Bowl champions, they were one game out from not making the playoffs. So if you get one bad call that takes a game the complete other way, the entire season’s different. It’s much more of a sprint in the NFL, as opposed to other sports where it’s a marathon. So I don’t think the league can afford to have a mistake like that because then one of those playoff bubble teams might not get in.”
Words are one thing; action is quite another.
When si.com asked NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith about the potential of a united player action, he said, “In America it is the employer’s obligation to provide as safe a working environment as possible. We believe that if the National Football League fails in that obligation we reserve the right to seek any relief that we believe is appropriate. The NFL has chosen to prevent the very officials that they have trained, championed and cultivated for decades to be on the field to protect players and — by their own admission — further our goal of enhanced safety. That is absurd on its face.
“We’ve been very public in saying that we believe on a scale of 1-10 the use of replacement referees in the preseason is a 12. That goes up to a 16 now that you’re entering into the regular season.”
Smith mentioned three “fundamental facts that are inescapable:” “One, the players and the league have made tremendous strides in trying to make the game safer over the last three years. The second fact is, at the players’ urging, the National Football League last year gave the referees more power to spot and deal with a concussed or injured player. The third inescapable fact is, over the last 20 years the league has done everything to maintain an experienced referee corps.”
Think of that last point. There are very few rookie officials each year in the NFL. In 2011, according to the roster of officials in the NFL Record & Fact Book as of May, there were only two first-year officials in the league and five second-year officials from a group of 121 officials. Of course, the rookies end up in crews with more experienced officials.
Those 121 officials, including the 2011 season, had a total of 1,397 years of NFL experience, an average of 11.5 years. The referees averaged 15.5 years of experience. Yet, the league appears to be going full-steam ahead to use all first-year officials.
Smith said, “The only conclusion that I have, is that the league cares more about money than it does about the experience of the referees as a vehicle to increase player safety.”
He concluded, “The owners have invested in the players, and each and every owner loves what keeps the National Football League unique among sports. And it’s two things: On any given Sunday a team could win; and every game matters.
“So, my question to the owners is, because those two things are true, why would they ever want to leave the game in critical moments in the hands of referees that they ordinarily would never hire? I mean, if these referees were so credible, how come they hadn’t hired them before the lockout?”
‘Build the Bridge’
That’s the theme of the New York Giants’ season in 2012 following last year’s “Finish” and “All In.”
At a team function this week with fans in attendance, head coach Tom Coughlin expanded on those expectations.
Said Coughlin, “What we challenged our football team with at the beginning of training camp this year was, ‘What are we fellas?’ Are we the 7-7 team or are we the 6-0 team; the team that was successful right down the stretch that no one gave a chance to, that got into the playoffs by winning late in the season and the tremendous part about that was the way in which the fans received us.
“’Build The Bridge’ became the theme this year in training camp. We had to build a bridge from the 6-0 qualities that appeared, a couple of which were we gave up 14 points a game. You’re going to win a lot of games when you only give up 14 points a game. We had one turnover in the playoffs. Special teams had incredible turnovers in the San Francisco game to allow us to win, so it was in harmony that we did play. So Build the Bridge has become the new theme. Now we’re not going to leave the ‘All In.’ We’re not going to leave ‘Finish.’
“When I do talk about ‘All In,’ I am talking about the fans and we are extremely excited. We are excited to play our final preseason game tomorrow evening right here and then here we go. The Dallas Cowboys are coming to town. The place will be rocking and rolling. It will be all blue. Team first, team last, team always it will be and we’re really excited about it.”
Fantasy Watch
*Rookie running back Doug Martin is now the starter ahead of LeGarrette Blount in Tampa Bay. How long will it stay that way? Said coach Greg Schiano, “We don’t hand out jobs and sign them over. It’s always competition around here, continually. I think Doug’s done a great job and that’s why he’s got the No. 1 seat. But he’s got to work to keep it.” As for the decision to go with Martin, the head coach said, “At the very beginning I sat them both down and told them what the deal was. They knew it. I think – when you watch the tape, and LeGarrette’s a smart guy – when he watches the tape, he sees that he got outperformed.”
*Tough to figure what to expect from Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck when the real games begin. During a radio interview, Luck said of himself, “I think I’m still very much a rookie quarterback trying to figure it out. By no means are we perfect in any sense and got a lot of work to do. I do feel like a rookie a lot of times trying to figure things out but I think we’re on the right path and that is what is important.” As for the mental side of the NFL game, Luck said, “I think every now and then you make boneheaded mistakes. Call a play in the huddle and two seconds later you can’t remember one word that came out of your mouth and try to figure out what’s going on with the defense and you’re forgetting the snap count and just trying to stay alive out there.”
Close Your Eyes
Marc Mariani was a success story when he made the Tennessee Titans roster as an undrafted free agent in 2010. But now, Mariani faces a difficult rehab after suffering a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula. He acknowledged immediately wondering if his career might be over. He said, “It was a scared feeling of, ‘This could be it.’ Your mind immediately goes to, ‘Is this the last play I’ll ever play? Is this the end of my career?’ That was kind of my worry from the get-go.”
His teammates told him not to look at his leg, but he couldn’t help himself, a decision that resulted in him seeing his ankle “just kind of hanging there.” At that point, he thought of his mom and whether she had seen it happen. He said, “When I got in the ambulance, that’s the first thing I did — I called my mom. That’s the only thing I could think about, and she was obviously distraught and in a panic. I tried to calm her down and let her know it was going to be all right.” As for the future, the confident Mariana said, “I am going to have full optimism and full confidence that it’s going to be back 100 percent. My plan is to get back on the field.”
The Quotebook
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on paying backup Matt Flynn after rookie Russell Wilson was named the starter: “That’s the price of free agency. That’s the market. The market was driven there and we had to pay that price to get the player to come to our program and I said to you two that that doesn’t matter to me. I don’t want that to matter to me. We understand there is a thought about that, but as a coach I’m doing this for the competitive reasons in the fact that come out and if a guy gets paid more and he’s playing backup he better be a pretty good backup. He better play well and better perform well, so I don’t think any fan out there would want me to make a decision based on how much a guy is getting paid. You want the best guy at that time to play for us and that’s exactly how I see it. We are going to keep standing up for that. I’m not trying to make any statements. That’s just the facts.”
Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate on Wilson: “It’s just something that he stands for and how he handles himself. The things that leave his mouth. You get a feeling that he’s just very, very special. You don’t know what it is, but you get that feeling. You get excited to see him get on the field, because you never know if he’s going to throw a perfect touchdown pass or juke a safety to extend the drive. It’s hard to put into words, but it’s just good to have a guy who seems comfortable sitting back there. He’s just a very, very special player, and I’m excited to see him grow.”