The NFL Has A Black Eye

~Anthony Constantino

Most of those who follow the NFL or are somehow involved with the league, knew there would be growing pains for the replacement officials. The evidence has been mounting for three weeks now that this is indeed the case. However the Packers/Seahawks Monday Night Football game showed something worse than growing pains, it showed that the current officials are hopelessly incompetent.

There have been countless examples throughout the first three weeks of regular season play that illustrate the fact that these officials are unable to control these games and lack the proper knowledge of NFL rules and proceedings.

First, let's look at the lack of control. Regardless of the experience or overall knowledge these referees have, they all know at any level that referees must maintain control and order during the game and all of its proceedings. Think of this like the Judge in the courtroom. It doesn't matter what level of football you officiate; referees know that they are the peacekeeper/mediator and must act accordingly. All seven officials must work as one organized group to control all the action in between and outside the whistles.

The Falcons/Broncos Monday Night Football game is a prime example of re-placement officials being unable to control teams and players. Play after play groups of players were congregated near the sidelines, the only problem being that they weren't exchanging pleasantries. Shoves and slaps on the helmet were exchanged between the players when disagreements arose. The officials were nowhere to be found as they were fumbling around with their penalty flags and rulebooks, pleading with the heavens to help them out. By the time this game hit the third quarter it looked more like hockey than football. All the while I am watching this game unravel thinking to myself, "Surely there will be an ejection here, things have gotten way out of hand." Much to my surprise no flags were thrown by the referees to regain control. Bad call after missed penalty after procedural error piled up on the referees, leaving the Broncos coaching staff irate. This happened in prime time for all the casual and die-hard football fans to see. Tuesday morning after Week 2 concluded, we were left thinking that it couldn't possibly get worse. The came the Packers/Seahawks game on Monday Night Football.

Before we get to that let's also look at how these replacement officials are simply unfamiliar with NFL rules. In the San Francisco 49ers/Minnesota Vikings game, the 49ers used all three of their timeouts in the second half. However, after using those timeouts the 49ers were allowed to challenge two close plays. Since the 49ers had no timeouts at the time of those challenges, by rule a challenge could not take place. Or should I say, should not take place. The referees in that game proceeded with both challenges, making a mockery of the game. The lone bright spot in this situation is that it did not effect the result of the game.

For those who are Bills' fans, you've experienced an injustice as well. NFL rules state that when under two minutes in the 4th quarter, the only player on offense who can advance the ball is the player who fumbles. Running back Shonn Greene fumbled into the end zone and linemen D'Brickashaw Ferguson recovered it. Since the fumble occurred outside of the end zone, Ferguson could not legally recover the fumble. By rule all scoring plays are reviewed, and yet these referees still arrived at the incorrect ruling.

During the Sunday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, the final scoring play was not reviewed, as the rules dictate. This led to Head Coach Bill Belichick making contact with an official to demand an explanation. We should never get to this point, and it is directly the fault of replacement referees not knowing the rulebook and losing control in nearly every tightly contested game in prime time.

Now we arrive at the Packers/Seahawks debacle. Let's ignore the amount of bad calls and blown penalties. Let's ignore the penalty that happened on the game's final play, which was the clearest form of Offensive Pass Interference (OPI) as described by NFL rules you could ever imagine. Hell, the NFL could use the play to teach future officials what OPI looks like! Let's ignore the terrible initial call of a touchdown on that Hail Mary too (If you have not seen the play click here). The fact of the matter is that all scoring plays are reviewed. This rule means that even if a touchdown happens via an atrocious decision by an official, that crew has a chance to fix their egregious error before making a terrible mistake that could decide the game. So the ref goes under the hood, with the game hanging in the balance. The evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of a turnover and not the simultaneous possession rule. Yet the official upholds the call and awards the game to the Seahawks. This is THE nightmare that the NFL was praying would never happen: replacement referees making a terrible call that awards the game to the wrong team.

So what have we learned? The replacement referees are in over their head. The speed of professional football, especially the NFL is much too fast for these officials. Keep in my mind, most of these replacements are turned down by Division II college football, as well as Division I. This means we have Division III college or even high school officials struggling to keep up with the game. They have never worked a game in front of more than 20,000 fans. They also seem to have no idea how to control what happens during the process of an NFL game.

These referees are not fit for the NFL game and it shows. However, the NFL Owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell continue to operate with their head in the sand. They pretend these officials are getting better and improving each game. This insults our intelligence as fans and undermines Goodell's push to "maintain the integrity of the NFL". The ball is in the court of the NFL. The fans have been cheated for three weeks now, and they do not deserve it. Pay the regular officials their small percentage of the multi-billion dollar bottom line and stop dictating how the world should turn and what fans should think.

K-Mart: A Blue Light Special of My Own

 

 

 

  

                            

 

~Mike Wolcott

 

 

 

          I attended the Buffalo Bills home opener last weekend. My friend Heather had an extra ticket to the game and was nice enough to invite me to come along with her. Prior to the game, the two of us met up with a few friends in the parking lot for some tailgating (drinking). While tailgating, a man approached us to see if we were interested in purchasing Buffalo Bills t-shirts. When I asked if he had size large, his reply was "Yea man I gotta size large for you and I gotta size SEXY for the young lady!" Heather was not interested in a size sexy, but I purchased a large and the man was on his way.

          When I tried on the shirt the next day, I was disappointed to find that it was too small (maybe I should’ve gotten a size sexy, it probably would’ve fit perfectly ha). The shirt was useless to me, so I figured that I might as well give it to someone who could use it. Later that day, I brought the shirt with me to the gym to give to my friend Dan, who is slightly smaller than me. It was a perfect fit for Dan. Unfortunately, he forgot to take it with him when we left.

          As we were leaving the gym, I told Dan that I was on my way to the next door K-Mart. "What are you going there for?" asked Dan. "I need to buy some things" I replied, "Deodorant, razors, and bread (I needed bread for my sandwich the next day)." Dan looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, "They sell bread at K-Mart?"

          When I stepped through the doors of the "Big K," I realized it had been a long time since I was last there. I chuckled to myself because the employees looked like they were out of the 1950s, and I was the only non-employee in the store. At first I struggled to find what I was looking for because the layout of things made little sense. Eventually, I came upon the only bread sold in the store. The bread was labeled as "King Sized White Bread." I didn’t want white bread, nor did I want "King Sized" bread, but I really didn’t have a choice.

          I didn’t have my choice of breads, but I did have my choice of checkouts. As I said before, there was no one in the store other than a handful of employees. I handed my purchases to one of the cashiers, and noticed some really nice Buffalo Bills shirts hanging on the wall. "Maybe I’ll start doing more clothes shopping at K-Mart" I thought. I took a large blue Bills shirt down from the wall as a replacement for the one that didn’t fit from the previous day. I handed the shirt to the cashier who put it in my bag.  When I got home, I realized that she had forgotten to scan it.  It was my lucky day, a free shirt to make up for the one that I got screwed out of the day before.  I learned two things that day: everything evens out in the end, and they DO sell bread at K-Mart.



 

 
                                      

2012 Buffalo Bills Season Predictions

~Tony Constantino

~Mike Wolcott

~Loren Kelley (Guest Contributor)

~Mike Wach (Guest Contributor)

Hello A&M blog readers. As always, thank you. Entering the 2012 season, Buffalo Bills fans seem optimistic once again. The signing of Mario Williams, along with the additions of Mark Anderson and Stephon Gilmore, has created buzz around town. The common sentiment among fans is that the team is primed to end their 12 season playoff drought. It is safe to say this team will have the attention and the hearts of Bills fans in their hands. In this entry, we thought that it would be fun predict the outcome of this year’s Buffalo Bills season. We’ve asked two of our friends to join in with their predictions. Enjoy!


Mike Wach

With the obvious offseason success stories the Bills had as well as a seemingly strong draft that filled in positions of need, it is easy to get excited.  I too am excited, but for more than being caught up in the fervor of Super Mario. The biggest reasons the Bills will make the playoffs this year are more about their opponents than themselves. Boasting a cupcake schedule filled with the NFC West and AFC South, many other teams would be able to ride into the playoffs easily. However, there is the infamous "this is Buffalo" factor of this team seemingly being able to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory frequently. Therefore I say they are in for a tremendous fight for a playoff spot. I believe the Bills are playoff bound due to the existence of the Wild Card. I believe teams like New England, Houston, and San Diego will have minimal trouble in winning their respective divisions. I see the AFC North going to either Baltimore or Pittsburgh and the loser of that race getting the first Wild Card position. The second Wild Card figures to be an insane scramble between the rest of the contenders: Denver, Cincinnati, NYJ, Tennessee, and of course, the Bills.

Within this pack, I predict the Bills will emerge. The Jets turned into a complete circus by the end of last year and God's Golden Quarterback (Tim Tebow) will not quell that wildfire in the least. Prepare to watch the wheels come off, Jets fans. Cincy came out of nowhere last year to grab a playoff spot and look for them to go back to nowhere this year. Andy Dalton will be in a sophomore slump now that teams know to take the Bengals a little more seriously. The Titans offer a challenge but I believe they come up with the same result as last year, namely being in the hunt, but just missing out. Lastly, Denver offers the biggest challenge for the Wild Card and it should be obvious that Peyton Manning can will crappy teams to victory. However, with a defense that was suspect last year (see Denver vs New England in playoffs), a punchless wide receiver corp, and an overall lack of talent around him, I don't think Manning will pull it off this year. Watch out for Denver in the future though. Finally, there's the Bills. Buffalo has a shiny new defensive line that is sure to make QB's suffer, a healthy team (at least at the moment), and an offensive plan in place that can work when your quarterback doesn't have broken ribs. I say the Bills manage their way through and easy schedule and eek into the playoffs for the first time since Bill Clinton was in office. Whether or not they go any further is a different story all together. You can take my predictions for that after Week 17.

My prediction: 10-6, with a Wild Card berth by the smallest of tie breakers.


Loren Kelley

Before I give you my prediction, I'm going to make some points to help you understand where I’m coming from. Generally speaking, Bills fans do not use their brains to make reasonable predictions. Instead, fans have dreamlike expectations each year, only to be let down. We tend to think of the years from 1988-1999; Super Bowls, playoff games, and solid drafting. Every year since then, fans let their excitement get in the way of a rational assessment of the team. The Bills will draft a so called “future superstar,” or place heavy responsibility on the shoulders of a player who would be a 2nd stringer on other teams. Let’s face the damn facts, if you woke up every day in the morning to someone shitting in your cereal, are you going to continue to wake up with a smile as you put shit filled flakes in your mouth? No.

Last year I placed a bet with friends on the outcome of the season. At the time, the Bills were playing well and stood at 5-2. Despite this, I knew that a collapse was imminent, and made a $20 bet on a 7-9 finish.  For those who have forgotten, we finished 6-10.  I can hear fans now, ''Ohh well we got this guy now, or how about this other great prospect that isn't worth a damn to another team?'' Didn’t fans have the same optimism about Rob Johnson? Trent Edwards? Not to mention every coach since Marv Levy. The track record speaks for itself. I understand how some fans might say that you have to be there for your team through thick or thin. I however, prefer to have a team earn my respect, rather than be a cow taken to the slaughter each and every year.

My prediction: 7-9. Deal with it and don't tell me about how the last 6 or 7 games of the year SHOULD BE wins. They should be, but WON’T BE. This is the Buffalo Bills, remember?

Mike Wolcott

For yours truly, it is hard to buy in completely. As a long time Bills fan, I’m conditioned to expect disaster and disappointment at every turn.  Just about every season, the Bills give reason for hope, but ultimately disappoint.  Looking back to the start of last year’s season, fans were optimistic because of the signing of Shawn Merriman and the drafting of Marcell Dareus.  Two years ago, it was a new head coach and running back that created excitement.  Three years ago, Terrell Owens came to town.
 
As for this year’s Bill team, I have two major questions. The first question is: how good is Ryan Fitzpatrick? He looked like a completely different player in the second half of last season after breaking his ribs.  Obviously I don’t expect him to be Dan Marino out there, but part of me hopes that he can be a proficient (if unspectacular) starting quarterback. This remains to be seen though, and if Fitz plays like he did in the second half of last season, it will be another disappointing year for Bills fans.
My other major question is: how much better will the defense be?  Most of the optimism for this year’s team comes from the additions that have been made on defense. The Bills defense was absolutely abysmal last season, probably the worst that I have ever seen (ranked 30th). The only time they stopped anyone was on some freakishly tipped interception. The Cowboys, Dolphins, and Chargers all scored touchdowns on the first three drives of their games against the Bills last season. There’s no question that the free agent signings of Mark Anderson and Mario Williams will help this season, along with the drafting of Stephon Gilmore. That being said, I am still left wondering how much better will a handful of players make that defense? The defensive line looks great, but the starting cornerbacks are first and second year players, and the linebacker corps is weak. Super Mario may be a superstar (as he should be for 100 million), but a middle of the pack defense is the most that a reasonable Bills fan can expect.
How well Fitzpatrick and the defense fair this season is really anyone’s guess.  I predict an efficient offense and an improved defense. I definitely have my reservations/questions about the team, but I also feel that there are reasons to be optimistic. The 2011 Bills went 6-10 and were riddled with injuries. The 2012 team is both improved and healthy, and has the second weakest strength of schedule in the league.  For those reasons, I am hopeful that the Bills will be in contention for a Wild Card berth at the end of the year. Here I go again, I’m buying in to a team that always seems to let me down. 

My prediction is 9-7. If the cards fall the right way, we could see a Wild Card berth.


Tony Constantino

The Buffalo Bills have been one of the most disappointing teams in all of sports over the last decade. Outside of Buffalo, the Bills have been considered an afterthought to most football fans. This offseason, Ralph Wilson signed a few larger checks than he normally does and the Bills were pulled into the spotlight. With well over 100 million dollars spent in free agency, the Bills were the talk of the free agency period. However money spent does not hang championship banners in any league, great teams do. Last season concluded for the Bills with many questions to answer: What happened to Fitzpatrick? Where is the rush defense? Can anybody on this roster sack opposing quarterbacks? Who is Scott Chandler? etc... This season begins with another batch of questions to answer: Who is the 2nd wide receiver? Why is Kelvin Sheppard the starting middle linebacker? Can Fred Jackson stay healthy? Can the Amish Rifle take that next step? and so on...

I will say this, the Buffalo Bills have potential. Nobody in this town wants to hear that the Bills are a season or two away from contending for a playoff spot, but I deem this to be a reality. A good defensive line can mask a lot of problems on any defense, just ask the New York Giants. However, the linebackers in Buffalo are extremely weak and the cornerbacks have little to no NFL experience. Stevie Johnson is a 2nd receiver playing as a number 1 option until further notice, and the Bills have no number 2. Scott Chandler is the worst starting tight end in the NFL. The Bills have the easiest schedule I have ever seen, and that cannot be ignored. In fact, if this team makes it to the playoffs, the schedule is the biggest reason. You can only play the team that stands in front of you, and you have to play all 60 minutes each week.

My prediction: 8-8. The groundwork will be laid, and this season will be a sign of things to come.