Replacement referees have returned to the NFL

It was Monday night on September 24, 2012 that the replacement referees last officiated an NFL game. This was the contest between the visiting Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. WR Golden Tate shoved safety M.D. Jennings, and then CB Sam Shields so he could catch the 24 yard pass from QB Russell Wilson. The play was called the "Fail Mary or Inaccurate Reception", and it resulted in a 14-12 Seattle victory.

Wikipedia:

The lack of a pass interference penalty and the ruling of a touchdown via simultaneous possession became the source of immediate controversy. During the broadcast, Monday Night Football announcer Jon Gruden expressed disbelief over the calls: "Golden Tate gets away with one of the most blatant offensive pass interference calls I've ever seen. M.D. Jennings intercepts the pass. And Tate's walking out of here as the player of the game. Unbelievable." ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote, "In all, it was one of the most disorganized and embarrassing scenes you'll ever see on an NFL field.

Kevin Seifert, ESPN:

Procedural tweaks and a personnel overhaul bring us a fresh level of NFL officiating uncertainty in 2014. Three new referees and a total of 13 first-year officials made their regular-season debuts in Week 1.

FOX Sports:

There's no sugarcoating it — Week 2 was an ugly one in the NFL. Off-field issues dominated the headlines in the beginning of the week.

WR Percy Harvin of the Seattle Seahawks caught a pass from QB Russell Wilson and tiptoed down the sidelines for a 51 yard TD. From the replay, it clearly showed that Harvin had stepped out of bounds at the 20 yard line of San Diego. The ruling on the field was a TD. Per Mike Pereira of FOX Sports, "there was a failure to communicate." NFL headquarters in New York did not speak with the referee on the field, and the ruling stood for a Seattle TD.

With the Cleveland Browns driving for the potential game-winning score in their upset bid over the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland QB Brian Hoyer completed a pass to Miles Austin to get the Browns inside the New Orleans 40 with 15 seconds to play.Extra time appeared to tick off the clock, and the catch on the sideline was reviewed. The replay confirmed the catch but could do nothing about putting time back on the clock. Yet the time did go back on the clock, buying Cleveland enough time to defeat the Saints 26-24 in the closing seconds dropping them to 0-2.

The University of Michigan trailed North Carolina in the final seconds of the 1993 NCAA Championship Game, 73-71. Forward, Chris Webber called a timeout that his team did not have, and a technical foul was called. His team lost, 77-71.

In Game 5 of the 1976 NBA finals between the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics, with time running off the clock, Celtics forward Paul Silas asked official Richie Powers for a Boston timeout. The Celtics had none left, and according to the rules, Powers was supposed to call a technical on Silas for calling a timeout the team didn't have. The signal went unnoticed even though Powers was staring directly at Silas. Powers did not want to see an NBA Finals contest end on a technicality.

With one second remaining in the second overtime, Suns Guard, Paul Westphal called a timeout that his team did not have. His team trailed by one, 111-110. A free throw was awarded to the Celtics pushing the lead to two. A miraculous shot by Forward, Garfield Heard forced a third overtime.

Week 2 in the NFL was anything but, Championship Week. The game between the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers capped off the most bizarre week in NFL history. FOX Sports:

With the Jets trailing 31-24 late at Green Bay, it appeared they had tied the game. But a timeout was called from the New York sideline just before the play, and Geno Smith's Hail Mary to Jeremy Kerley never was. Per rule, only the head coach can call timeout from the sideline; on this play, it appeared offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called it.
Jets coach Rex Ryan argued, saying he did not call the timeout. By the letter of the law, his point was correct. But by the letter of Mike Pereira, in the heat of the game, that rule practically becomes inconsequential. What is of consequence? The Packers held on to win by that final 31-24 score.

The Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Michigan Wolverines all asked for timeouts that they did not have. The New York Jets did not ask for a timeout that they had.

Two weeks are in the books. Two years ago, after two weeks, they went back to the regular officials. Let's hope they do the same thing this time.

Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.

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