After further review...NFL referees stink

The NFL finally compromised with the officials after week one this season. The referees were on strike, and the league used "replacement refs" until the issue was settled. Now, it looks like the NFL would have been better off with the backups.\nReferees this season have been constantly confused and repeatedly criticized on the spot by television analysts. \nMaybe it is just me, but this year it seems that just about every close call is being challenged by head coaches. Often, the first glance at the replay shows that the referee was wrong, and the decision to overturn the original call will be a simple one.\nBut coach's challenges are far from the end of the troubles we have seen from NFL referees.\nTwo game-turning blunders have occurred already this season. One happened in Tennessee, where the Titans scampered in the last seconds to get a game-winning touchdown. The officials pondered for several minutes over what to do and finally decided, basically, to give a "do-over," upsetting both teams. \nThe second big-time error took place in New Orleans, where Peyton Manning of the Colts faked a spike as the clock expired, prompting an official to inadvertently blow his whistle. Manning scored on the play, but the touchdown was nullified. Instead of ending the half when the whistle was blown, the crew somehow decided to give the Colts one more play, which was used to kick a field goal.\nAnd let's not forget the referee who got in the way of the wide open New Orleans receiver who would have scored an easy touchdown this past Sunday. Wasn't that pass interference?\nNow I understand that referees are human, and they make errors like all of us. I also appreciate the fact that they are willing to overturn their calls if video shows that they were wrong.\n Another area in which the referees are failing is subjective calls. Most of the time, their work is black and white; was he in or out of bounds? Did he grab the facemask or his shirt?\n But some of the time, the referees must decide for themselves if the action was a violation of the rules. This season, it has been apparent that their definition of a "late-hit," which is a 15-yard penalty, is skewed.\nNearly every time I have seen it called this season, there is no way in which the defender could have pulled back or laid up. Often, the quarterback is looking for a receiver as the defender lunges, then the throw is made as the QB gets nailed. If the defender cannot stop, the penalty should not be called. As much as the league wants to protect its quarterbacks, it cannot mean defenses easing up.\nCoach: Hey -- why didn't you try to sack him?\nPlayer: Well, I thought that he was maybe gonna pass, so I had to let up.\nIt cannot work like that, and something must be changed.\nThe officials also forget about offensive pass interference, as wide receivers such as Randy Moss of Minnesota routinely push off defenders, creating space to make the catch. It happened last week when Tai Streets of the San Francisco 49ers got away with the infraction on ESPN Sunday Night Football. All three ESPN analysts ridiculed the referees for their poor work.\nWith such terrible officiating, it is a wonder why the league was so interested in bringing these guys back. The people who were once seen as the final authorities of the rules now seem to simply be as confused as the fans.