Football referees are human too

If you have watched "SportsCenter" or any other sporting highlights show, read the sports section or listened to sports talk radio in the last few days, you might have the impression the National Football League officials are some of the worst people in the world. After game-deciding calls at the end of two playoff games over the last two weekends, referees Ron Blum and Ron Winter, along with their crews, were berated by coaches, fans and sportscasters.\nBlum's running into the kicker call in overtime of the Tennessee Titans 34-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was a questionable call, but most penalties are questionable by one stance or another. Much of refereeing is subjective and leaves the door open for an uncertain call to be debated upon by so-called experts for days.\nAnalysts and fans often gripe the players should decide the game, not the officials, and I'll admit that I am one of those people. However, Steelers cornerback Dewayne Washington should not have even been close to brushing Titans kicker Joe Nedney after a 31-yard field goal which Nedney pulled wide right. Nedney, with an Oscar-like acting performance, plopped to the ground drawing the flag from Blum. As a Steelers fan, I was upset with Blum's call which gave Nedney another chance to kick a game-winning 26-yard field goal. But with Washington lightly brushing Nedney, Blum was able to call the penalty.\nA week prior to Blum's call, fellow referee Winter and his officiating crew missed a pass interference call on San Francisco 49ers defensive end Chike Okeafor. Back judge Scott Green, who at the time was the highest rated back judge of all NFL officials, said he did not call pass interference because he thought Giants guard Rich Seubert was an ineligible receiver down field. However, prior to the game Seubert had reported as an eligible receiver on all field goal attempts. After a botched snap on a game-winning field goal attempt, Seubert ran down field for a pass where he was clobbered by Okeafor well before the ball reached him.\nIn a statement by Mike Pereira, the NFL's director of officiating, Pereira admitted Winter's crew made a mistake by not calling pass interference. Pereira did the right thing in issuing the statement as human error is a part of the game . The Giants even have some experience with human error, just ask quarterback Kerry Collins about his alcohol use -- need I say more? We all make mistakes and in this case an officials' mistake cost the Giants.\nI do think I would prefer an officials' mistake to the ones uncovered in the state of Illinois' judicial system which led to Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuting all 167 death row inmates, most to life-in-prison without parole. Let's see, a missed call in an NFL game or commuting all death row inmates, even those not asking to be commuted; I'll take a missed officials' call any day to a quandary in the judicial system. In the whole scheme of things, a blown or subjective call by an NFL referee really does not mean anything.\nSo the next time you are watching a game and you think an official makes a bad call, cut them some slack and remember he is only human and subject to mistakes -- aren't you?