Please Bring Back the Refs NFL!

The NFL season is two weeks old and it is absolutely clear that the replacement refs have been embarrassing to say the least. It's tough to really hold them to a high standard because they are replacement refs, being pegged for a job that even 20-year reffing veterans still mess up at times. They've had very limited training in a short amount of time and they've never been put in this kind of situation before. No, this isn't on the replacements, this is on the NFL for not coming to an agreement with the regular refs to bring them back into these games. These replacements are placed in the line of fire every week and are put in a position they've never encountered; being booed by thousands of people, being the object of players' complaints and having coaches as their worst nightmare any time they make a bad call. This still-fresh season has shown multiple signs that these guys could have a hand in the outcome of a game with just bad calls that they make and being intimidated by others. Let's take a look at the recent Monday Night Football game featuring the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos as a bit of a diagram of the problems that could ensue. After Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno fumbled the football, a pile up occurred which appeared to have a Broncos player jump on the ball. The ruckus that quickly ensued involved players from the bench, coaches and many more on the field and in the referees' faces. All in all, just one player was penalized and none were ejected. This includes Broncos center J.D. Walton who grabbed a ref and moved him away from the pile up. All in all, the refs were intimidated by the crowd, coaches and players. This is just part of the reason that the NFL needs to come to terms with the regular refs before the replacements begin to have a direct impact on the end result of games. Do the right thing Commissioner, and get the real refs back in the game. By: Brandon Williams Member of the Football Writers Association of America