How many times have you been watching your favorite team play on Sunday and you think to yourself, "wow these refs are really trying to control this game".   I think the refs all to often have an impact on almost all the games.  Phantom holding calls from the ref on the other side of the field, pass interference calls when the ball was clearly not catchable, and the worst culprit of all is the instant replay.

  As any NFL fan would a test to, every team is effected by the referees.  Detroit at Tampa Bay last season, Detroit scored a touchdown with under twenty seconds left.  This was a close play, very close.  So they went to instant replay, and over turned it.  The problem is, it was NOT a clear call to over turn.  The rule states that in order to over turn a call it has to be clear cut evidence.

  Many fans would atest that their team had a game where it seemed as a screw job against them.  We all get caught up in unfavorable calls against.  In some respects NFL refs are very similar to WWE refs in the fact that fans say......"how did he not see that?"  One example is the coin toss going into overtime at Detroit when the Steelers felt they got robbed of what they called, and is now known as "the coin toss".  Steelers fans got redemption later when they returned to Detroit to win the Super Bowl though.

  Instant replay may be the biggest waste of game time they have come up with in the modern era.  It seems that every time any team fumbles the ball, lets go to instant replay.  The other is when the blow a play dead on an "incomplete pass" that was clearly a catch and fumble.  They need to let these plays go and then go back.  How many times has this play been called dead as a player is running down the field to a defensive touchdown only for some ref to blow his whistle (even though he is unsure of what just happened) to blow the play dead?

The NFL rule changes for 2006 are not that big but they do have a few according to an AP report at NFL.com ( you can view them all by clicking) and they really aren't all the big of changes anyway, but here are a few:

1. Home teams no longer can play artificial noise or music when the visiting team has the ball.  (no brainer)

2.  A player no longer can be ruled out of bounds when he touches a pylon unless he already touched the boundary line.  (can't wait to this call get blown)

3. All chop blocks on kicking plays now are illegal and penalized 15 yards.  (how about ALL CHOPBLOCKS ARE ILLEGAL!!!) lets protect more than just QBs

4.  A quarterback who has become a defender after a turnover can't be hit helmet to helmet, even if he has made a move to tackle the ball carrier. The quarterback can be blocked in other legal ways, however.   (like a chopblock?)

All I simply ask to the NFL refs in 2006 is, let the players play and keep the flags in your pockets for the most part.  It slows the game down and has FAR to much effect on the outcomes of games.


  Here is my open challenge again.  If you think you know more about sports than I do.  join this free website FanIQ to see how good you are at predicting games of all genres.  you can see my results as well as challenging your friends too.