re: Is there really a difference with these replacement refs

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On the coin toss that opened the Hall of Fame game, replacement referee Craig Ochoa announced that the Saints had won the toss and deferred, then quickly corrected himself, saying that the Cardinals had won the toss. As omens go, this is like walking out of the house for your first day on the job and falling straight down a mineshaft.

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A few days later, Ochoa revealed his tenuous grasp on geography by referring to the Atlanta Falcons as “Arizona” several times during penalty announcements, in Atlanta. In fairness, Ochoa refereed for the Arizona Cardinals the previous week (in Canton, nowhere near Arizona), and may have had post-traumatic stress disorder from that difficult coin toss.

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During the Giants-Jaguars game, Giants rookie Jayron Hosley was flagged for holding on a punt return. What made this a curious call was that Hosley was the one returning the punt. And while it may be technically possible for him to also be guilty of holding, it’s hardly likely. Inspection of the tape revealed that the penalty should have been called on Michael Coe, who wears No. 37, not Hosley, No. 36. It was the most baffling of many player misidentifications during the preseason; in another instance, a guard was called for a snap violation.

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The large television audience who tuned in for Robert Griffin’s NFL debut saw the most head-scratching error of the preseason, as a downed punt by Ruvell Martin at the five-yard line was somehow ruled a touchback. Martin fielded the ball cleanly and was nowhere near the end zone. There was no ambiguity whatsoever, except in the minds of the officials, who forced a livid Chan Gailey to use a challenge flag on a play that should have been as routine as, well, a downed punt.

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Chargers safety Eric Weddle committed a clear helmet-to-helmet hit against a Cowboys receiver; the ball popped in the air after the foul, and a Chargers defender intercepted it. The replacements got the foul right but did not quite understand that the roughness penalty negates the turnover: The Chargers retained the ball, but were pushed back 15 yards.

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Nothing inspires confidence in officiating like seeing a referee react with recoiling terror at the football lobbed in his direction after the play, as Jerry Frump did in the Eagles-Patriots preseason game. Frump’s blunder was one of many slapstick moments for the replacement refs, who faced the wrong way when announcing penalties, lost track of how many footballs were on the field, and used arcane syntax that sounded like they were in a badly dubbed anime movie. (“The down remains three!?”)

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The Giants punted in the second quarter of their preseason finale against the Patriots. Flags flew. Referee Don King turned on the microphone, and suddenly a football game became a night at the Improv.

King’s hand signals looked like a cross between standard NFL penalty symbols, semaphore and a drunk trying to do the “Achy Breaky.” His baffling announcement sounded like Andy Kaufman doing Latka Gravas. “We have fouls by both teams, during kick. We have illegal shift by the kicking team. After the kick …” A second official could then be heard, by everyone but King, shouting that both fouls were on the kicking team. “Then after the kick we have a 15-yard penalty …” the referee points in both directions half-heartedly. “Chosen to re-kick. Five-yard penalty.”

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Is there really a difference with these replacement refs

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Not dancin'; just that he included no credible facts to back up his assertion. It makes him look like he writes for Bleacher Report.

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Only a dumbass would believe they would risk losing their officiating career, their full time career, and prison by doing that.

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risk their NFL career, their fulltime career, and prison by paying someone to do what they'll do anyway.

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