FanPost

Blaming the Officials for the Cardinals Loss

Blaming the officials for a Cardinals loss is not the message I wanted to get across. Watching a black and white train wreck have such a big impact on a big game is a disgrace to any professional contest and that is the message I want to get across.

I thought I'd write this little article. Not only to practice my second language, but to clarify my position on the Cardinals vs. Eagles game. Let's get some questions out of the way right away:

Do I think the Cards lost solely because of the officials ? No. There is never one reason why a team wins or loses.

Do I think that the officials impacted the outcome of that game ? Yes. The officials certainly inserted themselves into the equation determining the outcome of that game.

As a football fan and an Arizona Cardinal fan I must say that I felt no differently about the awful officiating in that game then I have felt about the awful officiating in any other game that doesn't involve the Cardinals. Anytime the officiating, which might be the second hardest job on the professional sports field, impacts the outcome of a game; it brings into question the competency and legitimacy of a professional contest / sport. It makes it hard to invest time and money into any entity which is not performing at an acceptable level.

Back to the Cardinals game. Although it will never be admitted by the players, the coaches, the officials and the NFL; the officiating crews poor performance in that game had a huge impact in a huge game. What I saw and heard was:

1. An officiating crew that was being booed every time a call went against the Eagles; Even when reviewed.

2. An officiating crew who were frequently making calls out of position.

3. An officiating crew who were very inconsistent.

4. An officiating crew who wasn't prepared for the speed of the game and a playoff type contest.

I don't want to address every single call in this article or blame the loss on the officiating. I simply want to clarify my viewpoint. The NFL and any professional sport must have good officiating to maintain the integrity of the game. As a football fan; I felt dirty after that game. I felt robbed of a contest that would have otherwise been a great game. I felt as though the play on the field was meaningless; when the refs became the deciding factor on the outcome of that game.

As a football fan; I'm tired of the terrible and inconsistent officiating game in and game out. As a Cardinals fan; I'm pissed that this problem that exists in the NFL almost every game, every week; robbed the Cardinals of the determination and efforts and plays the Cardinals made in the second half to win that game.

Do you think there is a problem with the officiating in the NFL ? If so, what do you think the problem is; inconsistency, under-prepared, under too much pressure from home team fans, not fit enough, some sort of conspiracy, rules are too complex, other ?

<em>This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Revenge of the Birds' (ROTB) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of ROTB's editors.</em>