Boycott the NFL...

[coltsguy510]

Until the real refs get back. Perfect week for us to do it.

[Jules]

Are you serious? If Irsay coughs up enough cash maybe he can buy a 14-2 season!!!!

j/k

[coltsguy510]

lol Clay Mathews posted Goodells office number on facebook!!! I called it and left a message. It's 212-450-2027

[GoColts8818]

Well if you really want the regular refs back it's probably going to take something like that. As long as fans keep paying for the product Goodell isn't going to cave to the refs demands.

Frankly I still think the replacement refs mistakes are being highlighted a lot more than the regular refs. Honestly I could have seen the regular refs making the same call the replacement refs made tonight. They have made bad calls before at the end of games, the Ed Hochuli call and the call that gave us replay in the first place when I think the Seahawks were given a phantom TD against the Jets in a very important late season game and those are just two examples off the top of my head.

The regular refs made mistakes too there were just two very large differences when the regular refs made a mistake it was frowned on by everyone to blame them for costing you the game. You'd always hear coaches, players, and media say you have to play threw it and there was always something that you could have controlled that would have changed the out come of the game. Now people are looking for reasons to blame the refs. The other big thing is that the payers and coaches are trying to get as much of an advantage on these replacement refs that they can. They are doing way more lobbying and complaining than you ever saw with the regular refs because knew they wouldn't put up with it. Frankly if we see a few more flags like Harbaugh got Sunday night and fines like Shannon and BB are probably going to get that will cut that right out and frankly start to give the replacement refs more of a sense of being in charge. I don't think the league has done a great job backing them up to this point and have let players and coaches and be a little too free spirited in their comments and reactions to them. I think once the league stops that it will help. They will never be as good as the regular refs so don't confuse me as saying that I just think the league can do more to help them than they are.

[Warhorse]

So....how do you boycott? No watching the games? No fantasy? No posting NFL on the internet? No chatting here? No offense, but I doubt your sincerity.

[GoColts8818]

lol Clay Mathews posted Goodells office number on facebook!!! I called it and left a message. It's 212-450-2027

That's going to be one large fine for him. Sorry but that's just lack of respect on the players part and frankly I think it's time Goodell starts to crack down on it. Regardless of who is right about the officials you can't have your players and coaches acting the way they have been towards the people the league has put in charge. They are acting very much like school children who have a substitute teacher and seeing just how much they can get away with. I think they are about to get sent to the principal's office.

[GoColts8818]

So....how do you boycott? No watching the games? No fantasy? No posting NFL on the internet? No chatting here? No offense, but I doubt your sincerity.

Only one way that the league will notice stop paying for tickets to go to games. Again when it comes down to that I think fans are going to be okay with the replacement officials and till they are no longer willing to pay to watch a game worked by them Goodell isn't going to feel pressure to move his poistion on it.

[John Waylon]

That's going to be one large fine for him. Sorry but that's just lack of respect on the players part and frankly I think it's time Goodell starts to crack down on it. Regardless of who is right about the officials you can't have your players and coaches acting the way they have been towards the people the league has put in charge. They are acting very much like school children who have a substitute teacher and seeing just how much they can get away with. I think they are about to get sent to the principal's office.

TBH, I think that's worth a 2-3 suspension.

[John Waylon]

TBH, I think that's worth a 2-3 suspension.

And I just called Rog and told him that's what I think.

[ruksak]

Frankly I still think the replacement refs mistakes are being highlighted a lot more than the regular refs. Honestly I could have seen the regular refs making the same call the replacement refs made tonight. They have made bad calls before at the end of games.....

The regular refs made mistakes too........

This is a key point in this whole ugly mess....and by "mess" I'm referring to the 3 weeks of this regular season, not just this particular play. I'm calling it Scab-Gate.

Ironically, it was Seattle that was victimized by terrible officiating during their SB appearance some years ago. So let's not pretend that the reg's gave flawless performances throughout the season. It's the indecisiveness that stands out the most. "Late-flag" ....I have heard that soooo much in the last three weeks. Regarding PI calls specifically, they seem to wait and gauge the reaction of the players and the crowd before reacting. This is wholly unacceptable on many levels.

We saw this indecisiveness on the play in question. There was no simultaneous possession but there was a simultaneous call by two refs, two different calls entirely. Again (and awkwardly), they both paused looked down at the writhing pile of bodies below them, and signaled their call, two different calls entirely.

Yes, the real refs made mistakes. But, even in doing so, they were most often very decisive and quick making their call (signal), yet judicious and thorough in their determinations. Mistakes were made and often it was the fact that they were bound by rule that prevented bad calls from being corrected.

What happened on MNF combined this indecisive, awkward instability of scab refs with the trappings of being bound by rule.

The rule; Once simultaneous possession is called on the field, it cannot be overturned via replay. They couldn't come out and correct the call because it would violate NFL rules. I feel the real refs would never had made that call without some semblance of a discussion with the other refs in the area.

In a strange way this whole saga will likely serve to better the experience of being a fan, down the road of course. 3 years from now when my Colts suffer the rigors of a bad call I will hold my tongue and remind myself of Scab-Gate.

[oldunclemark]

Well if you really want the regular refs back it's probably going to take something like that. As long as fans keep paying for the product Goodell isn't going to cave to the refs demands.

Frankly I still think the replacement refs mistakes are being highlighted a lot more than the regular refs. Honestly I could have seen the regular refs making the same call the replacement refs made tonight. They have made bad calls before at the end of games, the Ed Hochuli call and the call that gave us replay in the first place when I think the Seahawks were given a phantom TD against the Jets in a very important late season game and those are just two examples off the top of my head.

The regular refs made mistakes too there were just two very large differences when the regular refs made a mistake it was frowned on by everyone to blame them for costing you the game. You'd always hear coaches, players, and media say you have to play threw it and there was always something that you could have controlled that would have changed the out come of the game. Now people are looking for reasons to blame the refs. The other big thing is that the payers and coaches are trying to get as much of an advantage on these replacement refs that they can. They are doing way more lobbying and complaining than you ever saw with the regular refs because knew they wouldn't put up with it. Frankly if we see a few more flags like Harbaugh got Sunday night and fines like Shannon and BB are probably going to get that will cut that right out and frankly start to give the replacement refs more of a sense of being in charge. I don't think the league has done a great job backing them up to this point and have let players and coaches and be a little too free spirited in their comments and reactions to them. I think once the league stops that it will help. They will never be as good as the regular refs so don't confuse me as saying that I just think the league can do more to help them than they are.

Understand that Godell cant make the owners and refs union agree....

He's a third party..

Players and media seem to intentinally misunderstand his role/.....becase it sounds good

He cant make union refs agree to owners offers

[schwamm]

Only one way that the league will notice stop paying for tickets to go to games. Again when it comes down to that I think fans are going to be okay with the replacement officials and till they are no longer willing to pay to watch a game worked by them Goodell isn't going to feel pressure to move his poistion on it.

Problem is... Most tix are bought and paid for long before the season starts. Only thing impacted by me boycotting games at this point might be concessions and local bars/eateries, but I'm really not that big an eater/drinker that anyone'd even take notice...

[oldunclemark]

lol Clay Mathews posted Goodells office number on facebook!!! I called it and left a message. It's 212-450-2027

Matthews..is an *..Godell is a thrid party.

Its owners vs. union refs..

Godell cant make them agree...

Matthews wont put Green bay board members home phone numbers on facebook....

[ruksak]

Understand that Godell cant make the owners and refs union agree....

He's a third party..

Players and media seem to intentinally misunderstand his role/.....becase it sounds good

He cant make union refs agree to owners offers

I agree. Godell shouldn't really be the lightening rod for fan angst here. Though, once I look deeper into what foresight was afforded this issue well before the start of preseason, I may change my tune.

I'm saying, perhaps the league did not approach this issue with enough zeal? Why weren't better measures taken to train and prepare these refs? Did they really think they could patch in crudely trained scabs and there wouldn't be disastrous consequence?

I haven't heard ANYONE in the media so much as question what preparation could've been secured to prevent (or lessen) this debacle?

[Smitto]

When colts players start striking that's when ill stop but until then im watching my football

[hawkeyes]

More loosers crying about a loss blaming it on someone other than themselves!!!! Pathetic!

I cant see any one actually boycotting football - they call into M&M and other talk shows, they post on forums, say it at work etc etc but when it comes game time you can bet they will watch some football! Sure their might be some that will not watch, but likely they really arent fans of the game in the first place - their not watching will have no affect.

Its going to have to be the owners, coaches, players that force the leagues hand on this one... AND not simply losers whining about a call here or there!

[corgi]

Look we were on the bad end of some terrible officiating against the Jaguars, the sun still came up, the Colts are still a professional football team in Indianapolis. What happened last night was bad, but you know what? Score more than 12 points in 60 minutes and we aren't having this conversation. As Richard Pryor said "Have a Coke and a Smile, and shut-up....The Jello Pudding eatin'...."

[MIColtsFan]

what bothers me the most is the replay issues. What good is replay if possession cannot be determined from the replay? Use the replay for all it's worth and it will solve all the problems with refs. It seems so obvious to let technology take care of this. If all scoring plays are reviewed, every aspect should be reviewed, not just select items of the play.

[MIColtsFan]

As a show of support for the striking refs, I don't think this is a bad idea. You either support their position or you don't. I feel bad for them, as I do think they have a valid position with regards to their pay and pension and it seems they have zero leverage as there is no impact for the NFL, they only feel financially so with fans tuned in and buying tickets... zero leverage.

[JoKeR]

Until the real refs get back. Perfect week for us to do it.

You mean just boycott this week?

[GoDeep]

The refs, quite frankly, are not enough of a problem for me to boycott my hobby/passion.

I love a team, I play fantasy, and I support the league.

Sorry

[GoColts8818]

The refs, quite frankly, are not enough of a problem for me to boycott my hobby/passion.

I love a team, I play fantasy, and I support the league.

Sorry

Nothing wrong with that but it is exactly why Goodell won't cave. He knows most fans aren't bothered enough by the replacement refs to have it impact their nfl habits.

[Poster X]

I joked in another thread about going on strike myself... This train is flying down the tracks at an incredible speed, and one way or another what is about to happen is going to be spectacular.

[MR. Blueblood]

Problem is... Most tix are bought and paid for long before the season starts. Only thing impacted by me boycotting games at this point might be concessions and local bars/eateries, but I'm really not that big an eater/drinker that anyone'd even take notice...

Exactly, I couldn't agree more with you. What are you going to do, not go sit in the seat you already shelled out money for? Absolutely not. Boycotting the NFL isn't going to happen, at least not to the point where it has any definitive impact on the league financially. People will still have their butts in the seats and tvs turned on next weekend.