Some people are calling it one of the worst calls they've ever seen in professional sports.
The talk of the town, in just about every town across the country Tuesday morning was the game changing call made by a replacement referee at the very end of the Seahawks-Packers game on Monday night.
Even if you didn't watch the game, chances are, by late afternoon, you looked up that final play on line, and watched it again and again, just about who viewed it saying they were left scratching their heads, and criticizing the replacement refs filling in for the NFL Refs on lockout.
It was a 'Hail Mary pass' by Seattle Quarterback Russell Wilson, that a replacement ref called a simultaneous catch, and Seahawks touchdown.
But most sports fans, including callers at 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio say the play should have been deemed an interception, or offensive pass interference, leading to a Green Bay win.
Bruce Jacobs is an afternoon talk show host for a show called "Game On With Bruce Jacobs" on 104.5.
Tuesday afternoon the animated sports personality said into the microphone, "Listen, did they did blow that call last night? They absolutely did. It was 'scab 26' the pasty little white guy, Ref number 26. Okay, he blew the call. He sure did. He should never have called a touch down,"
Later a caller on the air said, "The thing that kills me about that play, and this is why I think the officiating is terrible, I don't know when the ball goes into the end zone, if both of the officials are watching the ball. One guy is watching the ball, the other guy is watching the players."
Another caller questioned, "Isn't there just a bigger possibility now that someone is fixing games? I mean, I know it's an outside shot, but what do they have to lose???"
But after years of listening to day-after complaining, the 'Game On' host doesn't agree with all the moaning and groaning.
Jacobs said, "To me, this fallout is ridiculous. There isn't a Monday that's gone by where I've done talk radio where on Monday fans don't call up and say: "Oh the officials, they ruined the game, they jobbed my team etc, and now all of a sudden, it's like these old officials are like the greatest things ever."
He went on to say, "This is just the latest reaction to a terrible call in last night's game, that clearly cost the Packers the game. It has to be really egregious for me to blame an official, because all the calls even out in the end. All officials make mistakes, all make some good calls, mostly bad calls. But there's no difference between these guys."
In fact, Jacobs thinks all the hate is misdirected.
"By the way, there should be a lot of blame placed at the hands of the replay official, who's not a scab! I don't know how long he's been employed for, he had the ability, based on what he saw to overturn the call and he didn't do it. You know what? Everybody wants to blame the guy on the ground, but the replay official actually has the final word! I thought it was conclusive that it was an interception," Jacobs said.
And after officiating games for 34 years, the Secretary and Treasurer of the New York State Capital District Football Officials Association says he knows a thing or two about calling games.
Here's what Charlie Seyffer said when asked about his call, and the role of the replacement refs.
"Most officials out there empathize with the officials that were on the game because these are college officials doing the best that they can, and the bottom line is that the pro game is faster, has a lot more things going on. If you look at that play even as a fan, those two guys are watching six or seven people, they're looking for contact, coming down in bounds, they're looking for pass interference, they're looking for face guarding they're looking for so many things but I think every football official in the united states can empathize with what those poor gentlemen are going through today," Seyffer said.
The veteran Capital Region official went on to say, "The officials in the NFL, for the most part, have been doing an excellent job. It's the media is looking at three or four things that happen in a weekend."
And, if you think officiating is so easy, why don't you join them? The New York State Capital District Football Officials Association is way short handed! Click here to find out how to get in the game.
