The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints 23-3 on Sunday. Unfortunately at times it seemed the Pewter Pirates were also playing against the referees.
Sunday’s game had Buccaneers fans convinced that any decent play would be altered or overturned. Combine that with what happened in Detroit last week, and it’s clear that a complete overhaul of game officiating might be needed.
Case in point, Antoine Winfield Jr’s scoop-and-score was a clear touchdown, but the refs called it back due to an inadvertent whistle – a call that was disputed since replays showed no audible whistle.
Head Coach Todd Bowles on the Phantom whistle,
“No, he said it was an erroneous error in blowing his whistle,” Bowles stated.“ [Winfield Jr] legitimately stripped him. I have no answer.”
Bowles was clearly thrilled to see Winfield Jr back to his All-Pro form.
“He had a hell of a day,” Bowles stated. “I’m still p!ssed off over some of it, but that’s tough sledding. He did a hell of a job today getting the ball out.”
Todd Bowles plans to reach out to the NFL front office in New York this week to inquire about the recent officiating issues, expressing his frustration with the referees’ performance.
The NFL has indeed been facing criticism for its officiating, with many games being impacted by disputed calls. In fact, the league recently fired three referees after last season’s officiating controversies, signaling a potential shift towards greater accountability. Proposed solutions include implementing standardized training, increasing the use of technology, and potentially hiring full-time referees to improve consistency and accuracy.
The BR Rub
Here’s the thing, this has reached a critical level. Players are fined for sock length. Coaches and players are fined for words. Referees are seldom held accountable for anything.
Then factor in the league’s recent partnership with sports betting, and this starts to stink to high heaven. Just to be clear, the NFL makes an estimated $2.3 billion dollars a year off of these new deals. Yet can’t afford to hire full-time refs? C’mon man.
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