NFL Replacement Refs: Packers vs. Seahawks Finish Won't End Lockout

If not now, when?

That was the question that I, and so many others, were wondering after Monday night's controversial finish to the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks game. 

In case you haven't heard, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson heaved a pass into the end zone that Packers cornerback M.D. Jennings clearly had in his clutches. Then, as they were going to the ground, Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate wrapped his hands around the ball. 

If the ball had been caught simultaneously by both Jennings and Tate, then possession goes to the receiver.

The outrage from fans and analysts after the call was made was as loud and vulgar as it has been all year for the replacement officials. Everyone is screaming to get the referees back. 

Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com wrote the perfect article to describe exactly what this play will mean to locked out officials and their negotiations, with a headline of "NFL got what it deserved, but does it care?"

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Can we now, in unison and without debate, agree that the NFL's plan to replace its locked-out officials has failed spectacularly and embarrassingly, undermining the credibility of the league and -- after two months of nervous anticipation -- directly impacting the outcome of a game? 

"

I have been thinking about that question and what it really means. We have been screaming about the officials for three weeks with no significant movement in the NFL's negotiations with the locked out officials. 

The NFL and Referees Association are not making progress in their negotiations, so there doesn't appear to be any urgency on either side to get back on the field until both parties get what they want. 

One game, as bad as it was and the potential postseason implications it could have, won't change that for two reasons. 

First, the NFL is a business, above all else. Referees are, as we see now, a vital part of the game, but the owners are not going to go above and beyond to give them whatever they want. There has to be a smart deal for the league to make, otherwise it won't happen. 

This league is run by businessmen whose purpose first and foremost is to make money. Unless fans stop paying and watching these games, which won't happen regardless of what they say, the money is still going to be there. 

Right now, the NFL is a lot like a television show that is doing great in the ratings but all the critics hate because of bad writing, directing and acting. 

We can complain about it all we want, but as long as people tune in to watch, there is no reason for the people creating the show to change anything.

If Glee is going to get big ratings just for singing a cover version of Call me maybe, why would they care that the rest of the show around the song is garbage?

That is where the NFL is at right now. It is the sports equivalent of Glee. The problems are vast, but people will always pay attention because that's what they do. 

And you can tell the NFL doesn't care based on the way it is treating the end of this game. Here is a picture the league posted on its Facebook page shortly after the game was over (via Bleacher Report)

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Hey @nfl, pretty sure this is NOT what happened twitter.com/BleacherReport…

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2012"

The league is going to get its billions of dollars in revenue every single year. It doesn't matter who is calling the games. I'm not saying that is right, it is just the way the world works. 

Second, it's not like this is the first time that a terrible call has decided the outcome of a game. There are plenty of games throughout the course of NFL history that the regular officials blew. 

In 1998, New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde, with his team trailing 31-26, led the team down the field against, ironically, Seattle. With 20 seconds to go, Testaverde attempted a quarterback sneak that saw his helmet and nothing else cross the goal line. 

The referees called it a touchdown. That did help lead to instant replay being used more, but that was a different situation, because the owners did not have to negotiate financially with a group to get that implemented. It was just a simple vote by the competition committee. 

Blown calls have happened throughout the course of sports history. It is heightened in this instance because these officials have been so bad in every game for three weeks, but that doesn't mean negotiations will change. 

The lockout will only end when the league and referees are able to come to a financial agreement that both sides feel is acceptable. One blown call in a game is not going to change that; if it would, we would have seen the lockout end after Week 1. 

We can kick and scream and post vulgar messages on Twitter about how awful this particular call was but, in the grand scheme of things, it won't change the way owners approach the negotiations with the referees. 

If you really want to send a message to the league that you are legitimately angry about what you are seeing, stop supporting the product every Thursday, Sunday and Monday. Since you aren't going to do that, there is no one call that is going to hasten the process of ending this lockout. 

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