How The NFL's Worst Referee Ruined The Best Fantasy Football Game Ever

I've been playing fantasy football for nearly 20 years and I've never, ever seen an outcome like the one that shook out this week. 

What makes it even more interesting is that it has the stink of bumbling referee all over it.

As a Raiders fan, I've been familiar with Walt Coleman for the better part of a decade.  Coleman is the referee who single-handedly pushed the Patriots into the Super Bowl following the 2001 season and deserves as much credit for the Patriots dominance as Bill Belichick or Tom Brady.

The game will forever be known as "The Tuck Rule Game."  With the Raiders leading 13-10 late in the 4th quarter, Charles Woodson sacked Tom Brady, causing a fumble.  Coleman ruled the play an incomplete pass.  If Coleman gets the call right, the Raiders go on to win, the and the Patriots go home.  He got it wrong, the Pats won the game in overtime and upset the Rams in the Super Bowl.

Walt Coleman hasn't worked a Raiders game since that debacle, which pretty much tells me that the NFL knows Coleman screwed up.  Big Time.  We'll get to why Old Walt is important a little later.

In the playoffs for the Gods of Autumn Fantasy Football League, Easy Division Champion took on The Jerk Store.  Both teams came into the week with a 9-4 record and division championships under their belts.  Easy Division Champion won the head-to-head meeting in week one by two points, but The Jerk Store came into the semifinals riding an eight-game win streak.  It was anybody's game.

The fun started on Thursday night during the Jags/Colts game.  EDC had Maurice Jones-Drew going, while The Jerk Store didn't have anyone.  MJD racked up an impressive 18 points, a comfortable lead.  The Jerk Store had its work cut out for it.

Saturday night's Cowboys/Saints tilt had huge implications for The Jerk Store.  Easy Division Champ had nobody, while the Jerk had Drew Brees, Jason Witten and Garrett Hartley.  The Jerk felt that he needed around 30 points to put himself in position to win.  A lackluster effort produced 14 points between the three players.  The Jerk felt he was done.

Sunday Morning, Easy Division Champion makes a last-minute lineup change, replacing Donovan McNabb with Eli Manning.  The noon games kickoff, EDC has only Tony Gonzalez and Stephen Gostkowski.  The Jerk Store makes a dent in the lead, getting six points from Chris Johnson (would have been seven, but he lost a yard setting up the winning field goal, but that point won't matter, right?) and eight from Laurence Maroney.  Before the kickoff of that late games, EDC leads by one point.

Late games kickoff.  Action starts off furiously as Desean Jackson scores for The Jerk Store.  Greg Jennings quickly answers with an 83-score for Easy Division Champ.  Vincent Jackson scores for The Jerk, Derrick Mason answers with a score for EDC.

Vincent Jackson scores again.  The Ravens defense smothers Chicago and The Jerk Store picks up eight more points.  Vincent Jackson goes over 100 yards.  Easy Division Champ gets next to nothing out of the Seahawks defense and Cedric Benson.  The Jerk Store has miraculously managed to build a 15-point lead.  Had Easy Division Champion started McNabb (and his 13 points) it would be over.  But it's not.

The Jerk Store leads 65-50 heading into Monday Night.  Eli Manning has struggled against the Redskins in Washington, but nothing is safe at this point.  The Giants score two rushing touchdowns on their way to a 17-0 lead.  Eli adds a touchdown pass to make it 24-0 at the half.

The Redskins score to open the third quarter, Eli and the Giants answer with another touchdown pass.  The Jerk Store clings to a six-point lead.  The Giants score a defensive touchdown to make it 38-6.  Would Giants coach Tom Caughlin pull the starters?

The Redskins answer with a touchdown of their own, and Caughlin sends Eli out for one more series.  The Jerk Store leads by six.  Easy Division Champion needs Eli to hit 250 yards passing and one more touchdown to tie it up.  The Giants run twice.  Third down, the Redskins defense gets to Eli, forcing a punt.  But hold on. 

After the whistle Giants RB Brandon Jacobs and Redskins corner Deangelo Hall get into it.  Pushing, shoving, Jacobs thows several punches.  Redskin Albert Haynesworth throws several punches of his own.  Several penalty flags litter the field.

Enter Walt Coleman.  He'll straighten this mess out.  NFL rules call for a player to be immediately ejected for throwing a punch.  Jacobs and Haynesworth both threw several.  Neither play is ejected.  The only penalty called is on Haynesworth.  Fifteen yards and a Giants first down.  The ESPN crew is flabbergasted.

The Giants move to the Redskins 25-yard line.  Eli Manning hits Mario Manningham for a touchdown.  Easy Division Champion has tied the game at 65-65.

The rules of this fantasy football league break ties by bench points.  Easy Division Champion wins and move on to the Super Bowl.  The Jerk Store is left to wonder what would have happened had Walt Coleman known the rules of the game he's worked in for years.

Congratulations Walt Coleman.  You've done it again.  Hopefully the NFL demotes Walt to umpire so he can get lit up by a linebacker trying to make a tackle.  That would make me smile.

For all the ebbs and flows, this was the greatest game of fantasy football I've ever heard of.  It really was too much drama for one man to take. Luckily, since gambling is illegal, Walt Coleman's incompetence didn't cost me any money.

Now I can get back to devoting my column space to the Golden Gophers football team.  That should be less stressful, since nothing they've done over the past 50 years could be deemed as frustrating.  Thanks to all my readers this year.  I hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday.