By Kris Mead
This week’s loss could be summed up with a very simple take
that my friend told me, “The refs screwed us, and it didn’t help that we shot
ourselves in the foot.” So that’s essentially what this week’s chronicle will
analyze: (1) how the refs robbed the Browns of a victory with two very bogus
calls, one of which had no reasoning behind it and another that had very bogus
reasoning behind it and (2) the Browns’ missed opportunities that would have
allowed them to win the game. So, without further ado, let’s dig into the epic
collapse, that is better known as the Browns!
1. The Zebras. Let me first preface this
point by advertising another blog I wrote that, ironically, is specifically
about football refs called, Although Refs
May Dress Like Zebras, They are Still Dumber. Okay now that I have that
“self-marketing” segment out of the way I will proceed with violating one of
the wholly sacraments of all of sport: "thou shall not blame thy refs when thou loses." That sacrament is for the very fact that if players refuse to respect the refs,
then the game fails to be played in its proper nature. It is essentially like
if the U.S. population chose not to follow a judge’s ruling, simply because it
felt the judge was wrong. However, I think that the refs can be blamed for a
loss the same way Seahawks fans blame Pete Carrol for choosing to throw the
ball, rather than handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch on fourth down at the
Patriots’ 1-yard line, in the closing moments of Super Bowl XLIX (as many of
you know the pass was picked off and the Patriots then won the Super Bowl).
So, the first blunder by the refs in the Browns v. Raiders game was the
strip sack, which was blown dead. There is no consensus as to why this play was
blown dead. It can only reasonably be determined to have been an inadvertent
whistle (which is the ultimate cardinal sin a ref can commit). The refs could
not suggest that Oakland quarterback Derek Carr’s arm was moving forward in a
throwing motion, as he clearly had the ball held at his chest when it was
stripped. Further, it can’t be said that he was down prior to the ball popping
out, as the ball was clearly on the ground before Carr was toppled over. The
issue that stings the worst in this referee blunder was the very fact that the
ball was scooped up by a Browns’ defender, who would have waltzed into the end
zone for a Browns’ touchdown. That would have not only put the Browns up even
further, but any morale Oakland may have had, would have been severely
depleted. In the ref’s defense, we all make mistakes, but some mistakes are
worse than others. For instance, forgetting to copy someone on an email is
usually a relatively inconsequential mistake, but that wasn’t what the ref did.
Here the ref basically did the equivalent of a soldier opening fire on fellow
comrades and only realizing he made a mistake after they are all either were
killed or critically injured. In this case, the ref who blew the whistle most
likely wished that he was dead right then and there. The reason for this is
because good old Hue Jackson, who just last week got his second win in his over
two-year stint with his Cleveland Browns, had a little pep in his step, a
little swagger with his walk, if you will. So, Hue gave that ref an earful of
most likely inaudible sounds. That ref
took it. One last note, before I move onto to the next ref blunder, the ref
could breathe a sigh of relief that the inadvertent whistle went in the home
team’s favor, because if the same whistle was blown in Cleveland, well, I would
have provided a link to his obituary.
The next blunder occurred in the fourth quarter. Essentially the Browns
just needed to pick up a first down, and, if they did so, they could just run
out the clock on the Raiders. However, in Browns fashion, Carlos Hyde took the
hand off and was awarded the first down. However, the NFL decided to do an
official review. After, the analyst claimed the call probably would stand
because there was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, the
NFL does what it always does to Cleveland – screws us. The refs stated that
Hyde was just short of the line to gain a first down and therefore it would be
fourth down. So, Hue punted and the Raiders, with just over a minute left to
play, were able to score a touchdown AND convert a two-point conversion,
sending the game to overtime. What was interesting was the fact that after the
game was over, and due to such uproar (justified uproar I might add) the NFL
decided to come out with a statement that defended its refs. The NFL defending
its refs is sometimes like a teacher’s union defending that teacher who
everyone knows was a pedophile. So, the NFL came up with some outlandish quote
about how they stitched together two angles in the NFL’s New York review
headquarters, to determine the call, after stitching together these two views
they then could overturn the call on the field. So basically, the NFL is
saying, “please don’t question us because we have information that you don’t
have (i.e. the stitched together sequence), but we aren’t going to provide you
with that information, but still please take our word for it. Thanks.”
In a league which tries to provide the fans with every little field of
view imaginable, it’s hard to imagine why they would not provide the fans with
the same viewpoints the NFL officials apparently had. It baffles me. The NFL
should, instead of treating these “secret” angels as some sort of top secret national
security information, market it by partnering with Direct-TV. Together they
could rip off their loyal Cheeto eating, Bud heavy drinking, slightly obese,
half shaven, red neck American viewer by getting him to purchase the “Angle
Package.” Yes, the Angles Package, which sounds like some sort of adult
entertainment site, but will give that middle age man the same views the refs
use in NFL headquarters to determine challenges. So not only did the privacy
that these “secret views” carry cause me to once again see how outlandish and
utterly dumb the NFL treats its viewers, but I also started to question which
angles they were stitching, as the ref in the commentator booth said it was
extremely unlikely that the call on the field would be overturned. So the NFL’s
ambiguity caused me to think the NFL may have cameras that us viewers aren’t even
privy to. My guess would be there must be some sort of micro cameras at every
hash mark or, better yet, the Goodyear blimp is some sort of military style
drone that can see every angle of the field.
However, as much as I kid, the NFL rather I come up with these dumb
ideas, than question their truthfulness. For why would a business that
dedicates a month to Breast Cancer, and every day to Veterans, convolute a game
with hypocrisy? It’s because it is a business.
A sport can only be followed if people believe there is an equal chance
that each team could win. For if that aura of fairness is sucked out of the
sport, then it is no longer a sport, but it becomes what so many other
enterprises are these days – gimmicks. It becomes nothing more than a magic
trick in which the viewer is lured to view something happening in one place, so
that he won’t notice something happening in the other. Now, I am not suggesting
that the NFL is rigged, but I am suggesting that they will do everything
possible to make sure that there can never be any doubt of fairness, even if
that requires lying to keep their refs safe.
With all this turmoil in Washington this week regarding Brett M. “Keganaugh” claiming that he is being
persecuted under some Democrat conspiracy, but at the same time claims he is a
nonpartisan justice, it was a welcome respite to just tune into football.
However, after seeing the lousy officiating in the NFL, followed by the NFL’s even
lousier excuse for the bad calls, begs the question – are Americans really this
easy to deceive? To put it more bluntly, are Americans really so dumb to drink whatever
Kool-Aid is handed to them, not only from Washington, but the NFL too?
2. Mistakes. This one is simple – catch
the ball when it is thrown to you and play better defense.
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