The Crystal Ball 2012 Week 4

FINALLY! The replacement referees blew a call that decided a game! I'm sorry it came at the expense of Green Bay, but someone had to be the catalyst for change. With the public in an uproar, Roger Goodell came to his senses, the NFL capitulated and the real referees have returned to professional football. Now we can get back to our normal regimen, watching NFL games and complaining about the bad calls made by capable officials.

Opening Kickoff

The NHL players and owners had best get their act together and settle their lockout now. Because in case they haven't noticed, people cared much more about NFL referees being locked out than an entire sports league.

The Way It Was

Green Bay got robbed! Ok, that was obvious. But if everyone was paying attention, there were two things that could have avoided the entire fiasco, other than you know competent officiating. One, Green Bay's offensive line got schooled, and if they had only given up half the sacks they did, the Pack might have been far enough ahead to negate the final finish. And two, what did you learn M.D. Jennings? that's right, just knock the ball away.

Good for the regular referees for sticking to their guns and banking on the replacements screwing up royally. Now the regular referees have what is no doubt the best part time job anywhere. Well, except for maybe summertime ride tester for amusement parks.

Ok, Seattle fans you won a game on a call far more egregious and wrong than all the questionable calls in Super Bowl XL combined. Will you now shut up about getting "jobbed" in the Super Bowl?

The Jets lost Darrelle Revis for the season. Well, now Rex Ryan has his excuse for when things fall apart.

The walking wounded did not stop at Revis. Chiefs running back Dexter McCluster left the game against the Saints after bending his elbow backward in a gruesome injury. Texans quarterback got hit so hard, it tore off a chunk of his ear. And then there's Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Heyward-Bey got leveled by Steelers safety Ryan Mundy on a helmet to helmet collision that left Heyward-Bey unconscious and carted off the field. Mundy was fined for the hit, but not flagged, and Heyward-Bey is now just trying to put the pieces back together in his brain.

With the Raiders so short at wide receiver now, how long do you think it will be until the return of Ochocinco?

For those who missed it the first time, the Titans put on a reenactment of the Music City Miracle.

Unsurprisingly, the Buccaneers pulled the same stupid victory formation stunt. Hey guys, have you ever wondered why you don't have a victory formation?

Wait, did I really see that? The Kevin Kolb led Arizona Cardinals are undefeated and leading the NFC West? I wonder if that's a sign of the apocalypse.

Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin took a shot at icing the kicker, except his charges blocked the kick. On the redo, the kick was true and the Jets walked away with the victory. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose.

Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith took the field Sunday night with a heavy heart, having lost his younger brother in a motorcycle accident not 24 hours before. I know it's human nature to immerse yourself in routine when trying to cope with tragedy. But I'm still amazed at what Smith did, especially since before the game, he looked as though we were going to completely fall apart.

The Steel Pit

Steelers 31 - Raiders 34

What just happened?

You know that moment in every game where you realize that no matter what may happen from this point out, the conclusion is inevitable? Yeah, I got that feeling at halftime when Pittsburgh was only leading by 3 after dominating the first half.

Darren McFadden had a field day against the Steeler defense, just tearing right through them. He picked up chunks of yardage on the ground in large swaths, while Carson Palmer did the same through the air. At the end of the 3rd quarter and into the 4th, the raiders cruised down the field and picked up almost 60 yards in 4 plays.

Oakland converted every 3rd down conversion in the second half, after going 1-16 on third down conversions stretching from the Dolphins game through the first two quarters against Pittsburgh.

The Steeler offense did a great job, but when the defense gives up points on every single second half drive, how much more can the offense do? Roethlisberger can't play linebacker, Mike Wallace can't play cornerback. Although I'd prefer if Antonio Brown would leave those last few yards on the table and perhaps just concentrate on ball security.

Every concern I had going into the game, the questionable run defense, suspect secondary lack of quarterback pressure, was on display for the entire world to see. It didn't help that the offense blew a few timeouts in the first half with some confusion. Timeouts that could have been used on defense when Oakland was running a no huddle offense and strafing Pittsburgh and Casey Hampton's fat can was stuck on the field and getting manhandled.

The game reminded me of last year's debacle in Houston, when Arian Foster tore through the Steeler defense. In that game, Houston's offensive line pushed around Aaron Smith, humiliating the once great defensive stalwart. Smith was eventually injured in that game and never played again. In the Raiders game, the Oakland offensive line manhandled Casey Hampton, exposing him as one of the weakest links on defense. In his glory days, Hampton could tie up two blockers himself and still not be moved. Now, it only takes one lineman to push Casey around. I hope LeBeau noticed this, and starts giving more playing time to Steve McClendon, otherwise the defense will not improve.

I was lamenting the fact that Pittsburgh's bye week came so early in the season. Now I'm thinking it could not have come soon enough. We desperately need to regroup and fast, or this season will hit the skids before Halloween.

Well, at least I can take comfort in two things. The Ravens defense looks as suspect as Pittsburgh's and the Patriots are 1-2 as well. Nope, no comfort there.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

Brett Favre opened the door to a possible reconciliation with the Packers. I hope he knows they're not in the market for a quarterback.

Randy Moss is now questioning how much playing time he's getting with San Francisco. Ok, who had Week 3 for when Moss would start sowing discord and discontent?

Titans running back Chris Johnson feels his very poor start to the season is due to poor blocking. Chris, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders often played on poor teams, yet they managed to be two of the best runners in NFL history. I think the real problem is a talent deficiency.

The NFL warned coaches about intimidating the replacement officials before the debacle of Week 3. I guess they had to end the lockout, there's a good chance if it lasted the NFL might have had to start it's own anti-bullying campaign.

Replacement referee Craig Ochoa now has the distinction of being let go by both the Lingerie Football League and the NFL. And what have you done with your life you lazy slacker?

Upon Further Review

When Seattle walked off the field Monday night as winners after a heavily disputed contest, the public outcry for the return of the regular referees reached critical mass. Social media exploded into a rage fueled tidal wave bent on sweeping Roger Goodell and the NFL deep out to sea. Fans, players, team personnel, heck everybody became incensed over the controversial ending of the game. The resulting backlash left the NFL with no choice but to settle with the NFLRA and bring a return of the regular officials.

With so many fans in such an uproar, there has been some questioning and commentary regarding the public reaction. It has been openly wondered how people can get so passionate and worked up regarding the labor strife of an entertainment organization when we should have that same kind of reaction and passion applied to issues and subjects of far more importance, such as war, the current presidential race, joblessness and poverty. But I say the reaction was correct and warranted.

I do not believe people care more about an entertainment venture such as football and less about politics or world issues. Nor do I believe people give a real damn regarding the monetary demands of some part time workers. What they do care about is that a few stubborn fools were screwing around with their escapism.

Everyday life is tough. Just looking after the concerns of finding and keeping a job, providing food and shelter for your family, making sure your loved ones are healthy and a thousand other little things that pass through our radar everyday takes a toll on our minds, souls, patience and sanity. Add in the stressors of the world at large, and there are a multitude of those, well then you begin to see how an escape is needed.

For many, football is their escape, just as television, film, theater, activities, reading or many other forms of pleasure are to other people. Football allows fans to watch controlled violence wrapped in a chess match as a way to let off steam and forget their worries and problems for three hours.

Fans enjoy football, and sports in general, because they're unscripted, unpredictable and undecided. Each team has a chance to win no matter the circumstances. But the officiating quagmire created by the lockout added a level of unpredictability. No matter how well your team may have played, one incompetent official could blow the whole thing. The replacement referees and their inability to perform even adequately shattered the illusion of any given Sunday.

Life is tough and we need an escape every now an again. As fans we love the sport and all the side action of pools, fantasy, gambling and even just playing armchair quarterback. When someone screws with the ability to enjoy some entertainment without having to worry about everyday problems of course people lost their minds. And when Goodell realized he might be facing a country wide riot, he put down his pride, picked up the phone and in two days knocked out a deal.

Yes it may seem ridiculous to put so much stock in one entertainment venue, and yes it may seem ludicrous to take a form of escapism so seriously as to voraciously complain when a few people have what amounts to a bad day at the office. But when you look at all the other troubles we face thanks to a few people having bad days at the office, such as the recession, the collapse of the financial sector and the automotive industry, political infighting and worldwide strife of which we have no control over no matter how hard we protest, it's nice that for once we have a say in something and have a modicum of power and control. Even if it's just helping some part time employees getting a pay raise.

He Said He Said

"You know what we're here for! Revenge! It's a meal best served cold!'' - Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis before their game against the Patriots

Actually Ray Ray, its a dish, and unless you now go directly to the Super Bowl, it's not really revenge.

"Bullshit!" - Ravens fans chant heard on the television broadcast during a particularly egregious set of bad calls during the Patriots/Ravens collision

You stay classy, Baltimore

"Insecurity drives me. I don't want to go back to Needham. I don't want to be the man in the frozen-foods section of the grocery store, the guy who, 10 seconds after I pass by with my peas, people whisper, 'That guy used to be the GM of the New York Jets.' '' - Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum

Mike, memorize this phrase. Do you want fries with that.

"I don't remember any of it." - Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey on the vicious hit that left him severely concussed

I'm just glad Heyward-Bey is up and talking. After watching that hit, I thought he might be dead.

“Any player/coach in Seattle that really thinks they won that game has zero integrity as a man and should be embarrassed.” - Packers guard T.J. Lang in a series of Tweets following the Packers loss to the Seahawks

T.J., if you really think you provided Rodgers proper protection and a legitimate chance to win the game, then you have zero clue and had better be embarrassed.

"I intended to go all along. I wasn't going to punt the football to them. We hadn't stopped them enough in the second half to do that. It was inside of one. If you can't get inside of one you deserve to lose games. I won't hesitate to do that." - Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin when asked about going for it on 4th down in the 4th quarter deep within the team's territory

Thankfully, Tomlin at least recognizes his defense is for crap.

"Our sport is generated, the multi-billion dollar machine is generated, by people coming to watch us play. And the product that is on the field is not being complemented by an appropriate set of officials. The games are getting out of control.'' - Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

Finally someone said it!

Idiot of the Week

Of course the obvious winner is Roger Goodell, for letting the referee situation get to the point where incompetent officiating decided a game. But with bestowing of this award, I would like to take a moment to point out how Goodell is no run of the mill idiot, but an evil genius to boot.

First, by allowing the referee situation to spiral to the edge of no return, Goodell has managed to take focus and pressure off of every other issue facing the NFL. Concussions? When's the last time you heard anyone banging that drum? Darius Heyward-Bey had to be carted off the field in Oakland because of a helmet to helmet hit. No one talked about the concussion, just that the referees missed the obvious penalty.

Everyone has completely ignored the concussion issue, the lawsuits against the NFL by former players, the dangerous hits and Goodell's shocking lack of mandates for better equipment. The sole focus of the public was placed on the return of the referees. Now that they have returned, everyone will spend the first few weeks in such a state of bliss, the concussion issue may be ignored completely through Thanksgiving.

Hell Baltimore fans, who were chanting bullshit on Sunday night, were so happy the real referees had returned on Thursday night gave the real referees a standing ovation. And the real referees hadn't even looked the other way as Ngata punched Roethlisberger in the face. You think they were thinking about concussions?

Goodell also made the real referees jobs so much easier. Every game, every week of every season, everyone always gripes about a few bad calls. But now, after fans have seen a staggering level of incompetence, most people will let the usual bad call or missed call slide. The real referees now have a built in mulligan for the remainder of the season.

And perhaps most importantly for all fans, now every fan base has an excuse if their team sucks. Did your team finish terribly? It must have been because they got jobbed the first three weeks of the season. Did your team miss the playoffs? Well they would have made it, and probably won the Super Bowl, if the replacement referees hadn't stolen games from them at the beginning of the season.

Roger Goodell may be an idiot, and of that I have no doubt, but he's also a diabolically evil genius.

On Tap This Week

Wha, bah, da, ca...

Last week: 3-12

Thursday: 1-0

Season to Date: 22-27

By Monday night I was openly rooting for Green Bay to lose just so the week would crater epically. Thankfully, they did, and in such a way that everyone got their panties in such a bunch about the replacement referees that Goodell finally got off his duff and did something about the situation. I was hoping for that level of furor after Week 1, but I'll take it.

At least there's not too much further I can sink at this point. Nowhere to go but up. Right? Yeesh, let's just get through this and see what happens.

Sitting at home dreaming of the glory days….

Indianapolis, Pittsburgh

Sunday

San Diego (2-1) at Kansas City (1-2)

Consider me less than thrilled at the concept of picking either of these teams. Home team wins the stinker picker.

Chiefs over Chargers

San Francisco (2-1) at New York Jets (2-1)

I have more confidence in San Francisco traveling across the country and winning than Mark Sanchez lighting it up against the 49er defense. Plus, Randy Moss hasn't raised a big enough stink yet to become a team distraction. But it's coming.

49ers over Jets

Carolina (1-2) at Atlanta (3-0)

Cam Newton has returned to earth and Atlanta has shown that it's the regular season, so their world beaters.

Falcons over Panthers

Tennessee (1-2) at Houston (3-0)

Ooooh, old Houston versus new Houston grudge match. Yes, let's not get too worked up just because Tennessee beat the vaunted Lions last week. But do you think they're going to get 12 free yards on a penalty call and three return touchdowns again this week? I don't.

Texans over Titans

Seattle (2-1) at St. Louis (1-2)

Seattle has a darned good defense going on. But their offense is limited due to their rookie quarterback. And karma will eventually get them back for their "win" last week. But not this week.

Seahawks over Rams

New England (1-2) at Buffalo (2-1)

Wait, Buffalo is 2-1 and New England is only 1-2? Huh. I bet this doesn't last.

Patriots over Bills

Minnesota (2-1) at Detroit (1-2)

I'm gonna go with the ticked off Detroit team playing at home.

Lions over Vikings

Miami (1-2) at Arizona (3-0)

Wow, you think people will start calling Arizona a juggernaut after this game?

Cardinals over Dolphins

Oakland (1-2) at Denver (1-2)

I think Peyton Manning finds a way to not be embarrassed by losing to an Oakland team short on cornerbacks and wide receivers. Grrrrr.

Broncos over Raiders

Cincinnati (2-1) at Jacksonville (1-2)

This week's winner for the just slightly more entertaining than watching paint dry.

Bengals over Jaguars

New Orleans (0-3) at Green Bay (1-2)

Can you believe these teams are a combined 1-5? You think Green Bay will be ticked off?

Packers over Saints

Washington (1-2) at Tampa Bay (1-2)

Considering Washington's pass defense, Tampa Bay's offense may finally take off.

Buccaneers over Redskins

New York Giants (2-1) at Philadelphia (2-1)

The common thought is that Andy Reid gave Michael Vick a chance and an opportunity to pull his life together. After watching the first few weeks of this season, I'm now convinced that was a sham and Andy Reid is trying injure Vick on a weekly basis considering his offensive protection schemes.

Giants over Eagles

Monday

Chicago (2-1) at Dallas (2-1)

It's high time Dallas had that breakout game that got people talking about their playoff chances. You know before their inevitable December collapse.

Cowboys over Bears

Thursday

Arizona at St. Louis

Oh man, you got me. How about we just say, it's time for the Arizona bubble to burst. Sure, that sounds good.

Rams over Cardinals