Scab Refs Leave Nasty Mark of NFL: But Does it Matter?

We knew this was coming. We knew it was inevitable.

We've seen coaches pop off at the National Football League's replacement officials, but on Monday night's nationally televised game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, the biggest surprise, in my eyes, was how Packers head coach Mike McCarthy managed to keep his cool and not attack a referee officiating last night's debacle.

And so, the most blatantly obvious effect of having Lingerie Football League referees ruling over games featuring the best players in the world finally reared it's ugly head. 

So, will commissioner Roger Goodell do anything about it? Nope.

The game drew huge ratings for ESPN, and was the highest watched Monday-nighter of the still young season. The scab refs have become a sidebar to a game that is already the most popular in North America. 

The NFL is a 9-billion dollar industry; everyone and their grandmother knows that the league can pay the regular referees. Their demands can fiscally be met, without issue. But does the old adage "any publicity is good publicity" come into effect here? 

Anyone who saw what happened on the last play of the Packers-Seahawks game, where Golden Tate was credited with a touchdown on what appeared to be a clear interception by Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings, will be wondering "what will the refs mess up next?". 

Those who, unfortunately, went to bed early, or occupied themselves doing something else, were kicking themselves this morning, vowing not to miss another now-weekly debacle with the out-of-place officials. 

I feel bad for the referees-I really do. They were thrust into a poor situation in which they had no chance to succeed. If an officiating crew was fired from the Lingerie Football League, why on Earth would anyone think they would be qualified to run an NFL game? It was a recipe for disaster from the start. 

What worries me more than the obvious effect the refs are having on the outcomes of regular season games is what I believe to be a looming danger, where the frustration of players and coaches reach a breaking point where a brawl breaks out when certain players will lose their cool and decide to start throwing punches, kicks, and helmets, among other things. We've seen several games where all hell was close to breaking loose, and coaches and players on the sidelines have had to intervene. We've seen an plenty of headshots, cheap shots, and dangerous actions that (for now) were quelled before the situations could escalate...how long that will last is anyone's guess. 

The referees are intimidated; every second play they have a coach or player in their ear, and its clear to see that there are plenty of "retribution calls" being given. A ref makes a bad call, gets chewed out by a coach, and subsequently throws a flag for the other side when given the slightest chance to do so. 

It's only a matter of time before someone loses their cool. Let's hope the regular refs come back before safety truly comes into question during this National Football League season.

Andrew Maggio Hosts The Game Misconduct on Sundays from 12:00pm to 1