Lockout is over.

[EKnight]

What makes it better? Because the replacements blew the GB call and cost a team a win? It took them 3 weeks to do so. Last year's regular refs only needed week 1 to screw Detroit out of a win with the Calvin Johnson catch.

I'm not saying tht there's no difference at all. There may be. I think that a large portion of the issue with the replacements was simply because people were looking for something to fault, not because they were necessarily that bad. Just about every game I've ever seen, the TV guys comment on a missed hold or downfield illegal contact that wasn't called. I didn't see that great a difference with the replacements. -EK

[Brian Fein]

^^ its more than that one call.  The number of pass interference calls has skyrocketed with the replacement refs.  They were throwing laundry on the field on almost every deep ball.  These are game-changers, and have had more impact than you realize.

Had they not called bogus PI on Shields at the end of the Packers game, they wouldn't have even been within hail mary range.

[EKnight]

That's cool. Maybe I didn't see as many as were there. I just know the regular refs screw things up pretty bad too, so I didn't see the clear cut difference. I'll take your word on it. Either way its over now. -EK

[MikeO]

^^ its more than that one call.  The number of pass interference calls has skyrocketed with the replacement refs.  They were throwing laundry on the field on almost every deep ball.  These are game-changers, and have had more impact than you realize.

Had they not called bogus PI on Shields at the end of the Packers game, they wouldn't have even been within hail mary range.

Exactly.