More on the SEC officiating fiasco

Just to be clear...here at RTDB, we do not condone or encourage pissing & moaning - especially about the zebras - but when it gets to the point that a national commentator for a major network (Tony Barnhart of CBS via the AJC) devotes a column to that subject, it's gotten serious.

Tony spells it out pretty well here.

http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-college-football/2009/10/20/time-to-have-a-serious-conversation-about-officiating/

If you're feeling lazy & don't want to read his article, here are the main pts:

* The SEC crew that called the excessive celebration penalty against AJ Green (after which the league subsequently cried "mea culpa") made another major gaffe in the Ark/Fla game, which gave Fla a 1st down, & played a large role in their win.

* He feels - like we do - that this crew needs to get the boot for the remainder of the season. Screw up once in a big game...ok. Do it twice - adios.

* Officiating in general, all over the country, has gotten too visible. this is a bad thing. the point of having refs is to keep the players safe, ensure that no team gains a competitive advantage, & to keep up the flow of the game.

* When in doubt - don't throw the flag. When a ref is debating if it was a penalty or not...it wasn't.

Remember - this is football, not ladies golf in France (that's the best candy-ass example of a sport I could think of....mainly because it's French). Large, fast, aggressive men violently collide on every play. Players get hurt, they miss plays, they miss seasons - it happens.
If someone takes a cheap shot on a QB or a defenseless player - call the penalty. Hell, toss the guy if it's blatant. But don't walk off 15 yds simply because someone gets drilled, or lands on his ass.

* Finally, the conspiracy theory (aka - the refs are "protecting" Fla, LSU & Bama) is not the issue. The issue is incompetence.

Thoughts?