Travis Duncan
Cheesehead
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CAPTION: Sep 24, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; NFL referee Richard Simmons breaks up an altercation between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers after the game at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Green Bay 14-12. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE
By Travis Duncan
Packer Forum Writer
When the powers that be at the NFL entered a headlock with its replacement refs, over what amounts to employee benefits, they had to know what the reaction would be. Every close call would be scrutinized and criticized.
Just as every big play or game is rehashed on the league's own TV network, ESPN, and lot of other websites just like this one, so would the inevitable miscues of its replacement officials.
But that's how sports and any successful league works. Conversation leads to revenue.
But did the NFL anticipate the level of outrage which occurred Monday night?
Or is any publicity good publicity?
Arian Foster of the Houston Texans wrote what might be the most accurate Tweet among the legions of reactions:
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About 13 million peopled tuned in Monday night. The game drew a 11.5 TV rating. Sports Center after the game recorded an unusually high rating of 5.0. The NFL will profit from this game when it negotiates future TV contracts. It's estimated the league already brings in $9 billion in annual revenue. The NFL's goal is to increase its revenue to $20 billion by 2020, commissioner Roger Goodell indicated about two years ago. The commissioner, whose name trended on Twitter most of the night, reportedly brings in a $20 million annual salary.
The million dollar, or should we say $9 billion dollar question, is, even if the league's revenue doesn't decline, doesn't the continued use of replacement refs caused irreversible damage?
The league is expected to make a statement regarding Monday Night's controversy sometime on Tuesday, according to the NFL Network.
The Packers cannot appeal the game, according to a league spokesperson who talked with ProFootballTalk.com
Aaron Rodgers said post game, “It was awful, It was awful. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
T.J. Lang's Twitter feed left little to the imagination exactly how he felt. For his full twitter feed click here, including explicit Tweets directed at the NFL.
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Troy Aikman is the lead FOX NFL color analyst, and he joined his counterpart Jon Gruden in unabashed criticism of the officiating.
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Mike McCarthy was guarded with his words after the game, but said, "I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years in football."
Seahawks receiver Golden Tate, angered many when he told ESPN's Lisa Salters he did not push Packers corner Sam Shields prior to the play.
Tate told Salters, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Tate said on Sirius NFl radio "I know I had the ball in my hands the entire — from the moment that it was catchable. I had my hands on the ball, just fought for it and tried to come down with it."
Seattle coach Pete Carroll takes the cake though with his uberhyped reaction: (for the animated gif version click here)
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