Denver Broncos Upset by the Baltimore Ravens (1.13.12)

Well it looks like the Denver Broncos won't be reaching the Super Bowl after all.

My Super Bowl forecast following Peyton Manning's stellar Week 1 performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers came to a disappointing end as the Broncos were upset at home in stunning fashion by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. Losing 38-35 in a double overtime thriller, the Broncos have no one to blame but themselves, especially considering the amount of mental lapses they committed.

Manning certainly instilled confidence in my early season projection. Starting in Week 6, the Broncos ripped off 11 consecutive victories to close out the regular season. By winning week after week for nearly three solid months, the Broncos earned the number one seed in the AFC, a bye week, and home-field advantage. Obviously, this stretch had me feeling ecstatic about my team's play.

Looking back, maybe it shouldn't have. Here's a list of the teams the Broncos beat in that stretch: the Chargers twice, the Saints, the Bengals, the Panthers, the Chiefs twice, the Buccaneers, the Raiders, the Ravens, and the Browns. Winning 11 in a row is nice, but only two of those teams made the playoffs. I'm not sure what to make of this; 11 consecutive victories is nothing to sneeze at, but that competition certainly wasn't anything near playoff-caliber.

With that streak, my expectations may have turned quixotic, but with Manning at the helm, I truly expected success. Facing the slumping Baltimore Ravens, losers of four out of their last five regular season games, including a 34-17 thrashing at home from the Broncos in Week 15 — and coming off of an unconvincing victory over rookie Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round, 9-24 — I certainly expected to witness a stellar Manning versus Brady matchup in the AFC Championship game. While Brady held up his end of the deal, Broncos' fans were treated to a pins and needles game that never should have been all that close. The Broncos struggled to gain complete control, and instead, they bled out chunk plays that ensured their demise. With the score never more than seven points away for either side, this game was truly up for grabs.

Overall, the game was a classic, but as a Broncos fan, it sure was disappointing — it will go down in Denver lore right next to the '96 upset handed down by the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars.

Let me run down some positive and negative aspects of the game from my point of view as a Broncos fan.

Positives

• Trindon Holliday
• Peyton Manning's control of the offense
• Brandon Stokley and Ronnie Hillman

Negatives

• Peyton Manning's turnovers
• Broncos' defense
• Coach John Fox's conservative play calling in key situations

Trindon Holliday

Let's start off with the man who got the the game going. Trindon Holliday was absolutely spectacular as the Broncos' return man. Holliday opened the game with a 90-yard punt return touchdown following the Ravens' first series of the game. Then he followed that up with a 104-yard kick return touchdown to open up the second half. Each return set an NFL postseason record, and Holliday became the first player in NFL postseason history to record a kickoff and punt return touchdown in the same game.

On the opening punt, Holliday took advantage of the Ravens' punt coverage team failing to properly fill assigned lanes during the return. As the Ravens stacked his left side, with eight of eleven Ravens pursuing from the left, Holliday was able to hit the middle hard, break one arm tackle from behind him that over pursued, and sprint along the right sideline on the way to paydirt as he outran the punter. This put the Broncos on the board, giving them a 0-7 lead with 12:14 remaining in the first quarter.

Then, to commence the second half, Holliday did it again, this time, on the opening kickoff. Holliday caught the ball deep in the right corner of the end zone. Then, he accelerated from the right corner to the middle of the field, planted his foot at the 10-yard line, and hit the hole hard to break through the teeth of the coverage. Eventually, Holliday made it to the left side of the field after juking the kicker and shaking off a tackle from a trailing Raven at the 30-yard line. With everyone behind him, Holliday outran the rest of the Ravens for the remaining 70 yards, and he put the Broncos ahead 21-28 at the 14:47 mark in the third quarter.

Holliday's contributions were instrumental in the Broncos' chances for winning, however, like much of the Broncos, he wasn't without fault either. In the first overtime period, Holiday fielded a punt at the Broncos' 14-yard line, and he proceeded to lose seven yards as he tried to circle across the field. Holliday's gaffe set the offense up on their own seven-yard line, and Manning would toss the game sealing interception on this drive. Despite Holliday's gaffe, his positives far outweighed this one mistake, and his returns were game changers that nearly led the Broncos to victory.

Manning's Offensive Execution

The next subject to examine is Manning's control of the offense. Although his three turnovers marred the outcome, Manning led three stellar drives that produced touchdowns. I'll give a quick rundown of the drives to highlight just how brilliant Manning was when given the opportunity to run the show.

Facing a 14-7 deficit at the 9:49 mark in the first quarter, Manning came back strong from a pick-six and engineered an 11-play, 74-yard drive that was capped off with a beautiful 15-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley. On the touchdown play, Manning and Stokley took clear advantage of their time together as teammates on the Colts. After watching the replay numerous times, I still can't tell if the play was improvised or not, but either way, it was astounding. On third-and-eight, Stokley ran a five-yard hitch on the outside, completely turning to face Manning, before circling out of the hitch and turning up field to the far right side of the end zone. Manning lobbed the ball over the top, and Stokley hauled it in, tapping both feet and getting a knee down before falling out of bounds.

Out of the 11 plays on the drive, nine came in the shotgun, eight were pass plays, and 69 of the 74 yards on the drive came through the air. Manning controlled the tempo and cut up the defense with solid throws and no-huddles. The window for the touchdown to Stokley was no larger than a foot or so, and Manning fit the ball in perfectly.

On a side note, with the Stokley touchdown, the first quarter finished tied up at 14-14. While that's nothing out of the ordinary, the interesting part is the fact that it entered the record books as the first playoff game in NFL history to feature an offensive, defensive, and special-teams touchdown in the opening quarter.

Later on, following some failed drives from each squad, Manning turned in another impressive drive in the second quarter. Manning engineered an eight-play, 86-yard drive that was capped off with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Knowshon Moreno. The drive featured the Broncos longest play of the game, a 32-yard reception by Eric Decker that moved the ball to the Ravens' 14-yard line. From there, set up in a five-wide formation, Knowshon Moreno ran a cunning stop and go route, and he was able to come down with the ball in the right corner of the end zone. Similar to the Stokley touchdown, Moreno pulled off a double move to beat his man — this double move was definitely a part of the route. Utilizing a formation advantage that had Moreno (a running back) lined up outside on the far right with a linebacker covering him, Manning lobbed the ball over the top and Moreno came down with it.

Out of the eight plays on the drive, three came in the shotgun, five were pass plays, and 72 of the 86 yards on the drive came through the air. Once again, Manning put together a great drive, and he put the Broncos ahead 14-21 at the 7:26 mark in the second quarter.

That drive would conclude the Broncos' offensive output in the first half, however, that was no fault of Manning's. After the defense forced a three-and-out following the Moreno touchdown, Manning led a 14-play, 47-yard drive that gave the kicker, Matt Prater, an opportunity for a 52-yard field goal. Unfortunately, two things went wrong on the series.

First, Moreno injured his knee on the drive, taking away a legitimate pass catching option out of the backfield, as well as a trusted pass protector in the shotgun formation. Second, Prater's field goal attempt was one of the worst kicks I have ever seen. With the ball at the Ravens' 34-yard line, and facing a fourth-and-eight, coach John Fox called for a field goal, a 52-yard attempt. Unfortunately, Prater, a legitimate long distance kicker, especially in Denver, totally blew the kick. Prater's kicking foot made contact with the ground about half a yard before reaching the ball, thus taking away his leg momentum, and causing his kick to come up woefully short as the ball sputtered toward the goal posts. At first viewing, it looked as if the kick had been blocked since it barely rose up into the air, but upon a slow motion replay, it was evident that Prater kicked the ground on his down swing. Lacking the proper depth on the kick, the ball never rose above the height of the cross bar, and it shanked left.

Following three-and-outs from each squad to open the fourth quarter, Manning engineered his final productive drive. Manning led a 10-play, 77-yard drive that was capped off with a Demaryius Thomas 17-yard touchdown reception. Following an audible at the line from Manning, Thomas ran a bubble screen, broke tackles from Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, and scampered into the end zone, giving the Broncos a 28-35 lead with 7:11 remaining in regulation.

Out of the 10 plays on the drive, six came in the shotgun, seven were passes, and 58 of the 68 yards came through the air — 20 yards were tacked on due to penalties on the Ravens, making the drive an 88-yarder. For the third time, Manning engineered a long, impressive drive that culminated with a touchdown. This would mark the end of Manning's prowess as conservative play-calling would take the game out of his hands until it was too late.

Stokley and Hillman

My final positive discussion will focus on the efforts of Brandon Stokley and Ronnie Hillman.

First, Stokley.

As I mentioned earlier, Stokley came up with a spectacular touchdown in the first quarter that had as much to do with his effort as it did with Manning's. Utilizing great hands, and perfect footwork, Stokley managed to turn a tight space reception into a sure touchdown. An average receiver surely would have come down out of bounds.

Then, in the first overtime period, Stokley put his spectacular hands to work as he completely laid out in order to catch an underthrown pass from Manning on a critical third-and-five. Running a comeback route on the far right, Stokley hustled back to the ball and went completely parallel to the field as Manning's pass came up yards short. Stokley was able to get his hands under the ball, secure it, and give the Broncos a first down with the nine-yard reception. Since the play was so close, the Ravens wisely challenged it, but they ended up losing the challenge. Replays showed that Stokley kept the ball less than an inch off of the field as he secured it with his hands. The Broncos would later stall on the drive, but at the time, his spectacular catch allowed the drive to continue in an effort to score — any sort of score would have won the game. Although Stokley only finished with three receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown, his impact was critical.

Then there was the effort of Hillman.

Thrust into play in the second half due to Moreno's injury, Hillman stepped up with 22 carries for 83 yards and three receptions for 20 yards. The rookie may not have torn it up, but he also didn't serve as a reason for the loss. Hillman was especially exceptional with his ball protection. Understanding his opponent, Hillman kept both hands on the ball any time he touched it in order to make sure that the Ravens' defenders would not succeed with their attempts to knock it out for a fumble. After losing nearly every rep to Moreno following Willis McGahee's midseason injury, credit Hillman for his ability to keep up with all of the offensive audibles and protection changes in a hurry up Manning-run offense. Hillman's longest rush and reception may have been just 11 yards each, but his cerebral impact cannot be overlooked.


Now, it's time for the negatives — there sure were some doozies.

Manning's Turnovers

First off, Manning's turnovers. Manning had three turnovers on the day, two interceptions, and a fumble, and each turnover led to points on the board for the Ravens, 17 points to be exact, with the final three coming in the second overtime to close out the game.

Tied up 7-7 at the 9:58 mark in the first quarter, Manning tossed a pick-six interception on his second throw of the game. Following an incomplete pass that was behind Thomas on a slant route, Manning targeted Decker on a sqaure-in route. The ball was spot on, hitting Decker's left hand and popping up in the air for the easy interception. Corey Graham caught the tip and took it 29 yards to the house. The interception marked the first turnover of the game, and it gave the Ravens a 14-7 lead at the 9:49 mark in the first quarter.

However, the interception truly wasn't Manning's fault. Upon slow motion replay, it is evident that the referees let some early contact slide on this play. The covering cornerback, Chykie Brown, absolutely made contact with Decker's left arm prior to the ball arriving. As Decker cut in and reached up for the ball, Brown swiped down Decker's left arm, thus moving Decker's hands out of position to securely catch the ball, and allowing the ball to bounce off of his left hand and pop up in the air. Brown definitely made contact before the ball got there, but you have to credit the Ravens for their tight defense and for making a play on the tipped ball.

Manning's next turnover came in the third quarter at the 2:51 mark. On the eighth play of a promising drive, Manning took the snap from the shotgun on third-and-eleven from the Broncos' 46-yard line. As the pocket closed in on him, Manning made an ill-advised decision to pump fake rather than just take the sack or release the ball. With four seconds of pass protection, Manning had more than enough time to make a decision. As Manning came down with his throwing arm due to the pump fake, his throwing arm was hit, and the ball squirted out. Somewhere, Jon Gruden is kicking and screaming, because Manning's fumble awfully resembled the infamous "Tuck Rule." Rather than getting lucky like Brady did once upon a time against Gruden's Raiders, the call was ruled a fumble. With solid field position, the Ravens ran the ball five straight plays. On the second run, Ray Rice exploded up the middle for 32-yards, setting up the Ravens on the Broncos' four-yard line. Three runs later, Rice punched in a one-yard touchdown, making the score 28-28 with 20 seconds left in the third quarter.

Manning's final turnover was the dagger. In the first overtime period, needing just a field goal to win the game, Manning made an indefensible rookie mistake. Facing a second-and-six from the Broncos' 38-yard line, Manning took the snap from the shotgun, rolled right as he was flushed out of the pocket, and threw across his body back into the middle of the field toward Stokley. The pass had no zip, and it was easily intercepted by Graham. Manning could have simply thrown the ball away and lived for another third down opportunity, but instead, he made what may go down as the worst throw of his career. With solid field position at the Broncos' 45-yard line, the Ravens gained 16 yards before sending out Justin Tucker for the game winning 47-yard field goal. Manning certainly had his positive moments, but nothing can save him from the scrutiny of this unnecessary interception.

The Defense...

The next negative aspect to examine is the Broncos defense, or lack thereof. Playmakers such as the feared pass rushing duo of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil were rendered useless as they combined for just one sack in the game — although it was a huge sack in the overtime period. Hall of Fame bound cornerback Champ Bailey was actually picked on as Torrey Smith burned him deep multiple times for multiple touchdowns. And third downs were a problem as the Ravens converted 7-17 third down attempts, with six of those conversions coming in the second half and overtime periods.

First, I'll examine the rush defense.

The Ravens ran the ball 39 times for 155 yards and a touchdown. Ray Rice was especially productive, with 30 carries for 131 yards and a rushing touchdown. With Rice averaging 4.4 yards per carry, he allowed the Ravens to continually face manageable opportunities on second and third down. Rice's longest run of the game was a 32-yard scamper up the middle that led to his one-yard touchdown. Rice's most important run of the game was an 11-yard run up the middle on a second-and-ten from the Broncos' 45-yard line at the end of the first overtime period that moved the Ravens into the necessary field position for a game winning field goal. Overall, the Ravens running game was a much needed balance for their boom or bust passing offense.

Speaking of passing, Joe Flacco tore up the Broncos' pass defense as he competed 18-31 attempts for 331 yards and three touchdowns. 161 of those yards came on touchdown passes, as Flacco threw touchdowns of 59-yards, 32-yards, and a miraculous 70-yarder to force overtime. The Broncos made the mistake of single covering Smith, a burner out wide, with Bailey, and Flacco made them pay with two first half touchdowns. Then, Flacco flung a miracle throw that should have been picked off by any sort of competent safety play, but was instead caught by Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining in the game.

Let me breakdown the touchdown throws.

Trailing 0-7 following Holliday's punt return, Flacco capitalized on a third down pass interference penalty that kept the drive alive and moved the Ravens up to their 33-yard line. Two plays later, Flacco threw the ball deep down the middle and Smith hauled it in for the 59-yard touchdown. Facing single coverage without any safety help over the top, Smith burned Bailey deep with pure speed and went into the end zone untouched to tie the game up. Bailey is a great cornerback, but at this stage of his career, it may have been unwise to have him on an island with a speed demon like Smith.

Then, following Prater's missed field goal in the second quarter, the Ravens began their drive with solid field position, and Flacco capitalized with a beautiful 32-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Starting on their own 42-yard line, Flacco completed three straight passes, an 11-yarder, a 15-yarder, and then the 32-yard touchdown. What looked like a sure interception on the far right sideline soon turned into a marvelous reception by Smith. As Bailey ran with Smith stride for stride, Smith gave Bailey a subtle push on the shoulder, and as Bailey stumbled out of position, Smith elevated, adjusted his body in the air, and fully extended in order to catch the ball and tie the game up at 21-21 with just 36 seconds remaining in the first half. The reception was Randy Moss-esque, and it will surely be replayed for years on end in Smith's highlight package. Once again, Bailey was burned, and once again, he didn't have any safety help.

Flacco's final touchdown will be featured in postseason highlight packages for years on end. Trailing by a touchdown, 28-35, with 77 yards to go, just 75 seconds remaining in regulation, and no timeouts, Flacco came up huge while the Broncos pass defense suffered a backbreaking mistake. On third-and-three from the Ravens' thirty-yard line, Flacco avoided the three man rush, stepped up in the pocket, and launched a bomb down the right sideline. A bomb, mind you, that should have been intercepted. As the ball hung up in the air for just over four seconds, Jones was able to get behind the Cover-2 defense, haul in the reception, and score a sensational 70-yard touchdown.

What's truly amazing about the sequence is the play made on the ball by Broncos' safety Rahim Moore. Simply put, Moore looked foolish as he backpedaled, stumbled, and came up a whole two yards short of making a play on the ball. Moore was in position to intercept the ball, but instead he turned into a third grade Pop Warner safety that failed to comprehend basic defensive mechanics. Backpedaling for nearly five yards as the ball neared Jones, Moore flailed his arms, completely whiffed on the ball, and stumbled onto his backside as Jones took the reception the remaining 20-yards untouched.

This defensive lapse will go down as one of the worst mistakes in NFL history. Any sort of understanding of context and situation would have netted at least a bat down. Hell, a competent high school safety could have picked off that pass. After the original cornerback passed Jones off to the safety deep down the sidelines, the ball should have easily been batted down. Unfortunately, Moore turned into a backpedaling fool, and instead of sprinting to find the man and ball, he came up woefully short and allowed the absolute worst scenario to occur. This touchdown tied the game up, forced overtime, and served as the true reason the Broncos lost the game.

John Fox's Conservative Play Calling

The final negative aspect to examine is coach Fox's conservative play calling in key situations. At the end of the first half, and late in the second half, the Broncos stuck with a conservative scheme offensively that limited Manning's ability to take over the game. Coach Fox seemed more interested in not losing, rather than going out and winning. In the end, this plan backfired, as Manning, tired of watching opportunities slip away, forced the action in overtime and threw an unforgivable interception across his body and over the middle. In an attempt to make a play, Manning threw the game away. If coach Fox had given him a playmaking opportunity earlier in the game, this mistake may have never happened.

Example #1: Coach Fox decides to take a knee.
With 36 seconds remaining in the first half, and possessing three timeouts, coach Fox foreshadowed his conservative play calling as the Broncos started from their own 20-yard line. Rather than giving Manning a chance to possibly engineer one last field goal attempt before the half, Fox ordered for a kneel down, and the Broncos entered the half all tied up at 21-21. I can understand the reasoning in this instance, especially since Prater had just missed a long field goal attempt, but it may have been worth a shot with a burner like Demaryius Thomas out wide. Thomas is especially adept at bubble screens, and likely facing a prevent defense, it may have been worth a shot to give him a chance to make a play. This decision didn't bother me, but it did serve as a prognostication for future decisions.

Example #2: Late in the game, coach Fox plays not to lose rather than to win.
After Thomas' 17-yard touchdown on a bubble screen gave the Broncos a 28-35 lead with 7:11 remaining in regulation, the Broncos defense came up huge on the ensuing Ravens' series as they shut down an eight-play drive with the game on the line. Facing a fourth-and-five at the Broncos' 31-yard line with 3:16 left in regulation, Ravens coach John Harbaugh decided to go for the first down. Too close to punt, and uncomfortable with a long field goal attempt that would still leave the Ravens down four points even if successful, Harbaugh gambled. His gamble misfired. Lined up in a four-wide set, Flacco rifled a pass over the middle to tight end Dennis Pitta. Running a slant route, Pitta was jammed at the line by safety Mike Adams, and as the ball arrived just past the first down line, Adams stretched out with a full dive in order to knock the ball away.

Game over, right?

Not exactly.

Possessing two timeouts, and the two minute warning to stop the clock, the Ravens still had a slim chance to regain the ball with 3:12 left in regulation. As the Ravens assumed, coach Fox went completely conservative, calling five straight runs, with each out of a base formation with Manning under center — completely abandoning the shotgun formation that the team had primarily run for the entire game. I understand the reasoning for running the ball, but running straight into the heart of the Ravens defense is not wise. I believe that a four-wide shotgun formation with one back, or a three-wide with a tight end and a back, would have opened up some lanes for draw plays while keeping the defense honest in case Manning were to decide to audible to a pass play.

After the first two runs combined to net a first down, the game was one first down away from being over — this sequence may have served as fool's gold. Following a two-yard run by Hillman on first down, and the third straight run of the drive out of a base formation, the Ravens called their final timeout with 2:19 left in regulation.

Knowing that one more first down would win the game no matter what happened, this is where I would have liked to have seen coach Fox give Manning an opportunity to win the game. I understand the desire to run down the clock, but the risk/reward of going for a first down on second-and-eight, and then again on third down, should have outweighed the importance of clock management, especially considering that the Ravens still had the two minute warning to stop the clock.

In this situation, the worst possibility would have allowed the Ravens to regain possession with the two minute warning still on their side, and, in a worst case scenario, tie up the game with a touchdown. On the other hand, a best case scenario would feature a first down, and then taking a knee to run out the clock. Unfortunately, coach Fox called another run, and Hillman picked up one yard, making the situation third-and-seven following the two minute warning. Following that, Hillman crashed into the line for no gain on third down, forcing a punt, and giving the Ravens the ball with 1:15 left in regulation.

Coach's Fox strategy successfully ate away the clock, but it also ensured that the Ravens would get one last chance. If I had Manning as my quarterback, I think I would tell him to go win the game with a first down. Anyone think Brady would have been handing the ball off in that situation?

Example #3: Conservative mindset to end regulation.
Following this sequence, coach Fox stuck with the conservative game plan after Flacco's 70-yard touchdown pass. With two timeouts, and 31 seconds remaining in regulation, Manning took a knee on the 20-yard line to close out regulation. The Broncos' fans in attendance at Sports Authority Field at Mile High rained down the boos after this conservative decision. While I understand the reasoning, I have seen Prater hit a 59-yarder before. Following Prater's earlier mistake, I understand, but I would have liked to have seen Manning get a chance to lead a game-winning drive. Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, shouldn't he have been given a chance to put his team into position for the win?

I know it was a different circumstance, since the Atlanta Falcons were losing, but we all saw what Matt Ryan did in order to set up Matt Bryant up for the game-winning field goal against the Seattle Seahawks. With 31 seconds left in regulation, and possessing just two timeouts, Ryan completed a 22-yard pass, called timeout, and then completed a 19-yard pass before calling timeout and sending Bryant out for opportunity to kick the game-winner. Bryant nailed the 49-yard kick for the win. While the situation was different, the possibility of success could have been the same.

Example #4: Coach Fox continues to take the game out of Manning's hands.
Once in overtime, coach Fox continued with the not to lose game plan. After the Broncos came up with a key stop to shut down the Ravens' opening drive, the offense needed just a field goal to win the game. Starting on their own 16-yard line, coach Fox continued calling conservative runs. After Manning converted a third-and-five to Stokley from the shotgun, Fox called three straight runs out of base formations. While the first run from Hillman netted a second-and-two opportunity, coach Fox avoided the endless options of such a desirable down and distance, and instead went with another Hillman run. This left the Broncos with a third-and-one situation. Coach Fox inserted a bigger back, Jacob Hester, and he dialed up a run up the middle. Hester didn't gain a single yard, and the Broncos were forced to punt the ball away from their 39-yard line. The Ravens wouldn't score on the next possession, but this conservative play calling took away an opportunity for the Broncos to put the game away.

On the Broncos very next possession, coach Fox would face the same exact situation, with a first down run netting a second-and-one, and a run for no gain netting a third-and-one. This time, the run on third down was converted, but it speaks volumes that coach Fox wouldn't try to catch the Ravens' defense creeping up to the line on advantageous offensive situations such as second-and-one and third-and-one. Two plays later, Manning would throw the final nail in the coffin interception.

Maybe coach Fox saw something in his quarterback, or maybe Manning saw something in his head coach.

Conclusion

Overall, Manning and the Broncos turned in a solid year. Although the team had Super Bowl or bust aspirations, it sure is a welcome feeling considering how long it has been since the Broncos were considered worthy of championship hype. Obviously, the season didn't turn out as planned, but there's hope for next year, and with a few lucky breaks here and there, along with maturation from the coaches and players, the Broncos may come out on top next year. With Manning at the helm, talented receivers out wide, and a blossoming star in Von Miller leading the defense, this team is going places. Chalk this season up to a success. It may have ended earlier than expected, but it certainly doesn't feel like the end.

And on the other side of the equation, if anyone deserved to knock out the Broncos, it would be Ray Lewis in his swan song postseason. The all-time great recorded 17 tackles against the Broncos, hopefully he can take down Brady and the Patriots as well.

Costas and Whitlock, Misguided Gun Control (12.3.12)

After a full 24 hours, I still feel the need to give my commentary on Bob Costas' gun control lecture following Jovan Belcher's murder-suicide.

Great minds such as Sophocles and William Shakespeare promoted the metaphoric phrase, "Don't shoot the messenger," but on December 2, 2012, it became clear that the messenger overstepped his duty.

In case you haven't heard, Costas used the platform of NBC's Sunday Night Football to deliver a 90 second segment during halftime of the Eagles-Cowboys game to essentially give his personal belief about gun control while hiding behind quotes from a Kansas City writer named Jason Whitlock (more on him later).

Whether you personally believe in supporting gun control or the right to bear arms, I'm not here to debate. However, I do believe that Costas overstepped a boundary in delivering this statement to over 18 million viewers, "But here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe. 'If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.'"

I believe it's safe to say, that of the 18 million viewers tuned in on Sunday night, less than 10% expected to hear Costas' take on gun control. Viewers tuned in to watch football and were instead given a lecture. Information and debate are great for society, but force-fed political commentary in an unexpected atmosphere is not the status quo. If a viewer wanted to hear a debate about the second amendment, that viewer would have been tuned in to a different network. Simply put, it was inappropriate for Costas to deliver his personal, political message in that setting. Costas is a sportscaster first and foremost, and if he wanted to give his take, he should delivered it in a more appropriate setting, such as on NBC's sister network, MSNBC. 

In an effort to provide a dose of reality within an entertainment realm, Costas made his mark by essentially bringing the gun control debate to a national consciousness. If you recall, during the presidential debates, neither President Obama or Governor Romney would even touch the subject of gun control. If presidential hopefuls aren't willing to give their take, obviously the issue is divisive, personal, and carries strong opinions. By giving Whitlock's column an amplified, national voice, Costas ensured the debate would rage on. 

With all of that in mind, I believe that the most damaging sentiment is the fact that Costas and Whitlock believe that a 6'4", 230 pound inside linebacker wouldn't have taken the life of the mother of his child without the use of a firearm. None of us know what was going on in Belcher's mind at that time, but if he was willing to pull the trigger on Perkins multiple times (completely ensuring her death), who's to say he wasn't willing to use any means necessary to take her life? 

A gun may have presented the easiest option, but does that mean that if Belcher didn't have a gun, Perkins would still be alive? Are we to presume that Belcher would have been unwilling to use his dominating strength? Would a knife have been too intimate? Simply put, would beating the life out of his girlfriend, the mother of his three month old child, have been too much for him to bear? I don't buy it. Jovan Belcher committed murder with the deadliest of intentions. Belcher murdered Perkins with his own mother and child in the house. If he can commit an act like that in the presence of the woman who gave him life, then the man is capable of the most heinous actions. 

Belcher perpetrated another case of domestic violence, and gun or no gun, it was going to end badly. By posing as righteous leaders of life with anti-gun sentiments, Costas and Whitlock missed the larger point. Belcher needed help. That relationship needed help. Now, that child will need help. Glossing over the mental health of Belcher, Costas and Whitlock zeroed in on a political matter rather than identifying the true culprit of the situation. Why is personal responsibility so often overlooked?

As for Belcher's suicide, the man was ready to die. After killing Perkins, Belcher raced to the Chiefs' practice facility, thanked his coach and general manager, and then shot himself in the head as police arrived. He was not willing to pay the price of murder. He was not planning to live the rest of his life behind bars. All that would have changed in that situation without a gun, is that Belcher wouldn't have had the time to give his last words to his football authorities. Belcher would have found another way to end his life. My guess is that he would have killed himself in a car accident, but it could have been any number of options. 

In giving Whitlock a national audience, Costas backed a man that was fired from ESPN for delivering disparaging remarks about two of his colleagues, a man that promotes stereotypes, such as this statement about Jeremy Lin, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight," and a man that just stated, "I believe the NRA is the new KKK." Whitlock's reputation and political agenda should have served as an editorial caution, but Costas misguidedly decided to promote such an agenda to a mostly 18-49 male demographic. Some believe Costas is a courageous champion of civil and social affairs, I believe Costas abused his power and simplified a tragic event.

Whitlock's article makes some solid points, points that are great for reflection and debate. But those points should have been read by those who follow his column. Among those points, Whitlock touches upon self-control, race relations, and the government, before concluding, "Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it." While that sentiment may hold some credence, it has nothing to do with Jovan Belcher. Belcher's use of a handgun as his weapon of choice is undeniable, but when looking at his murder-suicide in context, it becomes clear that Belcher entered a murderous state of mind, and he was ready to use any weapon available. Either Whitlock truly believes that Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins would be alive today if guns were not a part of the equation, or he sees a prime opportunity to use a devastating tragedy as a symbolic promotion of a political agenda. 

Overall, the real issue is that Costas and Whitlock turned this sensitive matter into a debate about gun control. Mental health deserves more than that. Domestic abuse deserves more than that. Kasandra Perkins deserves more than that. Zoey Belcher deserves more than that. 

Philip Rivers, The Broncos 12th Man (10.16.12)

Dear Philip,

Thank you.

You held a stranglehold upon the Denver Broncos and the AFC West, and with a 24-0 lead heading into the half during Monday Night Football, you stood just 30 minutes away from taking a commanding two game lead in the AFC West.

Yet somehow, you inexplicably gave the game away with six turnovers, with five of them coming in the second half. Four interceptions. Two fumbles. Incredible.

Even worse, you directly contributed to 14 Broncos points with a fumble that was returned 65 yards for a touchdown and an interception that was returned 46 yards for a touchdown.

Playing in front of your adoring San Diego home crowd, you coughed up the game with a colossal meltdown for the ages. You were certainly fired up heading into the half, but then it all went wrong. With your mistakes, you directly contributed to the wrong side of history as the Denver Broncos tied an NFL record for the largest comeback win for a road team. The Broncos also tied the record for the fourth largest regular-season comeback in NFL history, and Peyton Manning engineered his NFL record 37th comeback, and the largest comeback of his career (topping his 21 point masterpiece against the Buccaneers in '03).

Whew! What an interesting tale of two halves. As a Broncos fan, it's tough to find the precise words to explain my reactions throughout the game. Emotions ranged from disgust to glee and everything in-between. Let's just say, I'm thankful.

I'm thankful because the Broncos absolutely hate first halves and continuously dig themselves into a hole. In fact, the Broncos have trailed at the half in five of their six games this year, with a Week 4 thrashing of the Oakland Raiders serving as the lone exception. The Broncos have been outscored 65-37 in first halves this season, and this game marks the fourth 20 point deficit the Broncos have faced in this young season. Fortunately, this time the Broncos were able to actually come back and win. Furious rallies against Atlanta, Houston, and New England all came up short, but this time, the Broncos prevailed.

Within the first three minutes of the game, it looked like the Broncos were bound to come up short once again as they coughed up the ball on consecutive special teams plays. First, Trindon Holliday, freshly signed off of waivers, muffed a punt on Denver's 17-yard line. This led to a Chargers recovery and the opening score of the game, a field goal. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, Omar Bolden fumbled the ball on the return and the Chargers capitalized with a touchdown, giving them a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes.

The Broncos have suffered some inexplicable turnovers this season — hello Demaryius Thomas and Willis McGahee — and it sure seemed like this opening foreshadowed another tough day. After an embarrassing first quarter, a gaffe in the second quarter absolutely solidified my belief that the Broncos were destined to lose.

Facing a second-and-ten on Denver's own 15-yard line, Manning exploited a defensive lapse in the secondary and hit a streaking Eric Decker. With no one in front of him, Decker hauled in the reception and had 50 yards of open field until the end zone. Instead, Decker suffered an epic fail as he stumbled and tripped over himself. The play resulted in a 55-yard gain instead of what looked like a guaranteed touchdown.

Three plays after the grass tackled Decker, Manning and his young receiver, Matt Willis, suffered a major miscommunication. Manning expected Willis to run a quick stop hot route as the blitz came, but Willis missed the line sight adjustment and instead streaked. Manning tossed the ball expecting the stop route, and Quentin Jammer capitalized on the miscommunication by intercepting the ball and returning it 80-yards for a touchdown. Bam! 17-0 in one fell swoop.

On the ensuing series, the Broncos went three-and-out, and the Chargers capitalized with a ten play drive that led to another touchdown with 24 seconds remaining in the half, making the score 24-0. Just like that, the Broncos faced another humiliating deficit in front of a national audience.

Then, it all turned around.

First, Manning led an impressive eight play, 85-yard drive that put the Broncos on the board and was capped with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.

Then, Elvis Dumervil came up with a momentum swinging play as he stymied a nice drive by Rivers and the Chargers. On the eleventh play of the drive, the Chargers faced a third-and-eight on Denver's 33-yard line. Coming off of the edge, Dumervil turned the corner and knocked the ball out as Rivers wound up to throw the ball. Tony Carter picked up the fumble and took it the distance for a 65-yard touchdown, making the score 24-14.

The following drive, the Chargers went three-and-out.

Then Manning responded with a drive exclusively out of the shotgun. It was this drive that provided arguably the most important play of the game. Following consecutive penalties that pushed a third-and-one to a third-and-sixteen, Manning dropped a perfect pass in-between the linebacker/safety low/high zone coverage to find Jacob Tamme for a 25-yard completion. This huge first down kept the Broncos alive momentum wise, and Manning finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker. Decker made up for his prior mishap by taking the bubble screen and bullying his way into the end zone to make the score 24-21.

Then Rivers tossed his first of three fourth quarter interceptions. Facing a third-and-eight, Rivers forced a ball deep down the middle and he threw it short. In single coverage without any help, Tony Carter sold out to make a play on the floating ball, and he came up with the interception. Manning capitalized with a four-play, 50-yard drive that finished with a spectacular throw to Brandon Stokley for a 21-yard touchdown. For the first time in the game, the Broncos took the lead, 24-28.

With over nine minutes remaining in the game, the Chargers still had plenty of time to make up for their mistakes. Facing another long third down, this time a third-and-seven, Rivers tossed another pick. However, this one probably wasn't his fault. Eddie Royal failed to cut in front of his defender as he ran a quick in route over the middle. Chris Harris made a great play on the ball as he jammed Royal, cut in front of him, and then picked off the pass.

Following the Harris pick, the Broncos failed to put points on the board, and the Chargers regained possession with just under four minutes remaining in the game. With the game up for grabs, the Chargers still had a great opportunity to pull out the win, and Rivers still had a chance to atone for his mistakes. However, Harris wasn't done just yet. On second-and-six at the San Diego 45-yard line, Rivers tossed his final interception of the game. Rivers looked to hit Royal on an out route toward the sidelines, but Rivers lagged in his read and he threw the ball late and behind. In man defense, Harris read the play perfectly as he drove on the ball hard, picked it off, and took it the distance for a touchdown. Game. 24-35, Broncos.

On the next Chargers possession, Dumervil came up with another forced fumble to close the game. Mike Adams recovered the Rivers fumble and Manning took a couple knees to end the game.

Overall, the dichotomy of each half was rather stunning. The Chargers seemed to put the game away in the first half as they came up with opportunistic plays. Then, the Broncos came up with numerous huge plays that led to one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history. The doom and gloom of the Broncos first half performance took a jaw-dropping turn as Rivers set career highs with four interceptions and six total turnovers.

So, thank you, Philip. You missed an opportunity to bury the Broncos with a favorable two game advantage in the division, and instead, you gave the Broncos a 3-3 record (much more favorable than 2-4), good for first place in the AFC West. With just two teams above .500 in the AFC, you missed out on an opportunity to capitalize on a weak AFC conference. You used to be considered an elite quarterback, but this season seems to be marking year two of an unexpected decline. Now, you have to sit through a bye week and stew over this loss as the Broncos will look to increase their lead in the division with a game against the New Orleans Saints.

Some will give the credit for the win to the Broncos defense, to Elvis Dumervil, to Von Miller, to Chris Harris, to Tony Carter. Others will give the credit to the offense, and pretty much just Peyton Manning. But, I have to give the credit to Philip Rivers. I mean, come on, four turnovers in the deciding quarter, how does that happen? We've seen the Broncos go on some furious rallies this season, but this time they actually won, and it never would have been possible without Rivers' performance.

On Monday Night Football, Rivers served as the 12th man for the Denver Broncos, and it may have been unexpected, but I'll take it, and so will the Denver Broncos. 

Defending Kansas City Chiefs Fans (10.8.12)

After seeing the reaction all over ESPN and other outlets following the Chiefs-Ravens game, I have a feeling that I am going to be in the minority on the topic of Matt Cassel and the Kansas City fans.

Whatever the case, let me breakdown Eric Winston's (KC's starting right tackle) comments regarding Cassel and the reaction of the cheering fans in Kansas City following a hit that left Cassel lying on the ground concussed.

First, watch the play that led to Cassel's concussion (hopefully YouTube won't take it down; the NFL.com video doesn't show the live time response of the fans).

After checking down to Jamaal Charles — pretty much the only pass Cassel can make with consistency — Cassel was drilled by Haloti Ngata, a 6'4" 340 pound mammoth of a man. Trailing 9-3 at home in the fourth quarter, Charles went into Madden mode as he juked several defenders and picked up sixteen yards on the play for a first down.

After watching the replay over and over, it's clear that the fans are cheering as Cassel lies on the ground. However, how and or why they are cheering is unknown. They definitely cheer for Charles and his clutch play late in the game. But, the cheers continue long after the play concludes, and noticeably as Cassel lies on the ground. Once the public address announcer states, "Injury timeout," there is a noticeable drop in the decibel level from the stands, thus further complicating matters of intent.

So what were the fans thinking in that thirty second span following the tackle on Charles and the PA announcing "Injury timeout"?

While the cheering seems to all blend together, there definitely seems to be a portion of time that represents a cheer for Cassel's injury. I can't defend this, and I won't try to defend it.

However, I can pick apart Eric Winston and his comments. Watch his reaction in the locker room following the game.

Pretty much, I disagree with a lot of his points. I agree with his moral take on the situation — that it's wrong to cheer when an athlete is injured, regardless of what team he plays for — however, I believe that Winston fails to take into account the fan's perspective, especially his home fans.

Essentially, I believe that those cheers would have occurred if Cassel had been subbed out due to his shoddy play. Unfortunately, head coach Romeo Crennel didn't have the guts to sit his faltering quarterback, and instead, an injury made the decision for him.

This distinction is important. It comes down to one of two options, and one is indefensible, while the other is easily defensible. Either you believe the fans were cheering because Cassel got hurt, or you believe the fans were cheering because Cassel would no longer play the position of quarterback. The two may go hand in hand, but the intent of each situation is rather different.

Although Brady Quinn isn't really that great of an option to replace Cassel, something needs to be done. Here are Cassel's stats so far this season: a 58.5% completion percentage, 1,150 yards, five touchdowns, an NFL high nine interceptions, a 66.2 passer rating (158.3 is perfect), and a 45.77 ESPN total quarterback rating (out of 100). Don't forget the 1-4 record, and in the Baltimore game, Cassel was 9-15 for 92 yards and two interceptions — pedestrian to say the least. By the end of the game, the Chiefs finished with 50 total rushing attempts compared to just 18 passing attempts. It's safe to say that the quarterback position is holding the Chiefs back.

So were the fans malicious, or just fed up? Maybe one doesn't exist without the other.

Other than a surprising 2010 campaign in which Cassel made the Pro Bowl and the Chiefs made it to the playoffs, the Chiefs have been nothing but a doormat in the NFL. Cassel's record so far in Kansas City is 19-25 throughout four seasons, and 10 of those wins came in 2010.

I tend to think the fans were fed up, and that is something Eric Winston certainly doesn't seem to agree with. Winston clearly believes that the fans were malicious.

So let's breakdown his comments.

Winston opens with this statement, "We are athletes, we are not gladiators, this isn't the Roman Coliseum."

Winston makes this claim in an attempt to shame the fans into regretting the fact that we enjoy the bloodsport of the NFL.

I strongly object Winston's initial claim. To me, the NFL is setup in the fashion of a modern day gladiator battle. I understand this, and this does not bother me. The violence and spectacle of it all clearly borrows from the Roman Coliseum. The entertainment value of the gladiators in Ancient Rome laid the groundwork for the NFL to become the biggest sports league in America. The gladiator games had owners, players, pairs (like a team), trainers, sponsors, advertisements, tickets, amphitheaters, spectators, and an immense popularity. Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?

Now, your first thought is, "But the NFL doesn't feature executions!" You are right, however, the NFL does feature delayed death sentences, CTE anyone?  In fact, Winston even states, "There are long lasting ramifications to the game we play [...] I've already come to the understanding I won't live as long because I play this game, and that's okay. That's a choice I've made, that's a choice all of us have made." So yes, the instant ramifications of the gladiatorial games are not present, but make no mistake, over time, the NFL isn't really all that different from those violent spectacles in Ancient Rome.

Winston continues, "People pay their hard earned money to come in here, and I believe they can boo, they can cheer, they can do whatever they want [...] It's hard economic times, and they still pay the money to do this."

This statement pretty much speaks for itself. Yes, cheering as an injured player lies on the ground is classless, but as Winston stated, the fans are free to do what they want. According to reports by the Fan Cost Experience, an average family of four (two adults, two children) will spend $360.68 to attend a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium. Depending upon a number of conditions, that number can rise dramatically, or fall slightly. In today's economy, that's a lot of money, and Winston understands this. Without the fans, there is no need to play on Sundays. Does this give the fans the right to do whatever they want to do with their voices? Well, yes it does. It may not be right, but money paid equals rights gained.

Winston follows up his previous point with this sentiment, "When you cheer somebody getting knocked out, I don't care who it is, and it just so happened to be Matt Cassel, it's sickening, it's one hundred percent sickening [...] I've never been more embarrassed in my life to play football."

I have one major issue with this statement. I cannot defend the actions of the fans if they were in fact cheering due to Cassel's injury. If there was malicious intent, and for a few, I'm sure there was, the situation is sickening, no doubt about it. Winston's thought process cannot be scrutinized here. The fact that it was a home crowd makes the situation even worse. It wasn't just blind hate, it was calculated.

But you have to wonder, why was it calculated? I have a strong suspicion that those fans wouldn't have been cheering if that was Brady, Rodgers, Manning, Ryan, or any other decent starting quarterback lying on the ground. For Winston to casually slip in, "It just so happened to be Matt Cassel" is a total disregard of the fans' intelligence and allegiance. In my opinion, if it was Winston lying on the field, there probably wouldn't have been a sound made. If anything, the cheers stem from Cassel's substandard play. There's a distinct difference in cheering due to an injury, and cheering due to a change at the quarterback position. Talent often dictates appreciation, and lacking talent doesn't give the fans the right to boo an injured player, but I can see why they would be excited about a change at the quarterback position.

If coach Crennel had subbed Cassel out in favor of Quinn, I have a feeling that the cheers would have been much louder. Cassel didn't deserve to be on the field at that point, and if he had been on the sideline where he belonged, he wouldn't have been knocked out. On 25 different Sundays, Cassel has displayed his inability to lead the Chiefs to a win. The fans know this. Their jeers toward Cassel may have come at the wrong time, but they came for a reason. Football is not about displaying excellent moments of humanity, it's about winning. The fans voiced their displeasure in a vulnerable moment, and it's difficult to defend such an occurrence, but in a similar manner, it's understandable. Winston doesn't want to throw his quarterback under the bus, but he can't argue with the statistics.

In an unintentional comedic moment, Winston later stated, "Matt Cassel hasn't done anything." I certainly felt a small grin come over my face when I heard that statement. Winston continued, "[Cassel] hasn't done anything to you people."

Ohhhh! That's right. Listen, Cassel may be a standup guy, but once again, is this about being nice, or is it about results? Nice doesn't win football games. Winston's defense of Cassel is admirable, and Cassel deserves a defense in terms of being a fellow human, but other than that, nobody cares. He's a football player, not a civilian.

Winston continues, "Hey, if he's not the best quarterback, then he's not the best quarterback, and that's okay, but he's a person."

Your 2012 Kansas City Chiefs everybody. Sounds a lot like parents at a youth soccer game. Don't voice your displeasure, he's a person. Mediocrity is acceptable, he's a person. A person doesn't deserve such treatment. I wonder if that sentiment works anywhere else in life? "Boss, I couldn't get the job done. [Boss yells], [Employee responds] I'm a person!"

In one sense, Winston is totally right. Cassel doesn't deserve to be cheered because he's injured and can no longer play. But in another sense, come on, this is football! This is about playing to win, Herm Edwards surely agrees. Winston's moral claim is fine, but his athletic claim is rather disappointing. He sounds like a member of a 1-4 team that has been a doormat for three of the past four years. This is Winston's first year as a member of the Chiefs, maybe he's unaware of the passion Kansas City has for its team.

Winston concludes, "If you are one of those people that were out there cheering, or even smiled when he got knocked out, I just want to let you know, and I want everybody to know that I think it's sickening and disgusting [...] Don't blame a guy, don't cheer for a guy [who is injured] who has done everything in his power to play as good as he can for the fans. It's sickening."

Winston finishes strong with this thoughtful statement. I believe that Winston would have been better served solely releasing this statement — it's succinct, doesn't provide excuses, doesn't admonish the entire fan base, and addresses the moral dilemma at hand.

Hats off to Eric Winston and his humane beliefs, but NFL players are paid to perform. Up to this point, Cassel has largely failed to play up to expectation. If Cassel had nine touchdowns this season instead of nine interceptions, these events would have never happened. We all know that favorites tend to get a break; that doesn't make things right, but it's the truth.

Life is bigger than football, but sometimes it's hard to remember that when you are surrounded by a sea of 76,000 fans that only want to watch their team win.

So are the fans excused for their actions? No. But can I understand why they did what they did? Yes.

Better luck next week Kansas City. Hey, Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe are studs. If you ever find a good quarterback, you have a strong foundation for success.

The Real Refs (10.2.12)

After three weeks of substandard NFL football, how was your football viewing experience throughout Week 4?

Think about it for a minute, go ahead and ruminate.

You may struggle to find a single word that can encapsulate your experience, but you probably have a positive impression. 

Your team may have lost, but at least you can believe in the integrity of the game. That counts for something you know, it really does. 

Isn't it interesting that the NFL came to terms with the NFLRA within 48 hours of the Green Bay-Seattle fiasco?  It's almost as if the NFL never thought that unqualified replacement referees could impact an actual game. How naive. How irresponsible. How dishonest.

Honestly, I figured the NFL would dig in following the "Fail Mary." I didn't expect a deal to get done, because I figured the NFL accounted for a situation such as this. When analyzing the pros and cons of their decision to lockout the officials, how could the NFL not examine the worst case scenario? I'm sure the "Innacurate Reception," another great nickname, represented what the NFL deemed the worst case scenario, and I figured the NFL had already decided that such an outcome would be the assumed collateral throughout the labor negotiations.

However, it seems like the power of public backlash lit a fire upon the NFL to come to terms with the NFLRA. Ode to the power of public scorn. After three weeks of marring an extraordinary product with incompetency that produced WWE type results, the NFL came to its senses and reached a deal with the NFLRA. 

Unfortunately, it seems like this deal could have been reached all along. In fact, it seems like the NFL lost the battle on this negotiation and instead settled for far less than they were demanding. The NFL conceded to a revised pension plan and offered up a raise, and the officials conceded the implementation of developing new officials. Seems to make sense, right? Unfortunately, for the first three weeks of the season, the NFL played hardball, and it ended up costing them. Oh, and don't forget, this hardball tactic cost teams victories, produced various fines for coaches and players, put players in perilous situations, and severely impacted the product for the fans. 

With a deal in place, I think we can all agree that Week 4 of the NFL was much more enjoyable to watch than Weeks 1-3. The lunacy of the first three weeks may have been interesting to watch for some, but there's no doubt that it cast a dark shadow over the league. 

With NFL officials actually garnering cheers this past week, it sure was nice to see them back on the field. Integrity restored. Madness withdrawn. The NFL cares again... finally.

Simply put, Thursday, Sunday, and Monday were smooth. Can you think of a better term? Whatever it is, it definitely contains positive connotations, and that's all that matters. 

There were a few minor hiccups, especially when the Green Bay Packers, the catalysts that led to the end of the NFLRA lockout, came up on the wrong side of a call when Darren Sproles of the New Orleans Saints clearly fumbled a kickoff return midway through the fourth quarter that was instead ruled down by contact. Fortunately, the Packers were able to hold on and win the game. If they had lost, I have a feeling that the officials would have been blasted mercilessly. 

The Sunday night game also featured some questionable calls, namely the late pass interference calls on both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. 

However, as a whole, the referees stayed in the background, and that's where they belong. Did you see any headlines that led with the officials? I didn't, and that's exactly how it should be.

Let's just be thankful for "The Real Refs." No more ten minute delays. No more misplaced ball spots. No more unruly scrums and brawls. No more deliberations after routine plays. No more laughable calls that lead to numerous challenges and overturns. No more extra challenges. No more extra timeouts. No more incompetency.

The real officials may blow a call here and there, but I think we can all agree that their presence is necessary, and beneficial. The NFL product is just that much better with them ruling the game. The tempo is much more even, the calls are more accurate, and the integrity of the NFL is no longer considered questionable.

Welcome back NFL officials, we've missed you.

Monday Night Meltdown, NFL Integrity Issues (9.25.12)

How many times this past weekend did you hear, "After review, the previous ruling on the field has been reversed"? This phrase acted like a broken record all weekend.

At one point, my television market showed challenges taking place during both the FOX and CBS broadcasts. With challenges taking place all over the league, I'm sure other markets dealt with the same delays.

In a rather comical manner, the Saints-Chiefs game featured five reversed calls. Yes, five. With the phrase constantly repeating itself, I began to wonder if NFL coaches deserve more challenge opportunities.

With replacement officials making so many mistakes, how will coaches know which blatant mistakes to challenge?

I guess one referee found a way to circumvent that problem.

The 49ers-Vikings game took an interesting turn when 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh duped the replacement refs into awarding him two challenges in a span of six plays despite lacking a necessary timeout in order to be able to challenge either play.

Both games served as a microcosm of the incompetency of the replacement referees. Incorrect rulings, procedures, and interpretations plagued the games and delayed the action.

Overall, the refs were once again atrocious.

And that was just on Sunday.

Fast forward to "Monday Night Football," the Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks matchup. For the second week in a row, the primetime matchup featured some serious controversy regarding the replacement referees.

Let's just skip past the numerous incorrect calls throughout the game and focus on the final play.

You know what play I'm talking about.

Just in case, I'll give you the rundown.

The final play featured a Hail Mary pass. Trailing 12-7 with eight seconds remaining in the game, Russell Wilson, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, took the snap, scrambled, bought some time, and heaved the ball about 40 yards toward the end zone. As the ball flew to the left corner of the end zone, five Packers defenders surrounded one Seahawks receiver.

Then the madness began.

As the ball began to descend, that one Seahawks receiver, Golden Tate, got away with a blatant push on the back of a Packers defender that could have easily been ruled an offensive pass interference. The push went unnoticed by the officials.

Maybe the no-call on this sequence was actually the right call, but a no-call still implies that something, by rule, should have been called. On Tuesday, the NFL officially released this statement, "While the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game. It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay." So there's the first mistake, a missed call that would have awarded Green Bay the victory.

Following the push, M.D. Jennings, the safety for the Packers, appeared to come down with the ball for an interception. Jennings caught the ball at the highest point with two hands, thus establishing the fact that he gained possession of the ball first. As Jennings fell to the ground, Tate was able to wrap one arm around Jennings in an attempt to gain possession of the ball. With the ball pinned to his chest, Jennings clearly gained possession prior to Tate's attempt to snag the ball.

Prior is the key word. Simultaneous possession awards the tie to the offense. However, simultaneous possession only comes into play at the initial point of reception. If a player establishes possession first, simultaneous possession no longer determines who caught the ball. Here is the official NFL rulebook on the matter, "It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control."

Throughout the catching process, Jennings possessed two hands on the ball. After grabbing the ball with two hands, Jennings pulled the ball into his chest. After finally reaching the ground with one foot, Jennings held possession of the ball with two hands. On the other hand, Tate initially held just one hand, his left, on the ball. As Jennings came to the ground with two hands on the ball, Tate's right hand gripped Jennings' right forearm. After clutching Jennings for a while, Tate's right hand flailed and he readjusted by wrapping his right arm around Jennings arms. Tate never held two hands on the ball until each player fell onto the ground and rolled.

After a couple seconds of hesitation, two officials ran in to make the call. Both officials looked down at the rolling players, then into the eyes of his fellow official, and then each gave the call simultaneously. One waved his arms in an action that resembles a touchback, indicating an interception and change of possession, thus ensuring the Packers a victory. However, this back judge was overruled by the side judge who threw each arm up in the air to rule the play a touchdown, thus awarding a victory to the Seahawks. By ruling the play a touchdown, the side judge deemed the play a matter of simultaneous possession. This ruling marks the second mistake by the officials, and it is ultimately the reason for the Packers' defeat.

With indecision and a lack of clarity surrounding the play, the officials made their third mistake by not organizing a crew conference. In a play of this magnitude, the officials should have convened, traded perspectives, fully soaked in all of the information, and then allowed the head referee to adjudicate the play. Instead, Lance Easley, the side judge, jumped the gun and signaled the touchdown, thus creating a definitive ruling on the field and making it that much more difficult to later overturn the call through instant replay. By failing to follow the standard operating procedure, Easley served to highlight another substandard officiating blunder.

Prior to the breakdown between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association, the NFL required 10 years of officiating experience with at least five years of experience in major-college football.

Easley's lack of experience clearly jumped to the forefront with his decision to rule the play a touchdown before convening with his fellow crew. With just just four years of officiating experience, and none above the Division III level, I'm not sure if Easley is qualified to be making that ruling.

Easley could have consulted the back judge, Derrick Rhone-Dunne. Dunne, the official that correctly ruled an interception, has nine years of experience in Division I, II, and III — it's not the required 10, but it's a lot better than just four. The head referee, Wayne Elliot, has 21 years of experience in Division II and III. Judging from the experience at hand, it seems like Easley should have conferred with his fellow crew members — big mistake.

Then there's the fourth mistake, the failed replay review. Contrary to popular belief, simultaneous possession can be reviewed — it cannot be reviewed between the goal lines, but in the end zone it is up for review. The touchdown ruling by Easley indicated his belief that the play featured a simultaneous catch. Tate clearly didn't catch the ball all to himself, so Easley must have felt that the catch was simultaneous. After assessing the replay, the officials could have overturned the call and ruled the play an interception. Instead, they stuck with the ruling on the field, a touchdown. How they failed to see Jennings catch the ball first and establish himself as the player with possession is beyond comprehension.

During the replay, the officials failed to find the "100% indisputable evidence" needed to overturn the ruling on the field. Despite possessing the ability to replay the controversial play with slow motion and several viewpoints that seemed to favor Green Bay, it was all for naught because of the need for "100% indisputable evidence."

After a weekend full of "After review, the previous ruling on the field has been reversed," the biggest review of them all came up short. I'm not even sure if the officials realized that they could in fact change the ruling to an interception. Who knows if they understand the rulebook to the extent that simultaneous possession can be reviewed when it occurs in the end zone.

In the end, there were four mistakes on just one play. Tally that up with all of the mistakes throughout the weekend and the first couple weeks of this NFL season, and it all points to a massive failure on behalf of the NFL. Why the NFL? Because the NFL is employing replacement officials. The officials are clearly unprepared to officiate the game, yet here they are deciding outcomes.

What can you say?

Well, first, how about, "Let's get some real officials back out there."

A pretty simple concept, right? Unfortunately, the NFL is the most arrogant league in professional sports due to the fact that it is a multi-billion dollar empire. Something like this isn't going to change anything regarding negotiations. If you truly believe that the real officials will have a deal in hand by this Thursday, then you are far too trusting in the NFL.

Sadly, I don't believe that this game will impact negotiations between the NFL and the NFLRA. The NFL knew something like this could happen when they allowed this labor impasse to occur, so it's not like they are blindsided by this. They surely have considered the possibility that a replacement referee could blow a call and directly impact a game. If they didn't, they are naive, and if they did, they just don't care. Either way, it's disgusting.

You could also say, "I'm going to stop watching the NFL."

While that is a noble concept, its reality is implausible. As Steve Young stated following the prior Monday Night Football matchup between the Broncos-Falcons, "Everything about the NFL now is inelastic for demand." You aren't going to stop watching the NFL, and you know it. You may be disgusted, but you won't stop — and it's not your fault, we all enjoy watching professional football, and for the time being, this is professional football.

The most damaging sequence just happened to the NFL, but it won't matter. Until the owners begin to lose money, or a high profile owner is knocked out of the playoffs by a blown call — looking at you Jerry Jones — nothing is going to change.

Here we have it, an actual outcome of an NFL game decided by a dubious call made by a replacement official. One call decided a game. One incorrect call. Is the NFL going to change the record of either team involved after the fact? Nope. Is the NFL going to admit fault? Certainly not. Can the NFL do anything at all about the mistake? Yes, but they won't.

The integrity of the NFL just shattered, but it doesn't matter — to the owners at least. Even with a fan backlash, people will still watch in astounding numbers, and revenue will continue to pour into the owners' pockets.

This blown call is full of ramifications, but it hardly effects the owners.

Instead, it effects the Green Bay Packers. They are now sitting at 1-2 instead of 2-1. This loss may impact their chances to win their division or even make the playoffs. We all expect Green Bay to make the playoffs, but as it currently stands, they are sitting in third place in their division.

Conversely, now the Seattle Seahawks are 2-1 instead of 1-2. Along with seven other teams, they carry the third best record in the NFC. This game truly increases Seattle's chances of making the playoffs.

Furthermore, this blown call effects the oddsmakers.

According to reports, an estimated $250 million swung on that final call. One oddsmaker, Danny Sheridan of USA Today, had the highest estimate at over $1 billion! The Packers, three and a half point favorites, would have covered the spread with a five point victory, 12-7. Instead, the Seahawks won by two, 12-14. According to the percentage bet in Vegas, around 75% of bets were placed in favor of the Packers. That's a lot of money lost on one call. Those fortunate enough to have bet on Seattle are jumping for joy, but those who bet on the Packers must feel cheated.

Gamblers weren't the only people to experience the effect of the blown call. Fantasy football owners also felt the repercussions. According to ESPN, over 67,000 ESPN fantasy matchups were decided by that one play. That's a lot of teams experiencing a win or loss due to the Packers defense/special teams or Golden Tate. Considering Tate is owned in just 1.3% of ESPN leagues, let's just say that a lot of people experienced shattering defeat as the Packers defense missed out on a sure interception and then lost fantasy points because the Seahawks scored — the Packers D/ST is owned in 85.1% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Considering the fallout of this call, the biggest effect deals with the integrity of the NFL. NBA conspiracy theorists have been saying for years that the NBA is fixed. Questionable calls, lotteries, and outcomes have all been thrown out there. After the Tim Donaghy scandal, the NBA had to deal with a legitimate claim regarding the integrity of the NBA. Well, who's to say that these refs haven't been compromised?

We already know that the NFL hasn't done a great job with their background checks. One official was assigned to a Saints game despite the fact that he has expressed a lifelong fandom to the Saints — he even had pictures of himself in Saints' gear on his Facebook. This official wasn't pulled from the game until ESPN analyst, Chris Mortensen, notified the league. Another official worked a Seahawks game in Week 1 against the Cardinals despite officiating Seahawks' regular-season practices for the past three years — he was paid by the Seahawks for those practices, and I happen to remember a lot of questionable calls late in that game.

Who's to say that these replacement officials haven't been targeted by powerful individuals? I'm confident that these incompetent officials are just that, incompetent, but who knows for sure? Their time in the NFL is temporary, and their opportunity to make bank is now or never. There's no doubt that dubious calls have shifted many NFL games. Maybe there's a correlation.

Overall, the integrity of the NFL is under fire. Player safety and on-field play are taking a backseat to labor negotiations. Money rules all. Who's to say it doesn't rule the replacement officials? And if you don't want to believe in that angle, there's still the fact that unqualified officials are deciding the outcome of NFL games. If that isn't enough of an attack on the integrity of the NFL, then I don't know what is. These teams get sixteen chances, and Green Bay just lost one of those chances.

How many more games like this one can the NFL stand? Well, if it means not paying top dollar for real referees, I'm guessing quite a few more.

Asterisk season, anyone?

In the most damning moment of this NFL season, integrity was called upon in order to conclude the game. Unfortunately, the NFL seems to have a selective conscience regarding integrity. After Seattle and Green Bay each left the field following the officiating fiasco, both squads were called upon to come back out and finish the game — you know, since integrity demanded an extra point kick.

Obviously, the NFL needs to maintain the integrity of the game, it's just funny how they are choosing to do so.

The NFL Doesn't Care that Replacement Officials are Terrible (9.18.12)

A mountain of evidence is piling in regard to the incompetency of NFL replacement officials, but don't expect the NFL and the NFL Referees Association to come up with an agreement any time soon.

After Week 1, the consensus seemed to state, "Hey, the replacements aren't so bad, they didn't screw up anything major."

Maybe the replacement officials didn't truly alter an outcome of a game in Week 1, but can you imagine a regular official crew awarding a team four timeouts in a single half?

That's what happened in the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. Trailing by four points on the final drive of the game, Seattle was able to call their fourth timeout of the second half — three is the maximum per half. With 30 seconds remaining in the game, the officials deliberated for a couple of minutes before incorrectly deciding that Seattle could in fact call their fourth timeout of the half.

Simply put, the referees did not understand that Seattle burned their third and final timeout two plays prior when Doug Baldwin, a receiver, went down with an injury. When a player is injured and cannot continue play with under two minutes remaining, a timeout must be taken or a delay of game penalty will occur — this rule is to prevent players from faking injuries in order to receive free timeouts late in games.

Failing to understand such a simple rule nearly swung the outcome of the game. Despite receiving the extra timeout, the Seahawks failed to capitalize as the Cardinals hung in tough and executed an outstanding goal line stand to win the game.

But imagine if the Cardinals had lost. Imagine if the time saved with the extra timeout had ended up allowing the Seahawks just enough time to win the game. Hell, it almost did. Three different Seahawks got their hands on the ball in the end zone, and all three dropped the ball. Disaster may have been averted, but the situation should have never even occurred.

Despite the timeout hiccup, and a couple other mistakes (the block in the back flag that was then picked up during the Green Bay/San Francisco game), Week 1 seemed to feature decent officiating from the replacement officials.

However, in Week 2, blatant mistakes popped up across the entire league.

Mike Pereira, a former Vice President of Officiating for the NFL, provides great analysis for Fox Sports due to his understanding of the NFL rulebook. In one segment, Pereira broke down some failed calls by the replacement officials, and in one of his articles, Pereira opens with this strong statement, "I'm officially over it."

Pereira isn't the only one "over it." Despite risking fines, players have also began to give their opinions of the shoddy officiating.

Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis both criticized the officials following the Baltimore Ravens loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Flacco called one offensive pass interference call "crazy," and Lewis stated, "How much longer are we going to keep going through this whole process? [...] I just know across the league teams and the league are being affected by it."

On the other side, following some confusion from the referees that led to the two-minute warning occurring twice, Michael Vick had to sit and wait as an obvious forward pass was ruled a fumble. Following the replay, the call was overturned, but that didn't stop Vick from commenting, "It's extra stress when you have to sit there and wait. The one thing you don't want to do, you don't want to put the game in the officials' hands."

The worst call of Week 2 may have been a phantom pass interference call against cornerback Ike Taylor of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Taylor played some elite defense as he shadowed every move made by receiver Santonio Holmes of the New York Jets. Despite failing to even touch Holmes, Taylor was penalized. What's alarming about the penalty is the fact that Holmes was blown up on the play by the safety, Ryan Clark. Clark made an absolutely legal play on the ball, but it almost seemed like the referees felt that something needed to be called once they threw their flags on the ground, so they called pass interference. It was as if they didn't want to be embarrassed by having to pick the flag up, so they went with pass interference after they realized that the hit was clean.

Even further, player safety also came into question due to mistakes by the replacement officials. On one such instance, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Alex Smith, scrambled out of the pocket and gave himself up with a feet-first slide after he reached the first down marker. As Smith went to the ground, the safety for the Detroit Lions, John Wendling, laid a forearm blow to Smith's head. The hit ended up causing Smith to suffer a cut across the upper bridge of his nose that led to a stream of blood. Everyone knows that quarterbacks are pretty much untouchable, yet this obvious personal foul went uncalled. When a quarterback slides feet-first, he is no longer considered a ball carrier, and he is not supposed to be hit, yet Wendling was able to sneak in a nice shot to Smith's head. If you think a sliding quarterback isn't vulnerable, watch this clip of Trent Green from a few years back.

Then there was Golden Tate's huge block on Sean Lee. Tate, a receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, noticed his quarterback scrambling, so he peeled off his route and laid a blindside hit on the pursuing linebacker of the Dallas Cowboys. Tate decleated Lee with the tremendous hit, and Lee sat out the rest of the game. No penalty was called on the block, and even more upsetting for Dallas fans was the fact that quarterback Russell Wilson benefited on an extremely weak personal foul call as he was touched about an inch out of bounds on that very same play. While I am not sure if the block was legal or not, I do know that I would have been more comfortable with actual referees assessing the situation. The block was clearly a blindside hit, and I'm pretty sure that blindside hits are currently deemed illegal. Some claim that the hit was also helmet to helmet, but I don't see it. Either way, Lee could have suffered brain trauma on such a play. Let's just say that replacement officials may not be the most qualified to handle such a situation.

Overall, the officiating on Sunday for Week 2 was full of mistakes, misinterpretations, and inconsistencies, but that wouldn't be the worst of it.

On Monday Night Football, the replacement officials stood front and center in front of a national audience in the prime time slot.

The first quarter of the Denver Broncos versus Atlanta Falcons took an hour in itself. One tempo draining moment in the first quarter took over six minutes for the referees to decide. On the second to last play of the quarter, Knowshon Moreno, running back for the Broncos, fumbled the ball. Following the fumble, the referees lost control of the game. Possession was awarded to the Falcons despite the fact that a Broncos player emerged from the pile with the ball in his hands — maybe he ripped it out late, but usually possession is awarded to the team that emerges from the pile with the ball. Then, players from both teams came onto the field and began to engage in scuffles, with one referee almost getting clocked with a thrown punch intended for a player. In a hilarious moment, the head official came out and stated, "Personal foul, number 93, red." Is this a high school game or what? Red? I guess Atlanta was too difficult to say. Six minutes after the fumble, the game resumed — there was no official replay, so the delay is hard to explain (it took over three minutes to resume play after the head official called the personal foul on "red").

At one point early in the second quarter, play-by-play man Mike Tirico stated, "Honestly. It's embarrassing. The command and control of this game is gone." Jon Gruden chirped in later in the second quarter with this statement, "I think these pass interference calls need to jump off the screen at you. Let's see Carter, number 32, working against Julio Jones. I don't see that anywhere. I just don't understand how they can call pass interference on Carter."

With over 16 penalties called in the first half, time dragged on as it took over two hours for the first half to conclude. The officials considerably lightened up in the second half, as just five penalties were called, and the half finished within 90 minutes.

Despite the increased pace in the second half, the referees would once again muck up the game early in the third quarter. After a defensive holding call on Denver's cornerback, Champ Bailey, the referees failed to tack on five yards following a scramble from quarterback Matt Ryan. Pushing Denver into the ropes with a no-huddle attack, Ryan lined up his offense to take the snap for the next play. As the ball was about to be snapped, the referees ran in and stopped play. Three minutes after the initial holding penalty, play resumed. During the delay, Gruden stated, "Matt Ryan, he's not happy with this slow down by the officials [...] this administration is more than just where the ball is just spotted, it's ruining the momentum of the game and it's affecting the outcome, I believe. It might not look like it right now, but this is really to Denver's advantage, so they can get their breath." Despite the delay, Ryan and the Falcons punched in a touchdown with a throw to Roddy White two plays later.

After numerous delays, deliberations, phantom calls, misinterpretations, incorrect calls, and a general lack of authority, Monday Night Football clearly exhibited the ineptitude of the replacement officials on a grand stage — at one point they gave Denver five free yards with an incorrect spot of the ball. No one is blaming them for their effort, and it's not their fault that the NFL is unwilling to negotiate with the NFL Referees Association. But, clearly, these replacement officials are not getting the job done at an acceptable level. The integrity of the NFL is truly questionable right now. These replacement officials are Division II and III guys, they aren't even the top dogs from college football. How can the NFL allow such unqualified officials to call these games?

In fact, one replacement official had pictures of himself in Saints gear on his Facebook, yet he was scheduled to work Week 2's Saints vs Panthers game. It wasn't until ESPN reporter, Chris Mortensen, reported the official to the NFL that the official was pulled from the game. I guess background checks aren't standard procedure when it comes to NFL officiating.

To come full circle, let me explain my opening statement — scroll up and look at it again. Actually, I'll let a Hall of Fame quarterback, Steve Young, explain it. 

Following the Monday Night Football debacle, Young blasted the NFL with this statement, "Everything about the NFL now is inelastic for demand. There is nothing that they can do to hurt the demand for the game. So the bottom line is, they don't care. Player safety doesn't matter in this case. Bring in Division III officials, it doesn't matter. Because in the end, you're still gonna watch the game, we're gonna all complain and moan and gripe [...] doesn't matter." Young continued, "If it affected the desire of the game, they'd come up with a few million dollars."

Young is one of the brightest individuals in football, and his analysis is spot on. Supply and demand dictates this topic, and as long as people continue to tune in, the NFL will still make billions. Is anyone turning the game off due to the shoddy officiating? The cold truth is no. We're all watching. We're all talking about it. In fact, the officiating may be generating even more revenue due to increased interest.

In a subtle jab at the officials Young started his criticism with this statement, "I can say this because the league officials have gone to sleep." After poking at the longevity of the game, Young then swung for the knockout, and I'm glad he did. It's great to hear someone of Young's stature in the NFL call out the league for hypocrisy.

Remember how much Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, supposedly cared about player safety throughout these past couple years?

Remember all the rule changes regarding hits to the head, concussions, kick returns, etc?

Well those things don't matter anymore because the most qualified personnel to enforce those new safety measures aren't employed by Goodell anymore. It all comes down to money. Goodell didn't care about concussions until he realized that lawsuits were coming due to CTE (pushed to the forefront by player suicides). Prior to 2007, the NFL officially claimed that there were no links between concussions and cognitive decline. Now he's showing his true colors by employing scabs. Yes, scabs. NFL referees probably don't deserve pensions for working part-time, but hey, supply and demand. They are the best at what they do, and they are scarce, thus making them valuable. Goodell views the officials as commodities rather than necessities, and it comes at the expense of his players, his league, and the fans of his sport.

We're all dupes, but hey, I like football and so do you. The only way the officials will be back anytime soon is if massive viewership dips, causing a decline in revenue from licensing and ads, or if the officials cave in. The former is nearly impossible, and the latter is a stubborn process that is going to take time.

So get used to it, the replacement officials are terrible and there's nothing that can be done about it. Unless an all out brawl takes place on the field, these officials are here to stay.

Maybe someone needs to sign Ron Artest in order to end this mess.