Kill the refs!
I am speaking emotionally and not literally, of course. It's our visceral reaction when, on any given Sunday, the NFL's hall monitors act like the blind referee in a professional wrestling match.
Everybody sees the hair pull or the eye gouge except them.
Fans want to throw their clicker at the TV screen. Players vent and in some cases request a sitdown with Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton did just that, after he was mauled, beaten and battered during some games this season, and mostly got a "nothing to see here" response from the zebras.
It's a jungle out there, kids. Watch your back because the folks who are supposed to be mediating the madness are having occasional meltdowns.
Just ask Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan, who saw refs botch an obvious roughing-the-kicker penalty on Richard Sherman during a field-goal attempt right before the half during the Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Then the refs doubled down on the buffoonery by taking their time placing the ball in play for another field-goal try after Sherman was flagged for being offsides (but not unnecessary roughness).
The Bills then were called for a delay of game as kicker Dan Carpenter made the field-goal attempt. Carpenter then missed the next field-goal try after the Bills were pushed 5 yards back on a penalty that wasn't their fault.
And to put a nice cherry topping on the Keystone Cops evening, the Bills lost by six _ but could have sent the game into overtime had they only been down three _ since they had driven deep into Seattle territory at the end of the game.
"Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous," Ryan said.
Amen, brother.
As long as we are preaching here, can I get a "hallelujah" and an "amen" for a simple fix: Let's stop with the part-time nonsense and give NFL refs full-time jobs.
It's inexcusable that the world's richest sports league _ the NFL took in $12 billion in revenue in 2015 _ turns into a coupon-clipping cheapskate when it comes to hiring referees.
Refs do this as a sideline gig, literally. But wouldn't it make sense to hire these folks on a full-time basis, provide continuing education in terms of how to do their jobs more efficiently and eliminate some of the unnecessary chaos?
"The system currently hasn't improved," New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton told NBC Sports earlier this month. "We say it has, but it hasn't. We're the only league with officials who have primary other jobs, which is really madness. We can pay these guys."
Exactly. There is no 100 percent fail-proof system. Even with replay, human error can come into play. But just like players and coaches, refs need practice to hone their craft. No one needs to be selling insurance Monday through Friday.
As it stands, refs make good money. The average NFL referee salary was $173,000 in 2013, and it is set to rise to $201,000 by 2019.
Other professional leagues _ including the NBA, NHL and MLB _ have full-time officials, but there are different dynamics with multiple games played every week.
Still, the NFL remains the biggest kid on the block, and it makes perfect sense to pay officials more money and keep them on full time, even with a nice break during the offseason.
"They should be working throughout the week, communicating," Payton said. "Every other sports league employs full-time officials. And ours, these guys all have other significant jobs. I just think it's very difficult to do."
Of course, the NFL could keep the status quo. How's that working out? The NFL fined Sherman a reported $9,000 for the illegal hit that wasn't Monday night.
I suppose everybody can keep screaming at their TVs as the buffoonery continues. I suggest buying earmuffs for any little ones who happen to be in the living room while Daddy goes berserk.
