What are you talking about? They're highly trained, there's just limitations on any human evaluations - case in point, baseball. Besides, it's not like they're hiring people off the street, the officials are generally upstanding professionals in their respective fields who have years of experience in the preseason, college, high school, etc.
Friggin' Warner is a machine - he had more TDs (5) than incompletions (4). Anybody that thinks this guy isn't a hall of famer is on crack. Top 3 Superbowl Passing performances, by Yardage: 1) Kurt Warner 2) Kurt Warner 3) Kurt Warner Haven't paid much attention to the season, but really looking forward to the playoffs. There isn't a feeling of inevitability this year - there's several excellent teams and I think you could make a case for just about anyone still in it.
No, they're not. That's the point. They're remarkably poorly trained given the wealth and stature of the NFL. They're part time hires, making an average of $27,000/yr. They aren't meaningfully evaluated. They don't work game situations except for actual games, and games are much fewer in the NFL than in other professional sports. Experience in the college ranks also is on a part time basis and given the differences in rules, the centrality of the speed of play to how officials call a game, and the difference in speed between the college and professional games, college officiating experience is barely useful at all in evaluating new NFL hires. NFL officials are extremely poorly trained and extremely incompetent in comparison to other professional sports' on-field officials. They need to be working scrimmages during the season and training camp, and they need to be working intensely with video review year round. That means paying them $150,000/yr to be full time hires.
I wonder what the line on a prop bet that Romo leaves the game with a concussion during the second half is right about now. The Dallas pass protection in the first half was Special Olympics special.
Four drives into Vikings territory and the Boys only have three points? What a great way to end the season guys!
As a Jets fan, the early game today gave me flashbacks to Ken O'Brien flat on his back. While quarterbacks can be sacked more often than Romo was today, I don't know that the protection could be any worse. By the end of the game Romo was playing as scared as any quarterback ever does. Also as a Jets fan, the late game caused no flashbacks at all, because that kinda win just doesn't happen for the Jets, at least not since Super Bowl III which was before my time. Next week: Jets 16, Colts 7.
I think it would be sweet irony if the Jets beat the Colts. If the Colts don't sit their starters in that game a few weeks ago, the Jets aren't even in the playoffs. Now, they have a chance to knock the Colts out of them.
And you just know they will be questioned on that decision to bench Manning during that regular season game forever..... I predict however that the Colts will pull it out. Oh and Dallas will be looking for a new coach as well.
Okay. Saw this "commentary" on the Jets win over San Diego, and I just had to laugh a little: Of course my laughing at that dooms the Jets to lose next week . . .
I'm not going to be surprised either way the AFC Conference game goes. The Colts are a good team and Manning is one of the best QBs in the history of the game. The Jets, on the other hand, are playing very good football, have a killer defense, Sanchez seems to have pulled out of his rookie mid-season slump, and the team is highly motivated.
I certainly won't be surprised either way. Much like last week I'd peg the Jets at having about a 40% chance to win, maybe a little less this week. The matchup issues are similar to last week--in particular the Colts have a great quarterback and enough quality receivers that they'll be able to find favorable matchups with the Jets' secondary. Indy has a slightly better defense and a slightly better running game than San Diego--San Diego was really horrific running the ball this year, as Sproles is only useful as a pass catcher and LT has hit a brick wall--but not so much better or different in quality that it makes a big difference in matchups or the Jets chance to win.
So far, so good . . . edit: Ouch! Me and my dumb posts . . . at least they're still ahead . . . edit: The Jets' defense has just disappeared . . . edit: Sigh. Who'd have thought the Jets would have a great day passing the ball but would lose because they couldn't run, play defense, or kick straight? I do feel good about the Jets' future. Their core is young and very good. Of course, as a Jets fan I'm pretty certain they'll peek in 2011, when they'll be the best team in the league in a year where the season gets canceled . . .
I wonder how long it'll be until Favre retires again so he can take the off-season and training camp off. Of course, at 40+ it seems to be working pretty darned well for him.
Yeah, my guess is the Vikings brass tell him to take training camp off and let them know right before preseason if he wants to play. He was quite simply the difference in the Vikings being a very good team and an elite team. Any team that has a fighting chance to get to the SB after 5 turnovers is one hell of a team. If he comes back they'll be among the favorites. I'm hearing a lot of folks say that the Colts are a lock but I don't think so. Quite frankly the Vikings are a much better team than the Jets. Yes, the Jets had the #1 defense. And the Vikings had the #2 (and they were #1 the three years before that). Those two defenses are almost exactly the same - dominant. The difference comes in the passing game. Sanchez will be a good one, but he's a rookie. Favre is a HoF having one of his best seasons. The Vikings WRs are better. And while Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones are very good, Adrian Petersen and Chester Taylor are awesome. I think the SB will go down to the wire and it's anyone's ball game. About the only reason it wouldn't go down that way is injuries.
^ Not only Sanchez. The head coach was a rookie too. They made it all the way to the conference championship and didn't hand the Colts an easy victory; they made them work for it. That's pretty good. [/NuScotty ] Schottenheimer turned down a move to another team. It sounds like the Jets are now a place where players, coaches, and staff want to be.
