Open season on the zebras once again
When I was a young teen in the l ate ’ 70s, Sports Illustrated ran a cover story on all the open hostility being expressed around the NFL against game officials.
The issue’s publication date: Oct. 9, 1978.
“We were robbed! The game was stolen from us. The officials are like God,” Cleveland Browns safety Thom Darden was quoted as snarling, after a clear- cut Pittsburgh fumble recovered by the Browns was nullified by an official who’d mistakenly blown his whistle early. “They have the power to give and take away. They decided this time to take away.”
SI’s memorable front-cover headline for that piece: “It’s open season on the Zebras.” It is again. Chirping, griping, whining, whinging and bellyaching, call it what you will. But the screams seemed louder than ever on Sunday, emanating from all corners of America, and even from across the Atlantic in jolly old England.
That’s where Washington Redskins CB Josh Norman went off at his news conference, after being flagged five times ( four for illegal hands to the face) in a 27- 27 tie against Cincinnati.
“Who is 88?” Norman asked reporters. Seriously, he wanted to know the name of the official wearing No. 88. Answer: third- year field judge Brad Freeman.
“He sucked. I’m just going to be honest with you. I’m going to be straightforward. He was terrible. I feel like he should be reprimanded.”
Back in America, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll and his Seahawks were livid that their side was penalized 11 times for 76 yards in a 25-20 loss at New Orleans, when the host Saints were flagged just twice for 10 yards. Two of Seattle’s penalties nullified first downs.
New Orleans entered the games as one of the most penalized t eams in t he league, Carroll pointed out, “so we thought that might match up for us, and that might not be a deciding factor in the game. But the (disparity) thing, that’s pretty far out of whack.”
In what must have been a barely watchable flag-fest on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders were penalized an NFL- record 23 times for 200 yards, yet still won 30-24 in overtime at Tampa Bay.
If the zebras are going to throw more flags to the point they’re pulling out their shoulders, how about letting some of the lesser stuff go, and doing more to protect star players such as Cam Newton?
HERO: Nick Foles, QB, Chiefs. The Eagles’ and Rams’ discard jumped off the bench, after Alex Smith was concussed, and threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns over the last three quarters to help the Chiefs blow out the Colts in Indy, and thereby keep pace with the victorious Broncos and Raiders in the tough AFC West.
ZERO: Jacksonville Jaguars. If you missed their no-show last Thursday in the blowout loss at Tennessee, consider yourself fortunate. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an NFL defence quit like that on some of the Titans’ later scoring drives, specifically in their phantom, feeble “attempts” to tackle Titans ball carriers. The Jags subsequently fired offensive co-ordinator Greg Olson, replacing him with QBs coach Nate Hackett. A huge house cleaning in Jacksonville could be coming.
STOCK UP: Oakland Raiders. Their defence remains poor at best, but Jack Del Rio’s team has established itself as a dangerous, bona-fide playoff contender. Back- to- back road victories in Florida ( albeit against the Jags and Bucs) have raised the Raiders’ record to 6-2, with five of those wins on the road.
STOCK DOWN: Bills defence. In the past two weeks this unit has proved embarrassingly futile at stopping first the run ( Miami’s Jay Ajayi ran for 212 yards a week ago) then the pass ( New England’s Tom Brady on Sunday shredded the Bills for 315 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in three and a half quarters).