NFL Instant Replay-Zebra Friend or Foe!

zeb

TALLAHASSEE, FL – “I’ve been wasting my time, I am losing my mind” as the song goes. Ironically these lyrics from the 1983 release “Tell Me What You Want” were from a band named Zebra and may have foreshadowed some troubled times ahead for the black & white.

Zebras again were front and center this past weekend in the NFL.  Many heads were scratched when it came to the still controversial use of Instant Replay on Sunday. Replay, as you’ll recall, is supposed to either confirm a good call or provide enough visual evidence to overturn an on-field ref’s ruling. My question is-WHAT exactly were these men in stripes looking at under that hood!  While there’s not enough time or word allotment to cover all of these long strange trips under the hood, I will touch on a few that were the best and worst examples, in my HUMBLE OPINION. And speaking of the zebras, why can’t they all be like this guy?…

The first was NOT a challenge of a call using instant replay, but rather one that allowed us to congratulate a crew for a “Call Well Done.”  With Florida State leading Notre Dame 31-27 in the final seconds of their extremely entertaining game Saturday evening, the Irish seemingly scored the winning TD with a pass to the corner of the end zone to Corey Robinson (son of Admiral David). The Zebras though, threw a flag. While millions of Golden Domers, past and present, were thinking it must have been a penalty on those dirty, criminal Seminoles, the call was against the “Good Guys” for offensive pass interference! Blasphemy! After the penalty,  Irish QB Everett Golson could not channel his inner Leprechaun once more and the result was a victory for FSU.

Sour Grapes Award –  This one goes to Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly.  

" Why did you make the RIGHT Call"
” Why did you make the RIGHT Call”

Clearly, 99.999 percent of the WORLD agreed that the Refs made the right call!  Coach Kelly, on the other hand saw Florida State blow the coverage and get rewarded for it!  Well, nobody can be totally sure who blew the coverage. But even though they do not teach illegal plays in South Bend, this was 100% the right call…

Now let’s go to the NFL and the weekend’s most BIZARRE NON-REVERSAL call with Replay. It’s the fourth quarter of the Seahawks-Rams game.  The Rams have pulled out every trick play that Jeff Fisher and Company can muster to hold a lead with just over a minute left. Running Back Tre Mason fumbles and after a Rugby like scrum,  Richard Sherman recovers the ball giving Seattle a chance to thwart the dream upset. WRONG!

The Zebras ruled that the ball was recovered by the Rams.  After a VERY CLEAR Replay showed otherwise, they upheld the call on the field that kept possession with St. Louis. …..WHAT?

While, everyone loves an UNDERDOG, this type of NON reversal makes you wonder if gambling is not running rampant among these REFS!  I would check this ref’s personal records to see if he owes too much to the man!

Chime In with your calls and reversals!

Now to my weekly NFC LEAST Update-

While the Eagles of Killadelphia had a bye week, the Redskins of the Beltway created a THREE WAY QB CONTROVERSY.  Colt McCoy was sent in for his (Kirk)Cousin(s) who was doing his best to make Skin fans miss RG3.

McCoy, looked like that Little Six Shooter from his old Texas days and led the team to a victory over a lousy Titans team. 

Can you get me into a video with you and Peyton?
Can you get me into a video with you and Peyton?
Stop this.....BIG BLEW!
Stop this…..BIG BLEW!

And surprise! The Cowboys continued their recent DOMINANCE over the BIG BLEW Wrecked Crew from the Swamp of Rutherford. It may have seemed close, but the Cowboys wore Gump and Company down with a very heavy dose of  DeMarco and Dez. 

Tune in tomorrow for Angry Ward!

P.s… Will Small Matt mans up and wears a ROMO Jersey for the rest of the week?

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About GrindingAx 135 Articles
"Grinding Ax" Walter Hynes (GAW) comes from the same Sports Royalty bloodlines as Short Matt... He's heaving hatchets off the heads of any deserving Sports Personalities... His favorite teams are the NY Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Dallas Cowboys, NY Jets and Manchester United... A suburban husband and father of two, Walter understands what it takes to be a second-guessing, sideline-heckling parent and coach.