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Not even Peyton Manning could save Monday Night Football from the replacement refs. 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M388.679,28.613c0,0.655-0.227,1.212-0.689,1.671c-0.453,0.459-1.014,0.689-1.668,0.689h-3.15V11.209h3.15 c0.654,0,1.215,0.229,1.668,0.687c0.463,0.462,0.689,1.019,0.689,1.674V28.613z"/> <path fill="#FFFFFF" d="M470.173,2.063v66.078c0,0.918-0.461,1.377-1.379,1.377h-8.75c-0.922,0-1.375-0.459-1.375-1.377V40.019 h-6.494v28.123c0,0.918-0.455,1.377-1.373,1.377h-8.752c-0.918,0-1.373-0.459-1.373-1.377V2.063c0-0.916,0.455-1.375,1.373-1.375 h8.752c0.918,0,1.373,0.459,1.373,1.375v26.449h6.494V2.063c0-0.916,0.453-1.375,1.375-1.375h8.75 C469.712,0.688,470.173,1.147,470.173,2.063z"/> </g> </g> </svg> <![endif]> </a> <div class="nav-wrap pull-left"> <dl id="latest-news" class="unstyled ticker clearfix"> <dt><em>Latest News: </em></dt> <dd><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920182019/http://beta.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/09/20/john-l-smith-bankruptcy/1581493/">Arkansas coach owes $25 million, court filings show</a></dd><dd><a 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data-sizes="{"mobile":200,"tablet":200,"desktop":200}" alt="Shaun Powell"/> <span class="author-data"> <div class="author-name">Shaun Powell</div> <span class="author-features"> <a class="author-world" href="/web/20120920182019/http://www.sportsonearth.com/writer/shaun_powell">More from Shaun</a> <span class="bar">|</span> <span class="social"> <a class="twitter social24px" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920182019/http://www.twitter.com/@Powell2daPeople">twitter</a> <a class="rss social24px" href="/web/20120920182019/http://www.sportsonearth.com/gen/hb/rss/shaun_powell.xml">rss</a> </span> </span> </span> </div> <div class="row-fluid content"> <article> <div class="article-actions bam-social"> <span class="date-stamp" data-date="Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:21:35 EDT">September 18, 2012</span> </div> <h2>Indisputable Evidence</h2> <span class="share"> <a class="soe-sprite email button" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920182019/mailto:/?subject=SportsonEarth.com: Indisputable%20Evidence&body=It doesn't take instant replay to figure it out: The lockout has gone on long enough. Not even Peyton Manning could save Monday Night Football from the replacement refs. Let the real refs feel the love.%0A%0Ahttp://www.sportsonearth.com/article/38600892%0A%0AVisit SportsOnEarth.com for the latest commentary from the best writers in Sports"> </a> <span class="twitter button"><a> </a></span> <span class="facebook"></span> </span> <figure class="lead-photo"> <img src="/web/20120920182019im_/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/38600892/" data-dimensions="false" data-cuts="[{"height":557,"width":835,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_hr1c2jej.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":538,"width":950,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_9ftyi8xk.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":348,"width":615,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_luyb95lm.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":150,"width":265,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_877ny39j.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":115,"width":205,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_oxanv80p.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":160,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_6316952o.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":247,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_sd6sk3f3.jpg"},{"height":778,"width":1400,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_8pw3pyi4.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":550,"width":990,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_2vn595dz.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":86,"width":115,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_94ubtg7j.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":135,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/peyton3x2_ukg8mayq.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":100,"width":200,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_uf18ipzp.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":72,"width":72,"src":"/assets/images/8/9/8/38600898/cuts/152252791_rto4ygju_9seiogcc.jpg"}]" data-sizes="{"mobile":480,"tablet":720,"desktop":950}"/> <figcaption>Even when Demaryius Thomas finally got the Broncos on the scoreboard Monday, the replacement refs needed extra time to get the call right. (Getty Images)</figcaption> </figure> <div class="article-margin"> <div class="article-text"> <p> ATLANTA -- Throughout their decades on the job, they’ve been the most reviled, spit-at and scorned creatures ever to wear pinstripes. Yes, even more than John Dillinger in jail and Derek Jeter in Boston. They are referees, and in our sports society they feel love about as often as porcupines feel hugs.</p> <p> But right now, after this weekend in the NFL, and particularly after a chaotic Monday night at the Georgia Dome, the real referees can’t pay for a meal in any restaurant, or get ticketed for driving above any speed limit, or leave a bar without getting winked at by every frisky blonde. Once lumped with personal-injury lawyers and loan sharks on the scum scale, they’re now somewhere above Yorkshire puppies in likeability. What we’re witnessing is the most abrupt turnaround in the history of the United States, if not of all mankind.</p> <p> Come back, refs, all is forgiven. Yes, the NFL desperately needs the full-timers, the guys who know the difference between a hold and a clip, who don’t scratch their heads and huddle up every time they blow their whistles.</p> <p> The replacement refs were bad on Sunday, then worse on Monday, when not even Peyton Manning could bail them out. At least Manning atoned for the sin of throwing three first-quarter interceptions by rallying the Broncos back from 20-zip and sending a fourth-quarter fright through the Dome. But when the horn sounded, three and a half long hours after kickoff, the Falcons were the only winners, 27-21, on an otherwise weary and worrisome night of football.</p> <p> As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tries to save a nickel for a financial Goliath that makes billions, the quality of the game is crumbling. Tempers are high and morale is low, and unless contract negotiations with the real refs take a drastic turn, next weekend will be more of the same. While the league is currently juggling a pair of crises, at least the bounty scandal torpedoed only one team. The referee stalemate is punishing players, coaches and fans across the league, as was very evident on Monday night, the weekly showpiece for the most popular game on the planet.</p> <p> What did we get? More replacements on furlough from Foot Locker. The first quarter lasted an hour thanks to far too many reviews and delays. The replacement refs missed a tipped ball. They botched a fumble recovery and gave it to the wrong team. They spotted the ball poorly. They originally waved off Demaryius Thomas’ tippy-toed touchdown catch. They were nearly devoured alive by Broncos coach John Fox on at least two occasions. Most of all, their mistakes led to a pair of scrums between the Broncos and Falcons. Oh, and no players were ejected. The game veered totally out of control.</p> <p> Through clenched teeth, Fox said: “In this league you’ve got to overcome a lot of things, and we don’t use officiating as an excuse.”</p> <p> These weren’t the same refs as last year, and for the first 20 minutes, it was not the same Manning from two years ago. Or even the Manning from last week. He was intercepted on the game’s third play, and again on his third pass. The game was nine minutes old when he threw another. Three in a quarter – that hadn’t happened since 2007. He didn’t throw any last week in a 253-yard, two-touchdown game against the Steelers, his first since missing all last season from multiple neck surgeries.<br/> <br/> “It was a disappointing start,” he said. “Anytime you throw three interceptions on the road you put your team in a hole, your defense in a hole. Every interception has its own story, but the quarterback signs the checks at the end of the day.”<br/> <br/> Some of his deep throws were wobbly, raising concern about his arm strength. But maybe it was just a bad quarter, and nothing more, by a player on a comeback. And there was a throwback glimpse or two from Manning as the night lurched toward Tuesday, his throws sharper, his determination firmer.<br/> <br/> “I never felt the game was over, at any time,” said Manning. “I felt that if we had gotten the ball back, we would’ve gotten the chance to score.”<br/> <br/> It was too late for Manning on Monday. Not so for the NFL and its negotiations with the regular refs.<br/> <br/> Maybe something breaks soon, for the sake of the game. You figure even Ed Hochuli must be tired of spending his days doing curls in the weight room. And the continued unemployment of the regular refs is a cause that’s unifying the country.<br/> <br/> “As players you’ve got to play through it, there’s really no choice,” said Stokley. “But it’ll be great when things get normal again.”<br/> <br/> The NFL needs them. However, put yourself in the pinstripes of the real refs. Do they really need the NFL? Sure, they’re missing a paycheck, but once a new contract is signed and they’re back on the job and dodging debris in Philly, they’ll know what they really missed: love and understanding.</p> </div> </div> </article> <div class="next-prev-articles"> <a class="prev-article" href="/web/20120920182019/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/38601084"> <div class="arrow"></div> <img src="/web/20120920182019im_/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/38600892/" width="75" height="75" data-cuts="[{"height":2393,"width":3462,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_he4q9sy4.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":538,"width":950,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_7rrfpbuu.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":348,"width":615,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_3j11ah28.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":150,"width":265,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_7ysenphh.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":115,"width":205,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_at9unnja.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":160,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_7jbcfdq8.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":247,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_p5wrz9n5.jpg"},{"height":778,"width":1400,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_koz6ixwp.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":550,"width":990,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_3a8kk2xw.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":86,"width":115,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_cmgo4czl.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":135,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_j7g1pb6l.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":100,"width":200,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_gb8zgwll.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":72,"width":72,"src":"/assets/images/4/9/6/38602496/cuts/AdamDunn_cc09aquj_cwo35uml.jpg"}]" data-sizes="{"mobile":75,"tablet":75,"desktop":75}"/> <div class="topic">Previous Article</div> <h2>Today at the Pennant Races</h2> <div class="blurb"> Staying up to date on the MLB playoff races can be a full-time job requiring daily attention. That's why we're here, to offer the latest news and observations, from an AL hitter whose style riles up fans, to an underappreciated pitcher in the NL. </div> </a> <a class="next-article" href="/web/20120920182019/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/38590252"> <div class="arrow"></div> <img src="/web/20120920182019im_/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/38600892/" width="75" height="75" data-cuts="[{"height":2736,"width":4020,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_o9vp1wsr.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":72,"width":72,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_ggwghg55.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":100,"width":200,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_091kb9v6.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":135,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/bettman3x2_xraah2co.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":86,"width":115,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_npmgc6je.jpg"},{"height":778,"width":1400,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_ilgdm5yl.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":550,"width":990,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_9af7uey6.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":247,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_0allz882.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":538,"width":950,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_zl8i6k3h.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":348,"width":615,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_1zgxh60y.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":150,"width":265,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_jq4c07qu.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":115,"width":205,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_ki50oe64.jpg"},{"at2x":true,"height":90,"width":160,"src":"/assets/images/0/7/2/38592072/cuts/151963379_v525frc5_jj3qk6lk.jpg"}]" data-sizes="{"mobile":75,"tablet":75,"desktop":75}"/> <div class="topic">Next Article</div> <h2>Gary, Let's Talk</h2> <div class="blurb"> Is it really that hard to solve the NHL's labor mess? </div> </a> </div> <div class="article-comments"> <div id="disqus_thread"></div> </div> </div> </section> <footer class="footer"> <div class="footer-inner"> <div class="container"> <div class="pull-left"> <ul class="logos"> <li class="soe"><img src="/web/20120920182019im_/http://www.sportsonearth.com/assets/images/soe-logo.png"></li> <li class="mlbam">MLB.com</li> <li class="uts">USA Today Sports</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both"></div> <p class="copyright">© 2012 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. and USA TODAY Sports. 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