Players and analysts alike seem to agree that the replacement refs are losing control of games.
Why? Pick a gripe: They're indecisive. They're blowing calls. They don't know the rules. They're swallowing their whistles. They're not very alert. Or, all of the above, said FOX analyst Mike Periera, the former head of NFL officiating.
"You can't expect replacements to know the intricacies of the NFL rule book in two weeks on the job. It takes years," Periera wrote on his blog for Fox Sports. "But it doesn't take long -- two weeks -- to see this is not working."
Sunday night, when a second pass interference penalty was called on Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor and the replay showed little if any contact with a New York Jets receiver, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin threw off his headset and appeared to be livid with the officials.
When asked in the postgame press conference about the officiating, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a one-word reply: "Next."
