Strange Days

I have watched football for over half of my life, and this is rapidly becoming the strangest NFL season. Ever. The fact that it is only Week 3 coming up makes me nervous.

OK.
First off, the number of flags flying at each game should not out-number the ones flying at the United Nations. Are this season’s referees having to pass required eye-exams? Are they being audited? New quotas?

What it looks like, from a fan’s point of view, is that one ref throws his flag, the others don’t want to look like they’re not paying attention, so they throw their flags. Then, they huddle together to decide just what the penalty is going to be, and who is going to get it. Has anyone else noticed this? Did they hire the ‘temp’ refs from last year? Remember those guys?

BTW – If you can help answer any of these questions – don’t be shy – write a comment and clue me in, would you?

I would like to know if it is ‘off-sides’ when a player turns his head.  Is it ‘encroachment’ when a player moves his feet to get better balance? AND, I REALLY  want to know if the ref’s actually believe the guy who jumps up and down, pointing, like a bratty sibling, trying to get the other team into trouble?  Seriously.

Then we hear about a new “rule” about “inappropriate language”.  ARE YOU  F@$%&*#!!  KIDDING ME?!?  Come on, NFL, have you never watched a game on TV?  Can’t you read lips?  EVERY player, coach, manager and water-boy curses about things gone wrong.  That means one team is cursing after every play. The FANS are probably using worse language than they are, should we expect flags to be thrown at us in the near future?

Even baby and toddler fans cuss during football!
You can’t read their lips, but I’m pretty sure when they remove their pacifiers to say something – it isn’t pretty.

And get this – the new ‘rule’ does not come with a “forbidden word list”. I believed Bob Costa when he told us the NFL’s take on this: “The ref’s ‘will know it when they hear it’ “, because that is too stupid to not be true.  Eventually a team will learn what is allowed and what is not by when they get penalized. How fun to play this little game, within a game?  Of course, the fans will never know what was actually said to get the penalty, and for some reason this makes me mad. I don’t care who says what to whom and that includes commentators. I want to watch the game. Can I just watch a game? Like in the ‘old days’ when you maybe see one re-play instead of  the same re-plays and commercials over and over until you miss the next play, by the way. But that is another rant for another day, because I’m still ranting about the game in Week 2.

For the record, I want to tell that referee (and you know who you are), that it was very un-cool to throw a flag at a Quarterback (for unsportsmanlike conduct: using ‘inappropriate language’), after he just threw an interception, and was getting harassed by the other team, and maybe some of his own teammates. What a humiliating slap in the face for Colin Kaepernick, and the 49ers, especially at their home-field.  You couldn’t let that word slide, just this one time?  You even seemed happy to nail Colin for something.  That is not impartial refereeing. I know that Jay Cutler said a few choice words during the first half of the game, and yet, you did nothing.

Jerk.

Well, I have had my say about that. Thank you for listening.

And, it isn’t only the referees making this season strange…

What’s up with The Oakland Raider’s, and THEN The San Diego Chargers, BEATING the Seattle Seahawks?  This is a happy, happy dance, development, of course, although it’s confusing as Hell. You can bet here will be many wagers on the 49ers December line up:

1. Seahawks
2. Raiders
3. Seahawks
4. Chargers

I’m not a betting kind of girl, but if I was, y’all know who my favorite would be. 😉
By December, we (the 49ers & their fans) should know what exactly causes flags to fly & what words not to say.  The rookie goofs and other issues will be all worked out by December.  I am confident Jim Harbaugh will shape and tighten things up, like he has in the past.

Colin, if you’re listening, your fans know that you are a superb athlete and quarterback, and no matter what the newspaper reporters or sportscasters say, WE LOVE YOU.  NO BUTS. NO EXCUSES.  We are NOT fair-weather fans, we are the Faithful.  Always.    🙂

I wonder if Coach Harbaugh will be foaming at the mouth more often, since he cannot curse. I only mention this because he is so damned fun to watch. Oh-No! Is damned a forbidden word?  No offense Coach, but it’s not like we can watch anything else, every camera on the field is focused on you. [ Maybe you can carry a handkerchief, and give us a wave sometime. Just sayin’.  We love you too!]

I have a feeling we will still be lip-reading this year. I have not gotten a yellow flag in my face yet, so “damned” may not be on the forbidden list. Either way…

GO NINERS!

J