Kill the Kickers

You know, I think I jinxed us this week. Late last week, I had an email exchange with our reader "Anonymous Pats Fan" about how kickers should be removed from the game. There was an article on ESPN.Com talking about it, and we had a friend in college who was a football fanatic (I mean, REALLY crazy.. Like he'd draw up plays in his notebook during class…) who always said how much he hated kickers.. Well, kickers got their revenge on me yesterday…

Here's what I wrote on Friday:
"Seriously though, would anybody MISS kickers? How much more important would 2-point conversions be? And, just to keep the traditional look of football fields with the goal posts... How about instead of kicking the ball through, the QB could throw it through? Hell, teams might invest a roster spot for strong armed QBs to heave 60 yarders pretty often. Even kickoffs could be replaced with thrown balls!"

Josh Brown, kicker for the Seattle Seahawks, missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired yesterday that would have given Seattle a HUGE road win in a game they came back in. *Doink!* Off the left upright. It was the second kick he missed from exactly 47 on the day. The first one he missed wide right.

So I feel even more violently in favor of eliminating kickers today than I did last week. A kicker cost us the game yesterday. We're now 2-2 instead of 3-1 right now because of a kicker. And, who knows, that could come back to haunt us come playoff time. A kicker may have cost us a playoff spot or home field advantage. A fucking kicker.

Oh, and the refs didn't help matters. On 3rd and 10 from the Seattle 33, Brunell threw a pass down the middle of the field. Safety Michael Boulware and receiver Santana Moss both went up for the ball at exactly the same time. Boulware was a little behind and to the side of Moss, but reached his hands through Moss' hands, and knocked the ball away. Penalty flag. Boulware and the Seahawks could not believe the call. Even some of the other refs seemed to be trying to talk the flag-thrower out of the call, as they huddled for several seconds before announcing it. But it was too late. Pass interference. 30+ yard penalty. First down. Redkins score a big touchdown a couple plays later.

Replays clearly showed it was an awful call. Not even "questionable", just awful. Even the announcers (who were clearly Skins fans.. I think I even heard one go "Yes!" under his breath when Brown missed the kick) admitted it was a bad call. Many Skins fans posting on message boards admitted it was a bad call (though there are always a handful of childish fans who won't admit anything that might take away from a win). On NFL Primetime, they actually showed the play (and a replay of it) as part of the brief highlights of the game, and said it was a bad call. The refs screw us. Again.

And apparently, Detroit got screwed even worse. A game-winning touchdown pass by Joey "Come On I Need A Win Before The Lions Fans Lynch Me" Harrington was reversed after instant replay review. It was called a touchdown on the field when the receiver seemingly dragged his knee in bounds in the end zone while catching the ball. Apparently the replay confirmed the call on the field. But, somehow, some way, the referee saw it otherwise. He said the receiver did not have possession in bounds. Call reversed, Lions lose.

I expect the NFL to issue an apology or two today for the bad calls yesterday. But an apology does not turn that loss into a win.
Still, despite the refs sucking, we still had a chance to win that game. But a fucking kicker lost it.