Replacement refs being blamed for the pacing of games

[concise]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/s...es-sputters.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=sports

Football is seemingly made for TV and, as one network executive joked, when was the last time someone complained about a football game lasting too long? It never comes up.

Spoiler

Until now. As the N.F.L. continues to use replacement officials during its labor dispute with the regular ones, concerns about the effect of the fill-ins are spreading beyond botched calls. With two weeks of sluggish, stunted and stilted games played, a question that strikes at the core of the league’s appeal is being raised: Are the replacement officials diminishing the entertainment value of the games?
...

Defenders of the replacement officials correctly point out that long, sloppy games are played sporadically every season. But as the replacements struggle with the administrative issues related to their jobs, the slowdown has been universal. According to Matt Pomery of NFL Network Research, the average game time in Week 2 was 3 hours 14 minutes, tied for the third-longest average game time in a week over the last 20 seasons.

 

[phillycavsfan]

On Monday night, halftime was around 10:30 ET. That's unacceptable.

 

[mastermind]

On Monday night, halftime was around 10:30 ET. That's unacceptable.

I came home late that night, and went to watch the game.

I could have sworn it was the end of the 3rd quarter or something. I saw the players heading off the field for HALFTIME, I was like.

 

[Jerz-2]

The entire replacement ref situation is unacceptable.

These motherfukkers are terrible in every way and it doesn't make sense to defend them simply because you're trying to save face.

The extra-curricular activities that are going on after the whistle, that shyt can't fly. Yeah, it's wild to watch them fight, but the game honestly doesn't need that shyt. Plus, if it's a scrum after every play, then yeah, the damn games gon' be 4 hours long.

These nikkas have no control of the game and, more specifically, no RESPECT from the players or the coaches. Too many times over the last two weeks I've seen a ref throw a flag because a player or that team's bench TOLD him to....it's disgusting.

 

[concise]

I was shocked when I came home Monday at about 11:30, wondering who won only to discover there was still a good chunk of time of left.

at today's stuff already