It's not in the Cards! It's not in the stars either.
The problem, dear Brutus, is in the "replacement" refs.
Yes, a half dozen upsets in a week's schedule should indicate that something is afoot-and it isn't the game, Watson.
Read'em and weep.
The college of Arizona Cardinals took a vote and decided a missed field goal is no worse than a holding call on the 20-yard line, canceling a touchdown by the Patriots.
For millions of sports fans that were looking forward to escaping the error-plagued, scandal-ridden Red Sox with their daily controversies, the loss in the Patriots' home opener has sent hope down the tubes.
Victory is riding the A-bomb like a drunken cowboy on a bucking Gronk. The end is not pretty.
The Cardinals were dealt a hand that might have done in a lesser team. They were on the verge (for a few seconds) of taking a long plane ride back to the desert that would have felt longer than the time Moses spent in the Sinai.
Fortune turned on a shank. It's called bad play calling, not by coaches, but by the men in stripes.
NFL bigwigs, we have a problem: and it is not just for Houston.
Much to the chagrin of the striking and stricken referees in the NFL, most of the game management is routine-and not so bad. However, in the final minutes, they are blowing the whistles and blowing the games.
We don't expect much resolution until a majority of owners look awestruck and nauseated like the high and mighty Bob Kraft in his owner's box. The man who saved last year's season seemed shell-shocked by Week Two game's ending.
Will there be more games like this? We can expect two things to happen-and soon. The regular referees will be back in a fortnight, and the Patriots will pay whatever it takes to protect the life of Tom Brady.
