1. There were numerous bad calls both ways on Monday Night Football.  The most egregious error came on the final play, but there were all kinds of officiating miscues throughout the game, and the fourth quarter in particular.

Let’s not forget the bad pass interference call on Kam Chancellor that kept the Packers lone touchdown drive of the game alive – they’d have been forced to punt otherwise, trailing by one, midway through the fourth quarter.

And there’s no possible way you can convince me that later in that same drive, Aaron Rodgers third down run that was ruled short of the first down marker should have been overturned to give the Packers the first down, instead of forcing a field goal attempt.


2. From a betting perspective, Green Bay was not the ‘right side’.  Neither was Seattle.  It was a classic NFL ‘coin-flip’ type game; one of many each week.  Yes, Packers bettors got the wrong end of a truly ‘tough’ beat.

But a ‘bad beat’?  Not in this game, I’m afraid.  Bad beats are reserved for when ‘right sides’ lose at the end.

Green Bay scored 12 points; getting only one offensive touchdown all game.  How much would you have bet against the Packers prior to kickoff if you knew they would finish the game with 12 points?  Seattle played stout defense and ended up with a pair of big play touchdowns.  That’s what wins games in the NFL!

3. The regular refs suck too!  How many controversial decisions have we seen in the NFL in modern history?  Hundreds?  Thousands?  And its not just the famous, spread changing ones like the Tuck Rule game in New England or the Polamalu touchdown/no touchdown on the last play of the Steelers-Chargers game in November 2008 either.

If we weren’t bitching about the replacement refs, we’d be bitching about the regular refs…..exactly what we’re likely to do as soon as this lockout gets resolved.

I know I’m jaded, living through 15 years of controversial calls since I moved to Las Vegas to bet on sports professionally back in 1998. And numerous calls on Monday Night certainly merit some controversy.

Frankly, this is nothing new, unusual or different in the slightest.  Bettors should expect and be prepared for controversial whistles and flags from the zebras – it happens in every sport, every week.