If by “good day” you mean they gave the 49ers two extra challenges they were not entitled to.
*See also,* [Matt Schaub losing part of his ear on an illegal hit](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/matt-schaub-loses-piece-ear-illegal-hit-013507090–nfl.html)
The nightmare has ended. RedZone comes to Time Warner. Let me be the first to say “We’re going double box!”
> [T]he NFL has issued a warning to all 32 NFL teams insisting that the behavior seen from coaches such as Atlanta’s Mike Smith, Denver’s John Fox, and San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh will no longer be tolerated. Those coaches, who were reacting to ridiculous mishandlings of in-game situations by unqualified refs, have been told in no uncertain terms to cut it out.
That will make things better[^fn1].
[^fn1]: By “better,” I mean players will continue to push the limits until a brawl breaks out or someone gets seriously injured.
Even if he lost the bet, anyone who counts Boyz II Men in his or her favorite artists is good in my book.
> A three-member panel has overturned the suspensions handed down by the NFL in the bounty case, and all four suspended players — New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, defensive end Will Smith, Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, and at-large defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove — are free to play this NFL season. It is a crushing defeat for the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell.
> “Consistent with the panel’s decision, Commissioner Goodell will, as directed, make an expedited determination of the discipline imposed for violating the league’s pay-for-performance/bounty rule,” the NFL said in a statement. “Until that determination is made, the four players are reinstated and eligible to play starting this weekend.”
Things just got really interesting.
I decided to sign up for [NFL Audiopass](http://r.audiopass.nfl.com/a/clk/rZ6RR)[^aff] this year. Listening to so many baseball games via the MLB app has trained me to really enjoy listening to sports via the radio and I am looking forward to giving this a shot. Also, the NFL’s insane blackout restrictions sometimes prevent me from watching the game I actually want to watch. I think this is going to be a good alternative[^cheap].
[^aff]: Affliate Link
[^cheap]: And it’s hundreds of dollars cheaper than Sunday Ticket on DirecTV.
> [Shawne Merriman] will be remembered by many as a guy who had a couple of really good steroid-fueled years, and after getting busted, was never effective again.
I agree. I will not be sad if he is done for his career. I always viewed him as the poster child for the Chargers teams that talked a big game, came up small when it counted, and then whined that it was not their fault they lost. The NFL would be a little better without him.
I thought this was a given at this point? Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports is not impressed with how things are going:
> To be frank, [the NFL’s comments about the quality of officiating are] a load of crap. The NFL has an aggressive proposal on the table that is designed to recalibrate the leverage enjoyed by the NFL over the officials, and if it means that the integrity of the game is compromised, that’s just too bad, folks.
ESPN and NBC might as well just plan on dedicating 20 minutes of their recap shows to officiating mistakes.
Not good for the commissioner:
> From the start, Judge Berrigan sided with Vilma and noted that the steps taken by the NFL when gathering, processing, and using their information to mete out justice were specious at best. When Peter Ginsberg, Vilma’s attorney, said that Vilma was suspended for cart-off hits, and there was no specific proof of Vilma’s involvement. Judge Berrigan responded thusly: “I would like to rule in Vilma’s favor. I do think you [Vilma] exhausted your remedies.”
At this point, Commissioner Goodell needs to put forth the evidence that he feels shows Jonathan Vilma participated in the alleged bounty program. Personally, I would be fine with Goodell losing his grip on the disciplinary power. I think it is time for him to have to reign it in a bit.
> NFL teams can be fined or otherwise sanctioned if the league feels like it for taking after officials based on in-game situations, but it seems as if the league is just a bit more sensitive about the issue of public criticism of its officials while the actual refs are locked out in a labor dispute.
> To that end, the NFL has sent out a memo to all teams instructing them to avoid any public criticism of the replacement officials, who will work until a new collective bargaining agreement is struck between the NFL and the NFL Referees’ Association.
They cannot be any worse than the regular referees right?[^link]
[^link]: Please do not bring up this post when a bad call ends up costing the Patriots a game early in the year.
No big deal, they’re just *consuming* the playbook anyway.