They’re Back! Yes, the NFL Officials agreed in principle with the NFL’s latest proposal Wednesday evening, and will work the Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens Thursday night. All 120 plus officials will meet on Friday in Dallas, Texas to ratify the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) between the NFLRA and the NFL. The refs will take their physicals, attend several meetings, receive their uniforms and fly to their game day cities early Saturday. These men may be rusty, not in game shape and will make some mistakes, but they will make corrections, bring stability and integrity back to the game we all love and they know the rules.
This is a big relief not only for the players, coaches or fans but for the integrity of the game. The Monday night debacle in Seattle was embarrassing to say the least. I’ve been a fan of the NFL for 45 years, watching games with my father and uncles since the age of eight. I worked at the club level (Carolina and St. Louis) for 15 years achieving several personal and professional goals which helped my family financially and gave me some life long memories. Despite now working on the other side of the fence, I will always love the game and have the utmost respect for the shield and what it stands for. The last three weeks were very hard to swallow watching the replacement officials degrade the integrity of the game and tarnish the shield.
I called last weekend’s NFL games whacky! With multiple overtime games and others with several point swings and last minute wins, I had the worst win/loss record on my picks in three years, let’s take a look at week 4.
Softli’s Week 4 Picks
Seattle @ St. Louis = Seahawks
Cleveland @ Baltimore = Ravens
Minnesota @ Detroit = Lions
Tennessee @ Houston = Texans
New England @ Buffalo = Patriots
San Diego @ Kansas City = Chargers
Carolina @ Atlanta = Falcons
San Francisco @ NYJ = 49ers
Oakland @ Denver = Broncos
Cincinnati @ Jacksonville = Bengals
Miami @ Arizona = Cardinals
Washington @ Tampa Bay = Buccaneers
New Orleans @ Green Bay = Packers
NYG @ Philadelphia = Giants
Chicago @ Dallas = Cowboys
I’m calling this rebound weekend! It was rough going 7-9 in week 3, this is not my style but that’s the unpredictable NFL. Remember, I’m not a professional odds maker. Please, please don’t bet the farm or mortgage the house on the above information (even though I’m 29-19 after Week 3).
