Such, was painfully the case, Sunday evening at Lincoln financial field, as the Eagles outlasted the Colts in a 26-24 heart stopper. Michael Vick, in his return, threw for 218 yards and a touchdown, while also using his legs to rush for 74 yards and yet another score. Receiver Desean Jackson, also in a much anticipated return from injury, torched the Colts defense for 109 yards receiving on 7 catches, while also finding the endzone once. All while the Eagle defense admirably slowed an injury riddled Colt's offense, on the shoulders of cornerback Asante Samuel, who intercepted Peyton Manning twice.
But as any spectator would tell you, this game was never permitted to progress in its natural flow. Commissioner Goodell's Gestapo officials swayed game momentum and guaranteed the score of the game to be much closer than it should have been. What made matters worse is that each questionable call either removed points from the board or worked to sustain a Colts drive that had faltered.
The first half presented one of my favorite football official blunders , the blown instant replay call. A Manning to Wayne pass, which was clearly trapped to the ground, was ruled a catch on the field. A subsequent replay review served no justice in overturning the call, and propelled the Colts to a key scoring drive.
But this was only step one in the plethora of official follies. The NFL movement toward flag football was, once again, on full disgusting display. Another Colts drive should have been stopped to a halt as receiver Austin Collie was sandwiched in a clean, legal pop by Eagle safeties Kurt Coleman and Quintin Mikell. But Collie remained motionless, invoking a fear driven flag, thrown on the basis of the new defenseless receiver rule. Once again, this preserved an Indianapolis drive that resulted in 7 points.
The parade of inadequacy continued as a Michael Vick to Brent Celek touchdown score was negated by a holding call. And at the risk of becoming redundant, the list goes on and on with a crew of officials who seemed destined to determine the outcome of this football game. But the crown jewel of needless intervention occurred late in the 4th quarter on the second to last Colts drive. Eagles defensive end Trent Cole swatted the football from an unsuspecting Manning causing a fumble that should have put the contest on ice. But the slippery yellow flag reared its ugly head again, as game officials deemed a sliding hand to Manning's head, to be worthy of a personal foul. Once again, the Colts scored after the mishap, closing the gap to two points with mere minutes to play.
Thankfully, for the safety of my home and television set, the Birds were able to withstand a final drive by Manning, and prevail. But that should not excuse the atrocious officiating nor the ever expanding rule set, that threatens to destroy pro football as we know it. I'm not asking to sacrifice the health or safety of the present league participants. I'm just saying, in dramatic fashion, that league officials should be permitted to use some discretion and common sense, while managing the game.
NFL football is defined by intensity and violent physical contact. Players sign enormous contracts with this risk in mind and fans continue to spend their hard earned money to witness it in its purest form. To continually tamper with this premise creates an unwelcome farce and will ultimately destroy the allure and tradition of the game
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