referees
COLUMN: 'New' refs are superstars after new deal
|Referees have always been sport’s whipping boys—the scapegoat one minute and virtually nonexistent the next. However, Thursday night in Baltimore in a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens, the referees were treated like royalty. Like Mick Jagger and the Stones running out onto a stadium stage, Gene Staratore and crew were welcomed to thousands of cheers and applause at M&T Bank Stadium.
COLUMN: NFL, not replacement referees to blame for poor officiating
|The first two weeks of the NFL season have come and gone. There are new faces in new places, swapping old digs for new Nike-sponsored jerseys. But not only have there been player swaps but referee swaps as well.