I guess it's the football equivalent of saying 'thoughts and prayers' because in the end, it's kind of meaningless.  

As long as it was obvious to all of America watching the game Monday night in which the Lions fell victim to a series of horrendous calls late in their loss to the Packers, the NFL decided to admit a flag should not have been thrown on at least one play.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said at the league’s Fall Meeting in Florida yesterday that the second illegal use of the hands penalty against Lions defensive end Trey Flowers in the fourth quarter was “not something that you want to see called.”Vincent added he’ll reach out to the team’s front office about it.

Yeah, I guess that’s better than just sending a text that says “oopsie” with a frownie face.

But Detroit fans—and NFL fans—everywhere else are frownie facing. The two calls and one no-call that went against Detroit in the fourth quarter were egregious, and the Lions could have won the game without them.

And while missed calls are a part of every NFL game, poor officiating is becoming a part of it that is just unacceptable.

Obviously, the last thing the NFL wants is for the officiating to be the topic of discussion on a night when Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to a thrilling win over a division rival. We’ve already seen several prominent current and former players speak out about it, but this is exactly what it will take for the league to address it.

It’s time to start talking about the refs like we do the players on the field. If they are going to be this much a part of the outcome, let’s start suspending them for terrible plays. It is the best type of reinforcement.

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