Did Packers players and fans just save the NFL season?

The protests after Monday's farce of a game have been outstanding. Aaron Rodgers and TJ Lang, and others, have pointed out, with specific details, the failures of the amateur refs and the NFL "leadership" (cough). Packer fans flooded Goodell's office with phone calls. And now - despite the NFL's claims that the timing of the end of the lockout is pure coincidence - we have the real refs back. Thanks to my fellow Cheeseheads and especially our courageous players - we just took one for the whole damned league.

The season, being still early on, is IMO ruined. There have been to many games that have been changed due to obvious bad calls. Nobody saved the season. The season SHOULD NEVER HAVE STARTED. Almost like a player lockout, the season should have been delayed until disputes settled. A 3 week delay would not have killed anyone. But....no, the greedy a$$ NFL just had to start making their 10 billion per year.

This idea that the NFL was being greedy and the NFLRA wasn't is complete BULL$HIT. Also, if you think we would have only missed the first 3 weeks of the season, you're extremely naive. If anything, the call the other night hastened BOTH sides to get it done. You do realize that the NFLRA hadn't adjusted their position one iota since mid August until last night, right? Without that call and the season on hold, the NFLRA would still be refusing to negotiate and we might not have had a season AT ALL. The season is NOT ruined. That's possibly the dumbest thing I've read on here, and that's saying something.

If the NFL would have taken this suggestion, ALL the power in the dispute would have been held by the NFLRA: There would have been no reason for the refs to agree to a single concession. That would have been an insane action by the league. The average compensation of a ref increased from $149K/year to over $200K/year - did the NFLPA display "greed" in the negotiations?

The season is not ruined. Although there were a lot more-than-usual bad calls, how many game outcomes were affected by the incompetent refs? I don't know but I don't think anyone would argue more than 25% of the games were "turned" by the incompetent refs. After three games, three teams are undefeated and two teams are winless. Can the Saints or the Browns claim they're 0-3 because of the incompetent refs? I don’t think so and the other 27 teams are 2-1 or 1-2. Every team has their fate in their hands at this point. Look at the Packers. The Bears and Vikings are 2-1 and the Packers and Lions are 1-2. The Packers already beat the Bears once and they play the Vikings and Lions twice. Win all those games and the Packers likely win the division. Being cheated out of one win may affect home field advantage but look at the league over the past couple of years - how important is that?

80% of the season lies ahead. No team, not even the Packers, can use the incompetent refs as an excuse.

I woud offer my 2 cents but I am hypnotized by GreenBloods sig pic...

I agree with the above 2 posts. One of the professional refs who was in the negotiations said Monday's farce did move things forward. Goodell denied this, saying "we have been in negotiations for 10 days" and that Monday meant nothing. The season is not ruined - though I understand the feelings of people who feel that way. Goodell went out of his way today to mock the Packers and fans again - "oh yeah, we understand - that's the game." No Roger, it's the WWE like atmosphere you deliberately created to try to break the referee's Union. Just say so. And thank Packers fans for moving this mess forward, despite your scorn.

Longtimefan -

See this link. Scott Green is a longtime NFL official.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81760.html?hp=l2

With apologies to Jay Glazer for parroting Goodell's PR line!

What I find particularly irksome about the way this has transpired from a Green Bay perspective is that we didn't even have an owner leaning on Goodell not to give in to the NFLRA. Glad the hammer stroke could fall on our Packers Monday night in order to get these two sides moving...

You know, honestly I think that there is something to be said in the link above.
I'm thinking that the political movers and shakers weighing in had at least something to do with a settlement being reached so quickly after Monday's debacle. There is nothing the NFL cherishes more than their Federal Anti-Trust exemption.

It is a little coincidental that the refs are back within 48 hours of the Packers/Seahawks tragedy.

Or was the season saved at the expense of the Packers?

If you truely have been a fan for 40+ years like you claim, the ethics of the packers HAS NOT worn off on you. Your name calling points out just how childish YOU are. You attitiude of "my way or the highway" when disputing a topic is just narrow minded. You sir, are a real class act indeed. You need to grow the F*CK UP, Mr. one way street.

I don't think the same mouthpiece that came out and said the call at the end of the game was correct to say the blown play influenced the settlement. Of course it did!! Within 48 hours, after weeks of negoitiations, the NFl caved in on practically every demand the referees sought initially.