The NFL has come forward and admitted to Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks that referee Larry Nemmers may have made mistakes in that Seahawks-Giants game. It seems that Jeremy Shockey’s 2nd quarter TD, in which he was knocked loopy as his second foot was coming down, and Amani Toomer’s 4th quarter back-of-the-end-zone grab may not have been completed passes after all.
Check the game book. The back judge on Nemmers’ officiating crew was — I kid you not — Phil Luckett.
You remember Phil Luckett, right? He was the former referee who, back on that fateful Thanksgiving Day in 1998, couldn’t make heads or tails of what Jerome Bettis was saying. The NFL had to rewrite its coin flip procedure because Phil Luckett couldn’t get it right. He’s been busted down to back judge since then, and he hasn’t gotten any less controversial.
So of course, it’s just coincidence that Luckett’s mere presence resulted in not one, but two highly questionable touchdown calls in the same game, calls that resulted in a 21-21 tie, which was the prelude Jay Feely’s monster choke job. If Shockey’s TD is overturned — and admittedly, the Fox cameramen did an equally crappy job capturing Shockey’s feet on that catch — Feely kicks a 25-yard gimme, the score is 7-6, Seahawks, instead of 10-7, Giants, and the game is completely different and much less controversial after that.
Try to imagine what Feely might be thinking after hearing this. If not for Luckett’s general incompetence, Feely never would have had the opportunity to attempt (and miss) three long game-winning field goals.
Seriously, how does that travesty keep a job as an NFL official? Shouldn’t he be banished to AF2 or the United Indoor Football League or something?