TWEEKED! The Best NFL Replacement Refs Tweets

It’s been a wild, frustrating, and infuriating week for most football fans, but finally there’s some news we can all be happy about – the NFL replacement refs are dead!

Yes, it’s true. Well…not literally “dead”, but more like “dead to us”, as in the same thing parents would say to their daughter who decided to become a stripper.

What happened to the replacement refs?

Now the scab refs can go back to doing what they do best, which is being nowhere near an NFL field. I imagine most of them will go back to planning their next biology lesson, putting in extra hours at Foot Locker, or begging for their jobs back in the Lingerie League. For the lucky ones that are still allowed near a football field, it means returning to their old part-time job officiating Arena League NCAA Junior College high school flag football games because gosh-dang-it someone has to make those important calls, right!

Yes, Dog can referee!

The incompetence of the NFL replacement refs led to – as El Guapo would say – a plethora of mistakes: from giving out extra timeouts, yards and challenges, to phantom penalties, to no-calls on obvious penalties, to allowing fighting, to losing track of time, to … oh you get the point. The scab refs were an embarrassment to the league, the players, the fans and themselves. On a lighter note, none were more hilarious than “afraid of the ball” ref, and “I’m going to banana peel Kevin Ogletree Mario Kart style with my hat” ref.

Funny NFL replacement ref meme.

The replacement refs brought out the worst in all of us.

A few coaches had to pay some hefty fines. Some tore into the refs with F-bomb barrages that most sailors would be embarrassed to hear. New England coach Bill Belichick powerbombed assaulted slapped grabbed the arm of a referee after losing to Baltimore on a last second field goal. It cost him $50 grand, which might be worth it had he grabbed someone like Ed Hochuli and actually lived to tell about it. According to Al Michaels, this game also set the World Record for the “loudest manure chant I’ve ever heard.”

The boiling point of “Ref-gate” (yep…I went there) happened during the Monday Night game in Seattle. Aaron Rodgers had spent more time on his back than the entire Kardashian family after the Seahawks beat him down for eight first half sacks. Green Bay took a five point lead with about nine minutes left but couldn’t run out the clock at the end. Seattle had a shot with 46 seconds left.

Then this happened…

R Wilson GW TD Pass to Golden Tate vs Green Bay Sept 24, 2012

Annnnnnnnd the Internet went into a frenzy. This single event spawned conspiracy theories, comparisons to the Hebner brothers in the WWF, death threats to Golden Tate, another plethora of F-bombs (most notably from Packer’s guard T.J. Lang), and probably global warming. If the two end zone referees started Tebowing and then announced they were taking their talents to South Beach, the Internet would have literally melted. A Seahawks fan site even did a frame-by-frame break down of the “Toucherception” video JFK-Zapruder style. Apparently there was a third referee on the grassy knoll who called it a “home run.”

The discussion/argument about the game is an entirely different discussion, but the outcome of the game served as the inspiration for two very important things:

1. This fantastic GIF of Pete Carroll:

2. The return of the real refs.

At midnight o’clock on Wednesday the officials union and the league finally reached an agreement that put the real referees back on the field for Thursday’s Browns/Ravens game. The scene nearly brought a tear to my eye:

 

I only wish they came out of the tunnel through a smoke screen with The Final Countdown playing in the background. Oh, and Ray Lewis was fined $50,000 for his hug, but I’m sure it was worth every penny.

To be fair, the replacement refs were put in an almost impossible situation. They were obviously way out of their league (pun intended) and had no chance to succeed. I compare it to the late Corey Haim in License to Drive. He had a chance with the hottest girl in school (ironically named Mercedes), but messed the entire thing up by failing his driving test and then demolishing his grandfather’s prized ’72 Cadillac while on a date with her. Oh, but don’t worry, Mercedes was drunk the entire time, oh, and his mom goes into labor while the car is gone, so there’s that too.

So farewell replacement refs. Unfortunately, we knew you more than we wanted to.

NFL Replacement Refs - In Memoriam

And now…the tweets:

The Lingerie Football League announced it had fired several officials who are now working as replacement refs in the NFL. (via @)
@mental_floss
Mental Floss

 

Russell Wilson became the first QB in history to throw a game-winning interception.
@ReignofTroy
Reign of Troy

 

Last night, the Seahawks beat the Packers 14-12. I DVR'd the game and watched it later, just like the refs. #fallonmono
@jimmyfallon
jimmy fallon

 

I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and be like "HAHAHA YOU GOT PUNKED!!!#NFL #MNF
@themorris23
sammy morris

 

On the bright side, this is the first time anyone has ever cared about the outcome of a Seahawks game.
@ChaseMit
Chase Mitchell

 

I can't wait to play Madden 14 with replacement referees in the game. #GrandTheftFootball
@DaneCook
Dane Cook

 

I'm not a Packers fan, but I'm walking to the liquor store to buy a handle of bourbon.
@ekessdotcom
Evan Kessler

 

Wash going thu be a Replathment Reth buth they couldn'th undershtand me on the microthone.

 

Hey, what happened in the Packers-Seahawks game? Can't find anything on Twitter about it.
@ScottMCBS
Scott Miller

 

Remember a few years ago when the Lions lost a coin flip they actually won? All refs suck. You notice more when they are called replacements
@RobLovesArguing
Rob Mailloux

 

If Mitt Romney can find a way to blame this on Obama, he'll win in a landslide. #MNF
@PeytonsHead
Peyton's Head

 

"These NFL refs are terrible!" -- Helen Keller
@chrisdelia
Chris D'Elia

 

Tomorrow is gonna be rough for you guys. Keep your uniforms on and hit the Seattle bars. Promise you won't buy a round.
@sethmeyers21
Seth Meyers

 

I had frosted tips in middle school. That decision might be better than the one the ref's made at the end of this game #NFL #packers
@Tobalsky
Matt Tobalsky

 

You know what would be funny? If the Olympic refs went on strike and someone from real estate had to judge diving.
@AlbertBrooks
Albert Brooks

 

...We are all now dumber for having watched this. I award no points and may God have mercy on all the NFL's soul. #NFL #EpicFail
@SeanUnfiltered
Sean Salisbury

 

"Wow, even we would have ruled that to be an interception..." - The Pacquiao-Bradley judges
@FauxJohnMadden
Faux John Madden

 

My old flip phone thinks that was a bad call tonight. #nfl #notforlong
@SklarBrothers
The Sklar Brothers

 

I got fired from the Burger King because my manager was a packers fan.
@Replacementreff
Replacement Ref

 

There's got to be a @ 30 for 30 about the last 8 seconds of that SeaHawks/Packers game.
@terrycrews
terrycrews

 

Only thing I regret from my tweets are the F bombs.. Sorry bout that.
@TJLang70
TJ Lang

 

The best part of NFL replacement refs is that apparently there are only like 8 dudes in the world who can properly call a football game.
@MrBrandonStroud
Brandon Stroud

 

 

If Monday were a person it would be an NFL replacement ref #MondaysBlow
@OnlyAtBallState
Baller State

 

Reggie Bush thinks Pete Carroll should have to give this win back. #MNF #USC
@PeytonsHead
Peyton's Head

 

Atom bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, 1945. Packers-Seahawks refs: JAPAN WINS WORLD WAR II.
@Trey_Parker
Eric Cartman

 

Am I the only one who thinks these replacement refs add a little pizzazz to the games? Now if we can only get the goalposts to move around.
@badbanana
Tim Siedell

 

Brett Hart would label this the Seattle screw job.
@GrishamESPN
Todd Grisham

 

You get the feeling the NFL would have been better off paying the refs and using replacement players.
@reckless
nilay patel

 

The NFL replacement refs are worse than the ones who officiated The Monstars game at the end of Space Jam.
@robfee
Rob Fee

 

If you read a tweet of mine that sucks it was the replacement me.
@normsousa
norm sousa

 

I just got off the phone with Mr. Magoo and he told me to tell you he sees no issues with the NFL replacement refs.
@patnelke
Pat Nelke

 

That picture of the two refs calling two different results, priceless .
@wingoz
trey wingo

Oh, you mean this one? Absolutely.

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 24:  Wide receiver Golden Tate #81 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a catch in the end zone to defeat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial call by the officials at CenturyLink Field on September 24, 2012 in Seattle, Washington.  (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

NFL, Vince McMahon called, said he can no longer watch the game, it's just too fake and unrealistic!!!
@markschlereth
mark schlereth

 

Replacement ref just called St. Louis "Saint Louie."
@petegaines
Pete Gaines

 

Safe to say that no matter how long I live I will never spend as much time talking and writing about referees than I have this week.
@adbrandt
Andrew Brandt

 

I'm having a power lunch with Golden Tate later today at a restaurant where the food is being prepared by "replacement chefs". #nfl
@ArsenioOFFICIAL
Arsenio Hall

 

So a call that went against the #Seahawks ('98 Testaverde TD) brought back replay, and one that went in their favor ended the ref lockout.
@johnpboyle
John Boyle

 

The NFL refs are back, the replacement refs are gone and TLC has a new reality show opportunity.
@StevenAmiri
Steven Amiri

 

Please don't yell at any Foot Locker employees today. They did NOTHING wrong. #NFL
@michael_schlact
Michael Schlact

 

The 8th grade history teacher ref thought the kick was no good but the main insurance salesman ref overturned him. Good job, good effort.
@ryanwhitney6
Ryan Whitney

 

We will all wake up in the morning and remember that this was all one big Buffalo Wild Wings commercial. #MNF #NFL
@justpriest2
jonathan

 

Green Bay just got screwed on video. They are now officially a Kardashian.
@PeytonsHead
Peyton's Head

Talk to me, loser.

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