The Replacements

There’s a line near the end of the movie “The Replacements” when Keanu Reeves says, “Glory fades. Chicks dig scars.” He’s reminding his fellow replacement players that the moment matters; it won’t last, but giving their all in that moment is a memory they’ll always have. They know their moment is ending – the lockout is over, and this will be their last game as replacement players in the big league.

This NFL season held so much promise. Last year was marred by the frenzy of trading and shortened pre-season caused by the player lockout, before settling into the regular season rhythm that saw a 9-7 New York Giants team (full disclosure: I’m a life-long Giants fan) win the Super Bowl over the 13-3 New England Patriots.

Today the National Football League said the 2012 season will begin with the replacement referees they’ve been using this pre-season while the lockout of the NFL Referees Association continues; an agreement with the NFL Referees Association doesn’t show signs of happening before the regular season starts next Wednesday (Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, in their first division meeting).

Many complaints have been voiced about the lack of the replacement refs: their lack of experience at this level; the lack of good officiating; the lack of games ending in a timely fashion, with calls taking a long time.

I can’t remember which NFL rookie quarterback said he was overwhelmed by the speed of the NFL game when he first came into the league. I imagine the replacement refs have that same feeling, with the added pressure of getting the calls right.

They’re not perfect, even with the tools available to them. They’ll get better with practice. When the lockout ends, and the regular refs come back to the game, will the replacement refs feel that their moment in the sun was worth it? For better or worse, they are filling in with the training they’ve had so far in a system they didn’t create. This is a huge leap in their experience.

Glory fades, but they’ll always remember the games they officiated.