Geno Smith Calls for Week 9 Referees to Resign After Missed Calls in Raiders' Loss to Jaguars
Geno Smith, quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, has made headlines after calling for the Week 9 referees to step down due to missed calls during the Las Vegas Raiders'
“The officiating in that game was absolutely unacceptable,” Smith said in a post-game interview. “There were so many missed calls — penalties that were blatant and should have been flagged. The referees allowed the Jaguars to get away with multiple infractions, and it clearly impacted the game.”
Smith pointed to specific moments in the game where he believed the Jaguars should have been penalized but weren’t, including holding penalties and illegal hits that went unnoticed by the officials. According to Smith, these missed calls gave the Jaguars an unfair advantage and ultimately contributed to the Raiders’ inability to secure a win.
“It’s frustrating to watch because it wasn’t just one or two mistakes — it was a pattern throughout the game,” Smith continued. “The referees didn’t do their job, and it cost the Raiders. I believe the NFL should seriously consider reviewing the performance of these referees. They’re supposed to be impartial, but they clearly missed too much that day.”
Smith’s comments have sparked a strong reaction from fans and analysts alike, with many agreeing that the referees’ performance in the game was subpar. While the Raiders’ loss to the Jaguars could have been influenced by several factors, the criticism of the officiating has taken center stage in the aftermath.
“It’s easy for people to say, ‘Just play through it,’ but when the referees aren’t calling penalties that should be called, it’s hard to keep the game fair,” Smith concluded. “I think it’s time for those referees to step down. If they can’t get the calls right, they shouldn’t be on the field.”
As the Raiders face the fallout from the loss, the controversy surrounding the officiating continues to grow. Whether or not the NFL will take action remains to be seen, but Geno Smith’s call for the referees to resign has undoubtedly added fuel to the ongoing debate about officiating in the league.
Browns' Deshaun Watson Trade Still Haunts Franchise, Costing Draft Picks and Future Hope
With the Cleveland Browns mired in a disaster of a season with yet another unsolved quarterback situation on their hands, it’s not hard to look back to how a March 2022 trade helped us get to this point.
We’re talking about the deal that landed Deshaun Watson, arguably the worst trade in the history of the league and one that has impeded the Browns from finding anything remotely resembling a long-term solution at the most important position in sports.
To this day, the ill-fated agreement still weighs heavily on the Browns. Let’s take a look:
Loss of draft capital
The Browns surrendered three first-round selections (2022, 2023, 2024), one third-rounder (2023) and two fourth-rounders (2022, 2024) for Watson and a 2024 sixth-rounder.
Sure, the 2022 Draft didn’t offer any real answers at the quarterback position save for “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy, selected by the Niners. Although Cleveland could have picked him at any moment of that draft, they were too busy drooling over their newly acquired passer to seriously consider adding another arm. Ironically, Bailey Zappe, taken in the fourth by the Patriots, is currently a Browns backup. Pro Bowlers available in the first round when Cleveland was due to pick (13th) include safety Kyle Hamilton, offensive linemen Tyler Smith and Tyler Lindebaum, and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II.
The 2023 Draft is more of the same. Cleveland’s original 12th overall pick turned eventually into star running back Jahmyr Gibbs for Detroit. Two Pro Bowl-wideouts were selected later in that same opening round: Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Zay Flowers. Meanwhile, the Browns settled for Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth.
Lastly, the 2024 Draft ended up with Cleveland’s original pick (23rd) being exercised by Jacksonville on Pro Bowl wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Even discarding the possibility of the Browns trading up in 2023 or 2024 for someone like C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, there was still a ton of talent left on the table. This loss of draft capital has led to multiple missed opportunities to improve elsewhere on a roster full of holes.
Loss of cap dollars
The first thing Cleveland did once legally-embattled Deshaun Watson arrived, was compound the mistake by handing him an NFL record $230 million fully guaranteed contract that still burdens the franchise to this day.
And, thanks to the money spent on Watson, the Browns haven’t been able to dive into the open market in search of a better option through free agency, such as Lamar Jackson in 2023 or Sam Darnold this past offseason. And no, we won’t even mention Baker Mayfield here. We’ll do that next.
Loss of a potential franchise quarterback
Trading for Watson also meant getting rid of Mayfield, by far the only quarterback drafted by the Browns since 1999 close to a .500 winning percentage (29-30). In fact, out of the 41 quarterbacks that have started at least one game for Cleveland since ‘99, only Mayfield and Tim Couch (22-37) won more than 10 games for the club.
Mayfield has been through some ups and downs in his career, sure, but he’s also playing the best football in his life right now for Tampa Bay, light years ahead of what Cleveland’s passers have been showing since he left.
Misguided hope of deliverance
This is probably the worst of all since it’s not as easily quantifiable: the undying expectation that -- somehow, someway -- Watson could still be something that he hasn’t been since 2020, an NFL starting quarterback.
But, after five years of mostly being suspended, deactivated or rehabbing for the last five years, can Watson still play at a high level?
Even owner Jimmy Haslam seemed to dismiss any idea of reedemption when stating "We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback; we didn't”, back in March. More recently, he confirmed: “A big trade we made didn’t work out, and you know, we’re all suffering from that, ” while defending head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Even if the Browns open the 21-day practice window for Watson soon, there are no assurances he’s ready to see the field, and by the time he could be, the season might be over anyways.
We get it, it’s hard to move one. But now the Browns are stuck with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel, fifth round-rookie Shedeur Sanders, career backup Zappe, a looming dead cap issue with Watson, and a long list of ifs, hadn’t they agreed to the worst trade in the history of the NFL.
