By Tim Graham
Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey isn't much of a complainer
to begin with.
When it comes to replacement officials, Gailey finds it pointless to grumble.
"I think coaches in general and players in general complain about officials," Gailey said. "I don't care who they are. That's just our nature. We want everything to go not only perfect, but our way. And they don't.
"If you're looking for a perfect scenario, you're never going to find it because the human element is involved."
Replacement officials had a rough weekend around the NFL. They made several head-scratching calls. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco skewered them for "affecting the integrity of the game."
Bills defensive end Mario Williams criticized the replacement officials on opening day for allowing New York Jets right tackle Austin Howard to manhandle him in the season opener. The Bills otherwise have been diplomatic in their statements.
In his "Monday Morning Quarterback" column, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King gave a harsh examination of the replacement officials' Week Two performances.
"Now the players are taking advantage of the lack of experience and the lack of game-control by the replacement officials,'' NBC Sports officiating analyst Jim Daopoulos told King. "They're just too inconsistent. The players are pushing them. And the inconsistency is natural, because this is not something you can learn as quickly as they have to learn it.
"They don't know what illegal contact is; it's a rule that was put in to allow receivers to be able to run free after 5 yards, and these crews do not know the rule, or they're not calling it correctly.''
The Bills' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday included some skirmishes. The Bills didn't blame the officials, however. They blamed Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali for taking cheap shots.
