On Sunday morning, I woke up at 8:30 to make sure I would be awake for ESPN “Gameday,” because I was so ecstatic about the opening day of the NFL.

It was the happiest day of my life, and to make things better, I would get to see the Raiders play the Chiefs.

There was no way in hell this could be a bad day, but of course, when I am sure about something, I am usually wrong.

I know I have ranted about the replacement refs before, but never would I think that the refs would be the most horrible zebras on the field that the world has ever seen.

Listening to the TV broadcasting trying to cover for the referees disgusted me even further.

Let me remind you that the regular referees are striking against the NFL, because they think they deserve more money, so the NFL hired replacement referees, or as the regular refs like to call them, ?scabs.?

I never had an appreciation for the regular referees before. Whenever they made a bad call, I screamed for them to be fired.

However, never did I think it could get any worse, until Sunday.

OH GOD save me from these buffoons who believe they can analyze a play and see the errors committed by the two teams battling on the field.

As I was watching the Raiders game, I had never seen worse errors committed against the Raiders.

As the first half was closing, Rich Gannon threw a deep pass to Charlie Garner, who was clearly going to stay inbounds if he wasn?t knocked out.

The play was called inbounds, but K.C. coach Dick Vermeil decided he wanted to prove the incompetency of the refs.

He was right to do so, and the play was overturned, and I felt like running my face through the TV screen.

How in the world did the ref see “indisputable evidence” that he would not have come inbounds?

Then Dan Dierdorf (a.k.a. the biggest moron in a broadcast booth since Matt Millen) decides that his earlier opinion stating that Garner was inbounds was inaccurate, and he says he respects the referee’s call.

OK, maybe one mistake on a replay is understandable, because it is their first regular season game., but when their second mistake of the game happened, I was screaming for blood.

Kansas City completed a pass, and the receiver?s forward progress was perceived to bring him to the 30-yard-line which gave the team a first down; Oakland coach Jon Gruden, however,challenged the play?saying the Chiefs player never made it that far, and that the spot was wrong.

The referees proceed to look at the tapes, and the result of their examination is that the play is not reviewable under the rules of the NFL.

Not only was I about to shoot anybody on sight, Gruden proceeded to blow a fuse and went crazy on the referee.

In the rulebook, it states that if the ruling has to do with forward progress for a first down, then it is reviewable.

So, in embarrassing fashion, the officials from the press box call the refs and say that it is reviewable, so now they review the play.

Keep in mind that this one play has now lasted about 10 minutes. So they review the play, and it clearly shows he did not get to the 30, as the broadcasters notice also and thereby agree with me.

But, as expected, the refs let it stand, probably because they don?t want to hear it from the hometown crowd. And, of course, Dierdorf and Co. proceed to kiss the NFL?s butt and respect the call because it is only ?their opinion.?

This was only one game, but this already is going to provide enough scrutiny to have the entire refereeing crew second-guessing themselves on every call, for as long they are working for the NFL.

The players don?t respect them, as was proved by Tim Brown chewing out the referee.

And the NFL is going to be put in a tight spot if it wants to maintain the integrity of the season.

After this debacle, I don?t care how much they pay the real refs, but for god’s sake, you greedy pigs, just pay them.

Please, make my Sunday heaven again, instead of it turning into my doomsday.

Asad welcomes feedback at: [email protected].