You know what really grinds my gears? This sentence in today's "Monday Morning Quarterback" column by SI's Peter King:

A great job by Ed Hochuli in New Orleans late in the first half, fully explaining why he didn't overturn a Scott Shanle fumble return. Instead of just saying, "The ruling on the field stands,'' Hochuli explained that Shanle was on his way down and his knee was on the ground while the ball was beginning to come out of Shanle's grasp; but because the ball was in Shanle's grasp at the moment the knee hit, it couldn't be ruled a fumble.

A great job By Ed Hochuli? Are you fucking KIDDING me? That was one of the worst officiating jobs I have ever seen. King also had the nerve to call out the Giants for being "abysmal", "pathetic", and "awful". Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about your column, Peter King.

Let's review together, shall we?

2nd quarter, 1st and 10 at the New Orleans 43. Pierre Thomas runs to the right for an 8 yard gain around a block from wide receiver Marques Colston. Oh, did I say block? Because what I meant was one of the most blatant wide receiver holds you'll ever see. The cornerback was past him, and Colston had him around the throat as Thomas ran by. Instead of  1st and 20 from the Giants 47, its 2 and 2 from the Saints 35.  The drive would result in a touchdown.

2nd quarter, 1st and 10 at the New York 47. Brees throws a deep pass for Colston down the left side, covered by Corey Webster. As both players look back for the ball, their feet become tangled, and Colston trips to the ground as the pass lands incomplete. A textbook incidental contact call?

Actions that do not constitute pass interference include but are not limited to:

(b) Inadvertent tangling of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither player is playing the ball.

Nope, defensive pass interference. Instead of 2nd and 10 at the New York 47, its 1st and 10 at the 12 yard line. The drive would result in a touchdown.

2nd quarter, 1st and 10 at the New York 34. The play, above, misunderstood by Ed Hochuli and Peter King. The Giants are driving down the field at the end of the half. Eli drops back to pass, and is sacked. He fumbles the ball, and a Saints player picks it up. As he runs the ball back for a touchdown, he is chased down by a Giants defender. The defender tackles him and jostles the ball loose (replay clearly shows the ball moving out of the New Orleans players hands as he goes to the ground), and pops out when he hits the turf. It rolls into the end zone, where a Giants player recovers it for a touchback. Except the New Orleans player is ruled down by contact!

So what happened? King quotes Hochuli as stating that the ball is in Scott Shanle's "grasp", which is a sign that something is wrong right there. "In the grasp" refers to a rule regarding tackling; if the refs decide a player is "in the grasp and control" of a defensive player, even if he hasn't been tackled to the ground, he may rule that a tackle has occurred. A fumble, on the other hand, occurs when a player loses control of the ball. Since the ball is clearly seen to be coming out of Shanle's hands when he is going to the ground, then the ground did not cause the fumble. The defensive player did.

The result of this play, by the way, was a touchdown.

But wait! There's more!

3rd quarter, 3rd and 5, at the Giants 27. On a critical drive by the Giants that basically sealed their fate, Eli passed the ball to Hakeem Nicks, who had position on the defender. The defender stops, and jumps back through Nicks, who is unable to catch the football because there is a man shoving him. Textbook pass interference? Off course not. The Giants are forced to punt.

4th quarter, 4th and 10 at the New Orleans 10. The final indignity. Forced to go for it on 4th down, Eli rolls out and hits Dominik Hixon for a touchdown. Except its called back by a completely phantom holding penalty on Shawn O'Hara, who doesn't appear to even come into contact with a Saints defender on the play. Pushed back to the 20, the Giants are forced to kick a field goal.

These were not insignificant plays, and there were not just one or two. It was a consistently bad job by the refs that consistently favored the home team. It was blatant and embarrassing and frustrating. The frustration could have been eased if maybe somebody, ANYBODY, had noticed it. But instead all we get is a tongue bath for Drew Brees and "the best team in football."

The Giants defense did not play well, and they might have lost anyway. But it would have been close. Playing against the Saints AND the refs, they had absolutely no shot.