QUOTE (daa84 @ Sep 24, 2012 -> 11:43 PM)
There's an enormous amount of observational bias in this as well. We know the refs are replacements, thus missed calls seem that much more obvious. What is most likely true is that we fail to realize how many calls the normal refs miss, and also tend to overreact/over estimate the number that the replacements are making
That said, there is still an obvious difference
Regular refs makes plenty of their own bad calls, but they understand the basic rules of the games. They don't give extra timeouts and challenges left and right, they don't put the ball on the wrong 44 yard line, they don't take 7-10 minutes to make a relatively simple call. We've had three solid weeks of refs not knowing the rules and blowing major calls in multiple games now, all so that the teams can save about $100,000 a year.