UPDATES Who Will Be Captain America? 
 
 EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston want to be really sure they’ve found the right actor to star in The First Avenger: Captain America. Marvel has slightly expanded its search — adding actors that I’m told include Chris Evans, who already logged Marvel Comics superhero time as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in two Fantastic Four films. Of the original contenders, two are still in serious contention: Mike Vogel (Cloverfield) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy). Hedlund was on Marvel’s original wish list but didn’t test at first. Scheduling was th reason, but I also heard his reps balked when Marvel informed them that the job would include options for 9 future films and a salary of only around $300,000. It’s not going to work out for the other actors who tested: Chace Crawford (CW’s Gossip Girl), John Krasinski (NBC’s The Office), Scott Porter (NBC’s Friday Night Lights), Michael Cassidy (CW’s Privileged) or Patrick Flueger (Brothers). Paramount Pictures will release the film July 22, 2011. Hedlund can be seen in Disney’s new trailer for Tron Legacy, which you can watch here. ||||| Hail Mary. Holy hell. 
 
 On the final play of the final game of one of the most shameful weekends in NFL history, a last-gasp pass from the Seattle Seahawks fell from the sky into the arms of the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. 
 
 Touchdown, Seattle. Chaos, NFL. 
 
 PHOTOS: Touchdown or interception? 
 
 Three weeks of gross incompetence by unqualified replacement officials crystallized in two moments Monday night that pushed the league's integrity to the brink. 
 
 In one moment, Packers safety M.D. Jennings clearly intercepted a final-play pass while falling upon Seahawks receiver Golden Tate in the end zone, preserving an apparent 12-7 Green Bay win. 
 
 In the next moment, the replacement officials ruled that Tate had made the catch, and upheld that ruling after replay review, giving the Seahawks a 14-12 victory. 
 
 Said Packers Coach Mike McCarthy: "I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football." 
 
 Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman tweeted: "These games are a joke." 
 
 It's finally happened. After three weeks of forgetting the rules, losing track of the ball, and haphazardly administering this country's national pastime as if they were salesmen on vacation from Foot Locker, the replacement officials have finally done serious, irrevocable damage. The arrogant NFL's middle-school and small-college substitutes for the locked-out regular officials have finally, actually, literally made one wrong call that decided the outcome of a game. 
 
 It was one of the worst calls in the history of the league, yet it might turn out to be one of the best calls if humiliated Commissioner Roger Goodell was listening to the message it sent. 
 
 Give it up. Settle this labor dispute. Settle it now. Your power play didn't work. Officials are not cardboard cutouts who can be replaced with cheap facsimiles. The decorum of your sport cannot be enforced by substitute teachers. The safety of your players cannot be monitored by crossing guards. The administration of your game cannot be handled by temps. 
 
 Cut your losses. Show who you are. Show what your game means. Prove that the new national pastime is not just another corrupt old business. Prove that you really respect the game more than you need to win this labor fight. Do you really care as much about the health of your players as the health of your league's bank account? Has all this recent cracking down on cracking heads been sincere or just spin? 
 
 End this lockout before it further damages the season while indelibly staining your legacy. End it before Thursday begins a fourth weekend of madness. 
 
 Even before Monday night, the fans had spoken. Did you hear the cursing chant from Baltimore? When the Ravens faithful had finally endured enough of this foolishness Sunday, they rained a unified two-syllable expletive down upon the fake officials that walloped millions of television viewers like a Ray Lewis forearm, the loudest and longest profane chant I've ever heard. 
 
 The players had also spoken. Less than a week after the NFL ordered its personnel to stop harassing the paper zebras because "everybody has a responsibility to respect the game," one guy was still so angry he put it in writing. Brandon Spikes, linebacker for the New England Patriots, tweeted, "Can some 1 please tell these [expletive] zebras foot locker called and they're needed Back at work!!!!" His hashtag was a perfection description of the situation. It read, #BreakingPoint. 
 
 Even the game's finest coach spoke. Bill Belichick was so upset after his Patriots lost to the Ravens on Sunday, he grabbed at one of the replacement officials in an act of rage rarely seen in a league where a head coach has never been ejected from a game. 
 
 Want to know my favorite statistic of Week 3 before Monday? Sixteen of 20 coach's challenges resulted in overturned calls, meaning officials made the wrong decision on 80% of some of the biggest plays. Think about that. 
 
 Want to know my second-favorite statistic? When you crunch the numbers, if the NFL gave the locked-out referees everything they wanted, it would cost about $100,000 extra per team per season. That equals about four games' pay for one of a team's lowest-paid players. The owners are watching their sport burn because they won't improve the officials' compensation by about one-fourth the amount they would pay a backup guard? Think about that. 
 
 OK, real quick, I've got a third-favorite statistic from last weekend. There were 13 penalty first downs in the game between the Patriots and the Ravens, which is only the most in the history of the NFL. 
 
 The only numbers that seem to concern Goodell, of course, are the television ratings, which are as booming as ever. As long as the players and fans won't walk over this — and neither group is budging — then Goodell apparently feels that the officiating problems are irrelevant. Heck, he probably thinks the poor officiating is good for league buzz. 
 
 But I've got some Internet photos in front of me that should remind him of a different, much more frightening possibility. 
 
 In one of the photos, Shannon Eastin, a replacement who is the league's first female official, is sitting behind a pile of chips while competing in the 2007 World Series of Poker. Lovely. Somebody making decisions that affect the outcome of NFL games is a gambler. 
 
 In another photo, replacement Brian Stroplo is wearing New Orleans Saints gear. The NFL pulled him from the rotation after seeing these photos, but the guy had already officiated one game, and how would you like to be a Saints opponent penalized by a guy shouting "Who Dat?" 
 
 Because there obviously wasn't much vetting of the replacements, this means there could be other officials susceptible to outside influences, and you know where I'm going here. If replacement officials remain, how long before a coach seriously charges that a game has been fixed? Already, the betting lines in Las Vegas have changed to reflect a belief that replacements are being swayed by home crowds, and when has an NFL point spread been altered because of concerns about potentially tainted officials? Answer: Never. 
 
 If Goodell still didn't hear Monday night's message, then he needs to listen to his own office, in that scolding memo it sent to the league. 
 
 "Everybody has a responsibility to respect the game." 
 
 This includes the guy running it. 
 
 bill.plaschke@latimes.com 
 
 twitter.com/billplaschke ||||| PHILADELPHIA -- Andy Reid's worst coaching season with the Philadelphia Eagles ended Monday after 14 years when he was fired by owner Jeffrey Lurie, who said it was time "to move in a new direction." 
 
 The dismissal came one day after Reid and the Eagles were humiliated 42-7 by the New York Giants and ended their season at 4-12. 
 
 "When you have a season like that, it's embarrassing. It's personally crushing to me and it's terrible," Lurie said at a news conference at the team's training facility. 
 
 He called Reid "not only an outstanding coach, but an outstanding person." 
 
 "He didn't share himself with the press because he wanted to protect his players and the way he coaches," Lurie said. "Having worked with him 14 years, he's a gem of a person. This man was amazing to work with, smart and dedicated himself." 
 
 Reid met with his players afterward and was sent off with a standing ovation. 
 
 "It's unfortunate. I feel we personally let him down," wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said. "It's a sad day." 
 
 Added rookie quarterback Nick Foles: "It's up to the players to make the plays." 
 
 Sources told ESPN on Sunday that Reid already was preparing to coach elsewhere next season in case he is no longer with the Eagles. He has been calling around the league trying to put together a coaching staff, so when he was fired he would be ready to resume coaching for another franchise next season, sources said. 
 
 Some around the league have wondered whether Reid would be a good fit back in California, where he grew up, but the San Diego Chargers are planning to go in a different direction, according to league sources. 
 
 Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill, meanwhile, said the team has reached out to Reid to fill their head coaching vacancy created when Ken Whisenhunt was fired Monday. 
 
 Reid took over a 3-13 team in 1999, drafted Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick and quickly turned the franchise into a title contender. 
 
 He is the winningest coach in club history and led them to a run of four straight NFC Championship Games, a streak that ended with a Super Bowl trip after the 2004 season -- and a loss, 24-21, to the New England Patriots. The Eagles were seeking their first NFL title since 1960. 
 
 Reid cemented Philadelphia as a destination football town and led the team to an unmatched level of success. But the team hasn't won a playoff game since 2008 and after last season's 8-8 finish, Lurie said he was looking for improvement this year. 
 
 Instead, it was worse. 
 
 "I look forward to the day when everyone welcomes him back into the Eagles Hall of Fame because that's inevitable," Lurie said. 
 
 Reid grew up in Southern California and may welcome a return home. He already has said he wants to coach next season. 
 
 Reid is due to make $6 million in 2013 in the final year of his contract. He is the franchise leader in wins (140) and winning percentage (.578) and led the Eagles to six division titles and five NFC Championship Games. 
 
 Aside from team troubles, the year was a painful one for Reid. He endured a devastating loss weeks before the season opener when his oldest son, Garrett, died at training camp after a long battle with drug addiction. 
 
 In October, Reid fired close friend and longtime assistant Juan Castillo, who was in his second season as defensive coordinator after coaching the offensive line for 13 years. He later fired defensive-line coach Jim Washburn. 
 
 Still to be determined is whether quarterback Michael Vick stays with the team. 
 
 In 2009, Reid and Lurie gave Vick a second chance in the NFL after the former star quarterback spent 18 months in federal prison related to a dogfighting operation. Vick took over as the starter in 2010, had a remarkable season and led the Eagles to the NFC East title. But like rest of the team, Vick regressed the last two seasons. 
 
 After beating the defending Super Bowl champion Giants on Sept. 30, the Eagles lost eight straight games -- their worst losing streak in 42 years. 
 
 Lurie said he has a "defined" list of candidates to replace Reid, but hasn't spoken to any coaches or set up interviews yet. The team, however, later confirmed reports that it will interview Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and special teams coach Keith Armstrong, PhiladelphiaEagles.com reported Monday night. 
 
 General manager Howie Roseman and president Don Smolenski will assist Lurie in the process. 
 
 "It's better to find the right leader than to make a fast decision," Lurie said. "There's no guarantee I'll make a great decision, but I'm confident I will." 
 
 PhiladelpiaEagles.com posted video of Lurie and Reid addressing team employees, who gave Reid a big ovation. Lurie handed him a game ball. 
 
 Many employees gathered in a crowded auditorium to hear Lurie's news conference. 
 
 "I have a hard time standing before people without a few boos involved. But I'm taking it, I'm taking it all in," Reid said. "These have been the greatest 14 years of my life." 
 
 He added: "Sometimes change is good. ... I know the next guy that comes in will be phenomenal. The ultimate goal is a Super Bowl. Everybody in this room, I wish you a big ring on the finger in the near future. 
 
 "Hail to the Eagles, baby." 
 
 Information from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter and The Associated Press was used in this report.
– Robert De Niro is set to play NFL coach Vince Lombardi, but—in more casting news from a different film—the role of Captain America is still up for grabs. Though a Marvel insider told Fox, "We are bracing ourselves for 'that guy from The Office' to land Captain America," Deadline reports John Krasinski is out of the running, and only two original contenders—Mike Vogel from Cloverfield and Garrett Hedlund from Tron: Legacy—are still under consideration for the superhero role. Meanwhile, ESPN announced De Niro will play the title role in Lombardi, tentatively scheduled for 2012, the AP reports. The film will focus on the Hall of Fame coach transforming the NFL's worst team, the Green Bay Packers, into league champions.