How Does The league Clean Up Poor Officiating

[melvin dangerr]

It seems week by week, games are decided by not one bad call but a few, mind you now the Packers have benefitted from some of these calls, but the trend continues, and teams that could have earned a win or post season appearance have been well _Cheated, Robbed, how ever you want to call it,if players or coaches criticize to refs, they are fined,(It hurts the Integrity of the game the Commish states) but HIGHER Ups are hypocritical the next day, admitting the" Officials Blew the Call" I don't know what actions are taken to these refs, and I have seen over the years some of the same officiating crew making the same mistakes I thought Instant Replay was to clean this up, "NOT"….my question is should we have more cameras at every angle for review? or a "Questionable Call" not blown dead?I kind of favor giving them a 3strike system where if a game(s) is decided by a bad call, 3 times in a season, that official can be removed for a year..I don't have and answer maybe someone does?

 

[yooperpackfan]

The league, IMHO, should hire full time officials that work on their game year around.
They should hire younger officials that can keep up with the speed of the game.
Just off the top of my head.

 

[PackFanNChiTown]

Just remember if you implement your 3-strike rule, inevitably, officials are going to be eliminated and they'll have to find replacement refs. That in and of itself should be chilling.

To me the biggest problem is if an official fears for his job if he makes a mistake with a judgement call going at full speed, it's going to create a new set of problems.

Cameras provide hindsight, nothing more, they don't help that official make the judgement call on the field which means you're getting into the "every call should be reviewable" category. That means delays in the game...a lot of delays. Best plan on blocking out 4-5 hours per game instead of 3 to 3.5 the way it goes now. That means game will have to start earlier on Sunday, otherwise you start messing with the preciously-guarded Sunday television lineup for Fox and CBS.

The "batting forward" penalty against the Steelers is a good example. Sirius/XM NFL said they should have more cameras, but that call was non-reviewable. The ref had to make the call on the field and clearly he missed the possession the Steelers had prior to batting the fall forward.

About the only way I can think of to improve the system is technology. Lasers for touchdowns, sensors on uniforms for holding calls, yada yada yada. Of course then you start getting into hacking which is also interesting.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

What if anything has been said about the bad call that made the Steelers lose the wild card spot ?? Will there be any compensation for the Steelers seing the NFL have actually admitted to it being a bad call ? Surely that is going to cost the Steeler millions in potential revenue.
If I were a Steelers fan I`d really be peed off.

 

[AmishMafia]

I am not a fan of the full time ref ideas. These guys only work 20 hrs per week for half a year.

My idea is this:

Put 2 refs in the press box with tv access. Give them radio contact to each of the refs on the field. As these guys don't run around on the field, this will be the logical step after a career on the field. That is - you should get the wiser older refs. They should be giving advice to the field refs, but not calling penalties themselves. They can call down and tell em if a guy was inbounds, fumbled, or whatever. But it has to be in real time - no long pauses while they review tape after each play.

 

[USArmyParatrooper]

#1 Fulltime employee officials who receive constant training.

#2 Rewrite some of the rules to be less ambiguous and more clearly defined, with the help of former players.

#3 Allow for challenges and instant replay for flags. For those worried it would slow down the game... coaches still only get 2-3 challenges, and we have a plethora of mandatory commercial breaks anyway.

 

[ivo610]

I like the full time idea but I also am a fan of changing or eliminating some rules to make it a little easier on them.

Maybe a centralized ref in NYC watching the games with an ability to radio in a missed call or overturn something terrible?

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

For bad calls that stand and have a outcome on the games final score that turned the tide to a clearly different winner (fail mary), that ref should be fined, suspended, and put under review. The refs say they are not bias, but that is bullsh!t.....every year we get screwed ******* games due to poor officiating. Rarely to we get a poor call in our favor.

 

[easyk83]

It's better to have a wart on your nose than to remove it by chopping off your nose.

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

ummmm...ok..... how about just chopping off the infected section??? Or, chopping off refs who are notorious for bad calls, bias, or being general bone heads.

Hell, as a player or coach you will get a heafty fine for even bad mouthing a call or a ref during an interview......I would be one fined **** if I was a player, I would call out those bias jerks on a weekly basis. Maybe if someone brought negative media attention to an actual name of a ref rather than just saying "refs", that bit of embarrasment might to said ref may be enough negative light to change his ways.

 

[El Guapo]

I like the full time idea but I also am a fan of changing or eliminating some rules to make it a little easier on them.

Absolutely. The game is way too complicated for what it is, a brute game. They could cut out 1/3rd of the rules and most of us wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

That said, I don't think that officiating is a problem. It's no worse than in prior years and is actually quite better. It's reported upon at a much higher rate, re-hashed on NFL-focused shows, and beaten to death over the internet. Refs will never be perfect and there will always be game-altering calls. I'd rather the NFL not waste its time chasing its tail.

I don't mind the fulltime referee suggestion. These guys are on the road for more than just game time, spend lots of time already training, and also are hired out to teams for practice purposes. I'm not sure that sitting longer in a classroom though or not having a second job is going to change a split-second decision about whether to throw a flag.

 

[adambr2]

I would like more clearly defined rules especially when it comes to holding and defensive penalties in the secondary. How many times have we seen a receiver get a hand placed on him right at the 5 yard mark and get called for illegal contact, and then Jordy Nelson gets blasted 8 yards downfield on 4th and 8 last week with no call?

Even the announcers seem to just be making it up as they go on PI. They might point out a hand touching a wrist one week, and claim the next week that it was clean because the defender was looking back for the ball. They seem to be guessing as much as the rest of us.

 

[AmishMafia]

m.

Maybe a centralized ref in NYC watching the games with an ability to radio in a missed call or overturn something terrible?

already being planned for next season. It will be a resource for refs for rule interprtation and not for reviewing plays. In my scenario, they would be conversing with the both refs.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Personally, I don't think it is the "quality of officiating" that is the issue here. When given proper time, camera angles, etc. they can usually get the call correct (except in the case of the Fail Mary). IT is the the speed of the game and not being able to have enough eyes on 22 players, the ball, the boundaries, etc. We are all great refs during replay.

I like AmishMafia's idea. You put one or two guys up in the box with access to all of the camera angles. If they spot something significant that is missed, they buzz down and have it corrected. Watch how many teams start running the no huddle hurry up after a questionable call

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

While we are on the subject of rules. Can someone tell me why they reset the play clock to 25 AND restart the game clock after an illegal procedure penalty on the offense (except in the last 5 minutes of the game, perhaps first half too).

Call me a schemer and yes, it would be as boring as the old 4 corner basketball stall, but couldn't a team with a comfortable lead, just keep taking illegal procedure penalties....eventually backing themselves up to the 1 inch line.....until 5 minutes are left on the clock?

Wonder if the fans would start booing? Even if it meant a victory.

oh and yes, I know why they do it.....speeds up games, but can't they see this loophole?

 

[adambr2]

While we are on the subject of rules. Can someone tell me why they reset the play clock to 25 AND restart the game clock after an illegal procedure penalty on the offense (except in the last 5 minutes of the game, perhaps first half too).

Call me a schemer and yes, it would be as boring as the old 4 corner basketball stall, but couldn't a team with a comfortable lead, just keep taking illegal procedure penalties....eventually backing themselves up to the 1 inch line.....until 5 minutes are left on the clock?

Wonder if the fans would start booing? Even if it meant a victory.

oh and yes, I know why they do it.....speeds up games, but can't they see this loophole?

At some point, after probably just a few instances, the officials would probably rule this a palpably unfair act, and at their discretion take some sort of action, even if it was just to stop the game clock.

 

[Powarun]

While we are on the subject of rules. Can someone tell me why they reset the play clock to 25 AND restart the game clock after an illegal procedure penalty on the offense (except in the last 5 minutes of the game, perhaps first half too).

Call me a schemer and yes, it would be as boring as the old 4 corner basketball stall, but couldn't a team with a comfortable lead, just keep taking illegal procedure penalties....eventually backing themselves up to the 1 inch line.....until 5 minutes are left on the clock?

Wonder if the fans would start booing? Even if it meant a victory.

oh and yes, I know why they do it.....speeds up games, but can't they see this loophole?

Declare unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on someone and or eject someone.

 

[PackwillBEback]

The hatred for officials and the lack Of knowledge of officiating is mind blowing. Fans are some of the most hatred filled people in the world.

 

[PackwillBEback]

Maybe if a quarterback has three bad plays he should be banished from the league too? Head coach? A gm with three bad draft picks? Ban him!

 

[melvin dangerr]

The hatred for officials and the lack Of knowledge of officiating is mind blowing. Fans are some of the most hatred filled people in the world.

Would you elaborate more on this because this was about the quality of the calls in a game, officials in any sport are not popular thats what discussions are about…..

 

[TA63]

Quit making so many ridiculous, subjective rules. Officials today have way too much garbage to watch for.

 

[PackwillBEback]

Would you elaborate more on this because this was about the quality of the calls in a game, officials in any sport are not popular thats what discussions are about…..

What I mean is this. The game and the league are ran by humans, not robots. They are played and coached by humans, so it will be officiated by humans. Deal with it. I highly doubt the people who are so damn critical of officials have even read a rule book front to back, attended an officiating camp, or ever sat down with an official at the higher ranks.

Most rules are not that subjective, at least in the way the officiating manual (at any level) is written and taught in camps. The whole "holding happens on every play" crap is ridiculous, but is the cry from fans that epitomizes their lack of knowledge on the rules and officiating. When the average fan can tell me what point of attack is, I'll start to listen.

Anyways, why can an official miss a call? Think about it. Should you be more concerned and displeased about a call that is missed (non-call) or a call that is made, but incorrect?

 

[EWright21]

The NFL's Dirty Secret-
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/jul/04/citylights1-nfl-dirty-secret/

 

[adambr2]

Maybe if a quarterback has three bad plays he should be banished from the league too? Head coach? A gm with three bad draft picks? Ban him!

That's not a very good analogy. Players, coaches, and GMs who regularly perform poorly at their jobs do indeed routinely lose them by being released or fired.

I assume then that you would agree that referees who establish a similar history of poor performance (I'm obviously not talking about 3 plays) should be held to the same standard and consequence.

 

[GoPGo]

The refs say they are not bias, but that is bullsh!t.....every year we get screwed ******* games due to poor officiating. Rarely to we get a poor call in our favor.

Fans of every team say this exact same thing every year. Do do get bad calls in our favor. How about the unnecessary roughness call 4 days ago on McClellan that gave us a first down?