The NFL really needs to fix the officiating issues

[Moab]

Every year they come out with new rules when they can't seem to get the calls correct on the rules they already have. They top that off with points of emphasis, which really means they tell the officials to go over the top on some specific types of plays which causes even more confusion for the players and officials.

To top all that off, they add in total bullshit to try to fix issues like the ability to challenge uncalled or called pass interference calls. I'm not sure what any of you thought that would do, but I suspected that the only way they were going to overturn calls on the field for PI was if they were so obvious Ray Charles would've seen them, and even that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe that is the case, but it seems on those they're just sticking with the call unless it's totally obvious.

They then add in that they're trying to make the game safer, which I'm not sure they are when nobody knows what the rules actually are and how they're going to be enforced.

I'm not sure how they fix it, but a nice start would be to get rid of their bullshit points of emphasis early in the season. They could then stop adding in new bullshit rules and actually get officials real training in real time to get stuff right without adding new responsibilities for them.

You can add any other thoughts, but some of this shit is getting really tiresome for me.

 

[Trudem]

I agree. The hands to the face will get most of the press but the officials were bad all game. I think it’s getting worse leaguewide too

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

The PI challenging is the most BS this season. Look for the competition committee to address in the offseason.

 

[Moab]

I agree. The hands to the face will get most of the press but the officials were bad all game. I think it’s getting worse leaguewide too

It's not just this game. I watched 2 games on Sunday and because it wasn't the Packers the officiating and game stoppage for bullshit made them borderline unwatchable. I've watched football since the early 70's and I don't ever recall being this disappointed that I can't watch the game because of all the bullshit calls and stoppage for replay and just the overall fuckery of the NFL and their idea of cleaning up the game.

 

[Schmoopy1000]

funny thing is they are missing rules they should know. they are just flat out horrible as ever this year.

Another thing that concerns me, is I wonder if they are using instant replay as a crutch. Thinking screw it make this call or make this a non call & let instant replay figure it out.
Well Instant replay cant figure it out because 90% of them are going go say whatever the ref called in the 1st place. the whole officiating program is broken from top to bottom right now. & next to zero checks & balances. Something has to be done to improve the men on the field. have no idea what that answer is other than just start giving out reprimands or pink slips. But honestly that would just be a knee jerk reaction. Dont think that really fixes the problem since all of them are sucking right now.

But the officiating is pathetic right now & the NFL should be trying to figure out how to fix it instead of justifying & defending the BS calls & missed calls.

 

[Dude]

Good points. All teams are affected. There is no precision in what is being called.

 

[Moab]

The PI challenging is the most BS this season. Look for the competition committee to address in the offseason.

Why would any coach challenge it if it isn't totally 100% clear and obvious? I've seen at least 10 challenges and there was no way in hell they were going to change the call because it wasn't obvious enough, even if it was obvious the call was wrong. Even the coaches we quoted as saying that they weren't sure what interference was based on what the NFL told them.

The above sounds like a bunch of contradictions, but that's what I'm getting when I listen to the broadcasts and read about it....WTF gives...and they can't even get the basic calls right...

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

Why would any coach challenge it if it isn't totally 100% clear and obvious? I've seen at least 10 challenges and there was no way in hell they were going to change the call because it wasn't obvious enough, even if it was obvious the call was wrong. Even the coaches we quoted as saying that they weren't sure what interference was based on what the NFL told them.

The above sounds like a bunch of contradictions, but that's what I'm getting when I listen to the broadcasts and read about it....WTF gives...and they can't even get the basic calls right...

At this point, unless it's late in the 2nd half and you don't need a TO...it isn't worth challenging. Which is BS. The only determining factor should be "getting the call right".

There have been plenty of "blatant and obvious" PI non-calls where the ruling stands simply out of referee hubris.

 

[Moab]

funny thing is they are missing rules they should know. they are just flat out horrible as ever this year.

Another thing that concerns me, is I wonder if they are using instant replay as a crutch. Thinking screw it make this call or make this a non call & let instant replay figure it out.
Well Instant replay cant figure it out because 90% of them are going go say whatever the ref called in the 1st place. the whole officiating program is broken from top to bottom right now. & next to zero checks & balances. Something has to be done to improve the men on the field. have no idea what that answer is other than just start giving out reprimands or pink slips. But honestly that would just be a knee jerk reaction. Dont think that really fixes the problem since all of them are sucking right now.

But the officiating is pathetic right now & the NFL should be trying to figure out how to fix it instead of justifying & defending the BS calls & missed calls.

That's just it...because of replay, they're given some kind of crutch to not do their job. I'm at a loss for some of this crap...just not sure what to think.

One thing I do think they must do is get rid of the "point of emphasis" that they do every year. Then stop adding new bullshit rules and get real training for the refs they have. In fact, they should probably put some real money into a ref training system and take it serious instead of issuing statements to appease the fans and do nothing. They make billions of dollars, spend some of it and clean up their product on the field.

 

[Moab]

At this point, unless it's late in the 2nd half and you don't need a TO...it isn't worth challenging. Which is BS. The only determining factor should be "getting the call right".

There have been plenty of "blatant and obvious" PI non-calls where the ruling stands simply out of referee hubris.

That's the problem, they're more about protecting their refs and going with what they called than getting the call right. It's messed up, and that's not even taking into account how stupid some coaches are with the way they use the challenge flag.

 

[TheRangerDude]

What are you guys talking about? I love the refs. These new rules and all the over officiating is getting us so much more hard hitting face time with them. It's awesome!

Now if they could just find a way to work in more commercials.

 

[steelerssb]

Fix the rules while they're at it. Some of them are stupidly ambiguous.

 

[broncosmitty]

We all just need to alter our expectations.


Real football is dead. It's not coming back.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

The replacement refs weren't any worse than the current officials. The announcers just made a point to criticize them more than the normal refs. Booger is not a good commentator but at least he's giving the officials some shit.

 

[PDay8810]

so NBA like
what's called one game isn't in another

PI has become a coin flip

 

[redseat]

The replacement refs weren't any worse than the current officials. The announcers just made a point to criticize them more than the normal refs. Booger is not a good commentator but at least he's giving the officials some shit.

They actually probably were better than these current officials!

 

[realityball]

What are you guys talking about? I love the refs. These new rules and all the over officiating is getting us so much more hard hitting face time with them. It's awesome!

Now if they could just find a way to work in more commercials.

... you miss Ed Hochuli too? ... imagine his 2 minute dissertations with THESE rules ... coulda surfed 3 movies last night ...

 

[Iggloo]

It's like they are trying to slowly kill their sport.

We have too much referee interference now. The refs are playing too large of a role in games.

I saw Jack Del Rio on twitter the other day note that refs called holding on a touchback on someone this weekend. He made a good point--refs should only intervene and make calls on plays that affect competitive balance. They should not call every ticky tack foul they see, even on things like a touchback where it clearly played zero role in the play.

 

[knowyourenemy]

I think the officials are doing it intentionally to grow public sentiment in support of full time officials so that the NFL has to make them full time. There’s no other explanation. The officials have never been this bad.

 

[megalodon30]

I think the officials are doing it intentionally to grow public sentiment in support of full time officials so that the NFL has to make them full time. There’s no other explanation. The officials have never been this bad.

What will their excuse be when their still making horrendous calls as full time refs?