Replacement officials

Thank God there's an untapped supply of replacements!

Maybe Goodell can pre-fund duh artist and make him the new director of officiating.

I think it's clearly the perfect time to look into robot referees.

I doubt the current refs will receive any sympathy from the fans.

I think this may help simplify some of the rules to the pro game, as well. They have gotten better with this, but unless they want an extraordinary number of games the season decided by blown calls, they better continue the simplification. Rookie refs would make things much worse...

The biggest hurdle for the NFLRA is that refs are much more easily replaced than players are. The NFL had replacement refs for the start of the 2001 season, and I don't remember any performance issues with those replacements.

I'm applying. I promise that any scoring call on the Pack will be called back for holding, and any sack on Rodgers will be flagged for roughing the passer. To maintain fairness, I will uphold these same standards for the Dolphins.

I feel bad for Quiet One if she doesn't get to see Ed Hochuli this season.

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I doubt the current refs will receive any sympathy from the fans.

Whats the wedge between the union and the NFL? Is it strictly coin?

posturing a bit I'm sure, but it's like the bounty thing all over again...

http://profootballtalk.nbcspor...-charge-against-nfl/

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The NFL Referees Association has filed an unfair labor practices charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The charge, a copy of which the NFLRA has forwarded to PFT, alleges that the league has engaged in “direct dealing” by sending letters to locked-out game officials that “contained inaccurate, false and incomplete information regarding bargaining issues and proposals.”

The NFLRA contends that the league sent letters to the game officials on two occasions: June 4 and June 15.

“It is clear the league never intended to work toward a fair agreement, even through mediation,” NFLRA executive director Mike Arnold said in a press release. “As previously noted, the NFL sent out notices regarding the recruitment of replacement referees while we were actively negotiating under the auspicious [sic] of a jointly agreed upon Federal Mediator. Now during a lockout, the NFL is attempting to bypass NFLRA negotiators by distributing inaccurate and misleading financial information to all the referees. We have urged the Board to investigate this matter quickly and to seek appropriate remedies against the NFL’s unlawful bargaining practices.”

I remember they used college officials at the start of one season (2001, IIRC), and they actually did a decent job in spite of being under close scrutiny by the fans and media.

Goodell was at Packers practice today. He is on a tour of training camps.

@TomSilverstein
#NFL has proposed to officials union adding 21 new positions, said Roger Goodell. "We could have a deeper pool of officials," he said.

@TomSilverstein
Added Goodell: "We'd be able to potentially move them in and out. That's something we're discussing with the officials."

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We'd be able to potentially move them in and out

Great! So instead of having younger officials, we have MORE older officials trying to keep up with world class athletes. Perfect plausible deniability

cool! I want to see their IR and PUP lists published before each game, too! :-)

Then there is this.... Just unbelieveable.

NFLPA on Replacement Refs

DeMaurice Smith, might be the dumbest guy in the world regarding PR. This is the NFL and refs fight, he doesn't need to stick his head into it, and saying that the players might Strike. The NFL is going to hell in a hand basket.

DeMo-lition threatens a possible player strike for the regular season based on potential threat to player safety using replacement refs...

He know's the players he represents have already played 3 weeks with said replacement ref's, right?

@adbrandt
Negotiating play to real Refs. RT @realfreemancbs: Memo from league office today to teams: replacement refs will start season.

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Originally posted by PackerRuss:
The NFL is going to hell in a hand basket.

Agreed. There's no excuse not to come to some kind of agreement. 2nd rate penny ante BS.

IIRC part of the issue is that the NFL wanted some full-time officials where many of the current refs don't want to give up their good coin day jobs. I think that part has been settled but don't remember for sure.

A few of the issues that are outstanding include, the NFL wanting to hire 3-6 more crews (giving some of the regular refs a week or two off) = less $$$. Also, I think the refs want a significant increase in their pension. They refs make somewhere between $3,500-8,000/ game. Not bad for a real job, let alone for a secondary job.

The NFL is a multi-BILLION dollar business. I read that the league and the NFLRA are about $12mm apart. Pissing match over $12mm when they generate Billions. $12mm is about $24000 per team per week.

All we can hope for is another Horrifc call that leads to a L against the NYG or WAS or DAL in Week 1 or 2, and we'll see Mara, Snyder, Jones, call Goody into the office and tell him to get the F'n thing done.

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Originally posted by PackerRuss:
Also, I think the refs want a significant increase in their pension.

How does that work? Aren't they already drawing their pension?

You're probably right, PackerRuss. You could also add NE to your list

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Originally posted by Hungry5:
The NFL is a multi-BILLION dollar business. I read that the league and the NFLRA are about $12mm apart. Pissing match over $12mm when they generate Billions. $12mm is about $24000 per team per week.

So ridiculous that $12m is holding this up. Dan Snyder pissed away three times this on Albert Haynesworth. Even more ridiculous that the NFL does not employ full time officials. Very surprised the NFLPA and NFL don't care more about this. Full time officials would fix a lot of problems including health risks, as full time officials would be better at calling fouls on the field.

And please, no more threads on the replacement officials sucking. Of course they suck, they're practically the C team (after normal NFL refs and division 1 college refs). If the NFL started playing today with only division II players, the product would be terrible. Same with using division II officials. They suck, we know they're going to suck, and it's the NFL's fault.

It won't be a judgement call that sinks the replacements. It will be a non-play screw up. There have been plenty of those in the pre-season.

Something like a ball spot screw up or more likely a clock screw up. The replacements have had all kinds of problems with when to wind the clock, when to stop it, and when to let it run.

Close to the end of the first half two weeks ago. 49'ers and Texans. 49'ers had the ball. There was about 13 seconds on the clock. Texans commit a defensive penalty. The 49'ers accept it. The officials stop the clock, spot the ball, then start the clock. 49'ers break the huddle and the whistle sounds to end the half. Officials run off the field. Kubiak and Harbaugh are both kind of looking at each other not sure what just happened.

The one rule we've all heard since we were youngsters. "The half can not end on a defensive penalty". This time it actually did.

It's going to be something where a common everyday rule is completely carved up by a replacement that directly effects the outcome of a game.

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Originally posted by Shoeless Joe:

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Originally posted by PackerRuss:
Also, I think the refs want a significant increase in their pension.

How does that work? Aren't they already drawing their pension?

Actually, I believe they are trying to keep their current pension plan as is. The league is asking them to switch to a 401K for retirement.

Pensions are no longer economically feasible, so hardly an unreasonable request by the league. Pensions are a big reason why certain industries are/were struggling (auto, airline).

The majority, if not all, of the real officials are actually part time employees. They have real careers.

I've never understood why the NFL never asked them to agree to become officials on a full time basis and then set up a salary / benefit package.

The real ref's have a pretty good gig if they all have full time careers and also draw a salary and a nice pension / retirement package for part time work.

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Originally posted by CUPackFan:
Pensions are no longer economically feasible, so hardly an unreasonable request by the league. Pensions are a big reason why certain industries are/were struggling (auto, airline).

Ya but, every other aspect of the NFL receives a pension, so why would the refs want to be switched to a 401K?

The refs make somewhere between 48K-128K for a "second job". That's not bad. I know about 16 Million people right now, that would take that as a "primary" job. Oh, and lets not forget they make that $$ in a 5 month time frame.

can't remember who was playing this last weekend but there was a a penalty assessed against the defense as the 1st QUARTER ended and the refs walked off the penalty and then made the offense run another play with the clock at 0:00 to end the quarter before they switched sides of the field.

I mean, cmoun. Who's that UNknowledgeable about the rules?

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Originally posted by ChilliJon:
The majority, if not all, of the real officials are actually part time employees. They have real careers.

And there is the problem; the referees are only part time employee. These guys have high paying primary jobs, the NFL ref gig ie a hobby. The NFL would like to move towards a more full time professional model for their refs, remember all the complaints about the refs only being part timers? The NFL also wants a younger ref core that spends more time training for the job. The current real refs simple cannot spend more time training; they have to spend time doing their real job.

Well written piece here by Brandt

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Originally posted by Tdog:
can't remember who was playing this last weekend but there was a a penalty assessed against the defense as the 1st QUARTER ended and the refs walked off the penalty and then made the offense run another play with the clock at 0:00 to end the quarter before they switched sides of the field.

Bears-Giants. That was just classic. I think we're all floored because we expected some inconsistency in judgment calls (PI, holding, etc.), but how can these guys not handle the black and white procedures of the game? Stuff Joe Sixpack at home could handle if given a whistle.

Is anyone else watching the Giants - Pats game on NFL Network?

Giants punt the ball. Two flags on the play.

Ref calls the Giants for an illigal shift and the Pats for a personal foul. Another ref steps in and tells the ref that both fouls are on the Giants. Ref starts to correct the call, get's about 5 words out and then stops in mid sentence. Another ref blows the whistle and starts the play clock to repeat 4th down. The ball meanwhile was never moved.

Coughlin comes on the field and is looking for some clarification.

The refs all get together again for some discussion. The NY crows is starting to ramp up a little displeasure.

Ref once again turns on the microphone and says, "Correction on the call. Both penalties are on the same....kicking...team...." then just freezes and turns off the mic. The NY crowd is now fully letting him have it. Belichik and Coughlin are now both out on the field. Another huddle with the refs.

Mike Mayock who is calling the game is having a tough time holding back. He does manage to get out a subdued, "it's time to get things resolved. Too many rules, too fast of a game for inexperienced people to try and learn this fast"

Never did get a full exlpanation of the penalties. Not sure if the penalty was ever actually walked off. In all it took about 3 minutes. I hope Goodell was watching that.

In NY NE game the refs are taking for ever to review a spike play. Def had 12 on the field. This game may go to OT. Crap NE just throught a interception.

D Smith is doing nothing more than 1 union supporting another. I think he is slightly off base but I think he felt he had to take a stand.