NFL will "proceed immediately" with hiring and training replacement officials

[NEP4Life]

NFL to begin process for replacement refs - Extra Points - Boston.com

A season of chippy games is in the offing! :bricks:

 

[TriplecHamp]

wish this happend to the nba instead.

 

[PatsSox363804]

Page 1 of the training manual:

"You see that guy wearing 18? Yeah when he throws it downfield and its incomplete throw a flag for PI."

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Yuck.

Just pay them enough already, and more than in the past so that being a referee can be a full-time job.

People hate to admit it, but quality officials are majorly important to the game, and they would be better at their job if it were not a side profession for them.

I am not looking forward to having replacement referees.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Rule #1 for the new guys should read....

Watch for #31 Ravens - Immediately throw a flag for Unsportsmanlike Conduct and a 15 Yard penalty if you see him even come close to the knees or lower.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I was hoping Rodney Harrison was going to become a referee soon,this would be a good time to show his interest.

 

[Rob0729]

As bad as the officiating has been in the last few years, could scab refs be any worse?

 

[ScottieC]

As bad as the officiating has been in the last few years, could scab refs be any worse?

Yes.

10 Char.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yuck.

Just pay them enough already, and more than in the past so that being a referee can be a full-time job.

People hate to admit it, but quality officials are majorly important to the game, and they would be better at their job if it were not a side profession for them.

I am not looking forward to having replacement referees.

Not sure where you get this, but people have been calling for full time quality referees for YEARS. The NFL and the NFLRA are the ones who have balked at it.. Keeping the hacks we've got.

 

[DaBruinz]

BTW, here is the NFLPA weighing in:

Per Adam Caplan:
The NFL Players Association is concerned about the NFLs decision to lock out professional referees and recruit scabs to serve as referees in NFL games for the 2012 season. In 2011, the NFL tasked officials with increased responsibilities in protecting player health and safety and its search for scabs undermines that important function."

I find this so hypocritical of then when they are in the midst of the bountygate scandal.. But, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They always want to blame the NFL/Owners for everything..

 

[neuronet]

Why are the refs against full-time status? Weird.

 

[signbabybrady]

Not sure I agree with the assumption Scab Ref = Bad Ref.

There are a very limited number of NFL Ref jobs and I would think there are more than enough qualified seasoned refs to replace them and I would even think that some are better just haven't got their chance yet.

I will admit I dont know all that much about the process of becoming a ref and the process to keeping your job at the NFL level (can you lose your job for not grading out as a good ref? I know they grade refs to determine who gets playoff and SB gigs but do they use this to bring you back or not?).

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Don't know nearly enough about the two sides differences to assess blame for this situation, but there are likely a lot of experienced "scabs" in existence given the size of the pool these hunred or so part time pros are drawn from is pretty substantial... I have a feeling their union will realize that pdq...

 

[pdangle]

Aren't they making 150K-200K already? Despite what some would say, this really IS their full time job. What else do you call something that provides 99% of your net income? What would we have them do during the off-season anyway? Watch training videos? Engage in health & nutrition regimens? Most refs are just messing around with parenting, PTA meetings, football camps, and start-up businesses until the season starts. A "full-time" designation would do little to improve the on field quality. All it would do is remove the "real cause" everyone spouts for their teams woes season after season. Refs are humans. Humans make mistakes. You get some calls, you don't some calls. They really DO even out over a few seasons. Just live with it, move on.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Aren't they making 150K-200K already?

A bleacher report article from 4 years ago said that he average NFL official was at that time paid $27,000 per year, a far contrast to the $128,000 an NBA official received at the time.

Granted, the NBA plays far more games than the NFL, and the NFL official works less, but this disparity is rather large.

NHL officials, on average, earned $139,000 annually in 2008; Major League Baseball officials, on average, earned $141,000 annually in 2008.


The NFL Needs Full-Time Officials | Bleacher Report

 

[BradyFTW!]

As bad as the officiating has been in the last few years, could scab refs be any worse?

That's what I keep doing back and forth on. Which position holds true?:

A) These refs suck anyways, let them walk.
B) Replacement refs, somehow, would be even worse.

Hard to say which side of that fence I come down on.

 

[lurker1965]

NFL to begin process for replacement refs - Extra Points - Boston.com

A season of chippy games is in the offing! :bricks:

I look forward to pictures of the players honoring the picket lines. I know I won't have to search because several posters here think the NFLPA is a union.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Aren't they making 150K-200K already? Despite what some would say, this really IS their full time job. What else do you call something that provides 99% of your net income? What would we have them do during the off-season anyway? Watch training videos? Engage in health & nutrition regimens? Most refs are just messing around with parenting, PTA meetings, football camps, and start-up businesses until the season starts. A "full-time" designation would do little to improve the on field quality. All it would do is remove the "real cause" everyone spouts for their teams woes season after season. Refs are humans. Humans make mistakes. You get some calls, you don't some calls. They really DO even out over a few seasons. Just live with it, move on.

No, that's what they make in all the other major sports leagues. NFL officials make far, far less. Probably because they only officiate a fraction as many games.

 

[Pujo]

I look forward to pictures of the players honoring the picket lines. I know I won't have to search because several posters here think the NFLPA is a union.

Legally speaking, the NFLPA is a union, which is why they had to vote to decertify and become a professional association before filing an antitrust suit against the NFL. They recertified as a union prior to ratifying the CBA.

 

[lurker1965]

Legally speaking, the NFLPA is a union, which is why they had to vote to decertify and become a professional association before filing an antitrust suit against the NFL. They recertified as a union prior to ratifying the CBA.

Then I look forward to their spokesman explaining why they don't have to honor any ref picket lines.