No bad ideas: how would you fix NFL officiating?

[Irish]

If this season, and the last couple of seasons at that, have proven anything, its that the NFL has an officiating problem that has evolved well past being ineptly cute a la "three blind mice" and has festered into something that week in and week out is damaging the credibility of the league's product. Every week, it seems the stories are getting worse, whether its missing blatant calls, making too many "ticky tack" calls that make the games seemingly about the refs and not the the game itself.

So how would you personally fix the officiating? Like the title says, no bad ideas in this space, because it can't possibly get any worse.

I will start with some crazy off the wall stuff:

1) No refs on the field anymore. The only on field officials would be one or two refs in tennis-like perches on each sideline that moves on a cable system or track in each direction. Their ONLY purpose is to throw flags on onto the field, they do not make calls. The calls come from #2-

2) Have a team of officials in the replay booth that watch the game on the state of the art cameras that produce each game. 3-5 men (or women) who each watch their own part of the game (QB, Line of scrimmage for Offsides/holding, defensive backfield, etc). When these people see something on the screens, it takes 2 people to verify a call before they alert the on field officials who throw the flags onto the field and then make the corresponding call through their headsets. That way, you still have a human make the signals and calls, but the margin for error is greatly limited because it goes through a "vetting process" of sorts.

3) Make use of the tennis technology that shows whether something is inbounds or out of bounds. Not only would this help with dragging the feet, but it would help with corner endzone calls as well as pylon calls.

These are just a few things I thought of off of the top of my head. What sort of things would you like to see implemented?

 

[Legatron4]

Fire these old ass refs, hire ones from college. Have training camp and virtual reality so they can practice calls. Make them full time and have them study and practice everyday during the season just like players do. That's the only way.

 

[Merlin]

1. Simplify the rules. These guys have too much burden on them with all the recent player safety changes heaped on top of everything else.

2. Simplify replay. Coaches get one challenge per game. If they use it early on something stupid and get stiffed in the fourth quarter it's on them.

3. Quit running reviews on everything automatically. Slows the game down and cuts the ref's balls off. League office should instead total up the F'd up calls and mistakes weekly and rank out their refs then post those ranks to the NFL website for all fans to see.

4. Pay them as full time employees and hold them accountable. The above empowers them, and then you pay them well and get rid of the idiots who suck by firing the bottom feeders.

But yeah, I know, nowadays everything has to be perfect and they would rather slow the game down to a crawl by backing up the refs than holding them accountable right?

 

[DR RAM]

Make all of them accountable. They should have to speak, mandatory, to the press after games, just like coaches. Monetary fines for bad calls.

Establish a points system, predicated by game changing, or altering plays having a higher point value.

Every play, should be challengable. 4 red flags (challenge) for coaches. None taken away if coach is right.

If a ref gets too many points for missing a call, even a call, that should have been called after review, for a particular team, then he should never be allowed to ref that team.

Don't fine the announcers for calling out the refs. If they are bad, they deserve it.

If a ref accumulates too many points, larger fines, suspension, and ultimately losing their job. Where in the work world, would this be different?

Flags should be picked up, if they didn't alter the play in question, unless it's of the personal, or unnecessary category.

Make organized gambling illegal. Sorry, but if you don't think this is like offering candy to babies, then you are naive. I want a clean game.

 

[Irish]

I should have added a disclaimer to my post: I HATE the human element.

I am pro robo strike zone and umpies in baseball. The human element has no place in an industry that is responsible for the insane amount of money flowing through it. Mistakes, especially egregious ones undermine the league itself.

 

[RamFan503]

I hate the idea of getting away from the human element. After all, football is about the most human sport as far as I'm concerned.

I'm with many others and what @DR RAM said about accountability. Fines, demonstrating what a bad call looks like, higher pay for less blown calls - whatever.

If I were the NFL and I noticed not only an obvious trend of bad officiating, but the fans getting mightily pissed off about it like they are, I would get a handle on it and show the fans what you are doing. The TV audience that is your biggest paycheck can already go to their own replay booth. There is no reason why the NFL can't do it during a game.

Let the coaches challenge a couple penalties a game and see how it goes. Let the officiating office pick up a damn phone during the game when there are obvious blown calls. If the Ref makes a call that would result in a fine and the player didn't do it, fine the ref that same amount.

Tell the freaking refs that we are not watching the games to see THEM. I honestly think many of them think they are as big a part of the game as the players.

Have the coaches, fans, or front office vote on a blown call of the week and replay it on MNF. Hell let them vote on a great call of the week so that the fans can see who is making the most difficult calls accurately. Often there are great calls that offer the tiniest window for a ref to be in position and PAYING ATTENTION in order to make. Show them and give the ref a perk.

And probably the easiest one to do out of all of them.... simplify the freaking rule book. I really don't like listening to Cris Collinsworth but he is right about the rule book being like the IRS code these days. The game is bang bang all game long. Quit with all the nuance calls and have them get closer to calling balls and strikes.

 

[Irish]

I hate the idea of getting away from the human element. After all, football is about the most human sport as far as I'm concerned.

I'm with many others and what @DR RAM said about accountability. Fines, demonstrating what a bad call looks like, higher pay for less blown calls - whatever.

If I were the NFL and I noticed not only an obvious trend of bad officiating, but the fans getting mightily pissed off about it like they are, I would get a handle on it and show the fans what you are doing. The TV audience that is your biggest paycheck can already go to their own replay booth. There is no reason why the NFL can't do it during a game.

Let the coaches challenge a couple penalties a game and see how it goes. Let the officiating office pick up a damn phone during the game when there are obvious blown calls. If the Ref makes a call that would result in a fine and the player didn't do it, fine the ref that same amount.

Tell the freaking refs that we are not watching the games to see THEM. I honestly think many of them think they are as big a part of the game as the players.

Have the coaches, fans, or front office vote on a blown call of the week and replay it on MNF. Hell let them vote on a great call of the week so that the fans can see who is making the most difficult calls accurately. Often there are great calls that offer the tiniest window for a ref to be in position and PAYING ATTENTION in order to make. Show them and give the ref a perk.

And probably the easiest one to do out of all of them.... simplify the freaking rule book. I really don't like listening to Cris Collinsworth but he is right about the rule book being like the IRS code these days. The game is bang bang all game long. Quit with all the nuance calls and have them get closer to calling balls and strikes.

Exhibit A for the Human Element

 

[FRO]

1- Simplify the rule book. Way too many rules and contingents to each rule.

2- Hire full time refs. The league can afford it and the refs apparently need the time to hone their craft.

3- Hold refs accountable in the media. Make them answer questions after games.

4- Fire Goodell. Just do it.

 

[RamFan503]

Exhibit A for the Human Element

Ha! Yeah - I get that element and that was pretty pathetic. Still the refs make mostly good calls (defined as non-calls) and I'd hate to have faceless drones in a booth looking at every play on a screen or judges sitting in towers. Too video game-ish for me.

 

[RamFan503]

1- Simplify the rule book. Way too many rules and contingents to each rule.

2- Hire full time refs. The league can afford it and the refs apparently need the time to hone their craft.

3- Hold refs accountable in the media. Make them answer questions after games.

4- Fire Goodell. Just do it.

Agree with all but #2. Just don't see it doing a bit of good. You can't enforce it and you can't make people hone their skills. Pay for quality - yes - the NFL can afford it. I'm all over #4. Let's face it. None of the rest will ACTUALLY happen unless he's gone anyway.

 

[DR RAM]

Ha! Yeah - I get that element and that was pretty pathetic. Still the refs make mostly good calls (defined as non-calls) and I'd hate to have faceless drones in a booth looking at every play on a screen or judges sitting in towers. Too video game-ish for me.

I just want them to be right, the calls, and I want to ferret out the cheating that goes on. If that means activating this guy, I'm all for it.

 

[Zombie Slayer]

1. Full time refs with accountability based on their performance.

2. Simplify rule book.

3. Keep all of the same refs on the field but add a couple of refs that are in a booth looking at the instant replays to make sure everything is correct. Have all refs able to be in constant communication via Bluetooth or something.

I think this will eliminate the need to automatically review turnovers and tds. We need to start taking advantage of the technology we have. As much as we rag on the refs, they got most of the calls correct. I think having these refs looking at the replays instantly will ensure nothing gets missed. I also think it would speed up the games a little.

 

[JUMAVA68]

Simplify the rules its getting to complicated for players and fans alike.Its a physical game that's what attracts most fans so let them play.The only rule I wouldn't change is anything to do with a concussion aside from that they know the risks when they choose to play a game for fame and fortune.It seemed to work just fine for decades but football of today is not the football I became a fan of.

 

[TexasRam]

A couple easy changes:

Close calls always go to the blue team.
Teams with Bird Mascots are to be flagged approximately 2x more than their opponents.
Offenses of Red teams are to be flagged for holding every other snap.
Teams with History of videotaping and ball deflating are not allowed to win more than 8 games per year until 2026.

 

[Robocop]

stick electrodes to their nipples and every time they blow a call or target a team or player with bias they get shocked with enough volts to set their chest hairs on fire. female refs not excluded

 

[iamme33]

1- Simplify the rule book. Way too many rules and contingents to each rule.

2- Hire full time refs. The league can afford it and the refs apparently need the time to hone their craft.

3- Hold refs accountable in the media. Make them answer questions after games.

4- Fire Goodell. Just do it.

yea along with simplifying the rule book change equipment as much as possible, face shield instead of face guard (no more face mask calls)big pads on ol mens hands (no more holding calls)look into helmets made of something like memory foam only harder but still has some give. that would get rid of those hard shells on helmets it might help with concussions, knee braces to protect joints with out hindering movement. make top of shoulder pad go into back of helmet ( no more horse coller) .there are lots more they could improve. then if the game was safer they could do away with a lot of these rules they have added for safety

 

[RamFan503]

look into helmets made of something like memory foam only harder but still has some give. that would get rid of those hard shells on helmets it might help with concussions

I think it was Ditka who said if the NFL truly wanted to get rid of concussions, they would return to leather helmets. Let someone try to lead with their head wearing one of those.

 

[Ballhawk]

I would get rid of the officials and then have the local regent sit in the stands and after watching the replays just give the thumbs up or down.:yess:

 

[Force16X]

A couple easy changes:

Close calls always go to the blue team.
Teams with Bird Mascots are to be flagged approximately 2x more than their opponents.
Offenses of Red teams are to be flagged for holding every other snap.
Teams with History of videotaping and ball deflating are not allowed to win more than 8 games per year until 2026.

whereas in 2026 it will become 7 wins per year forever. that way not only are they bowl ineligible, they dont pick in the top 10 either.

 

[Username]

3 dick punches for every missed or blown call.