No bad ideas: how would you fix NFL officiating?

[den-the-coach]

I've been posting or communicating this for a number of years....They need to make the officials full time referees, presently they are part time and that's why you have so many issues and many of them not on the same page.

The questions about making them part time has always been, what do they do in the off season? And I can't believe the NFL gets by with this dilemma. Have them work out in the off season, it's a fast game and the officials need to be in superior shape add in continually test them and have the chiefs of the crews go around the U.S. and Europe and hold seminars on the rules of the game.

Most of them, IMO, don't know the rules and by making them full time you will have sound referees both in mind and in body and I truly believe this would benefit not only the officials, but the game would be better overall adding the seminars in the off season spread the good will of the game as well.

 

[bluecoconuts]

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

This, same with other sports. Explain the call they made. Too often I want to know why something was ruled and there's nothing. Even a "we messed up on that one." is better than silence, because it at least shows they recognize the mistake.

 

[Rambitious1]

I'd start by firing Blandino.

 

[Mojo Ram]

New commissioner.

 

[Selassie I]

Make everything and every play eligible for review.

Limiting the amount of corrections allowed in a game is asinine. The correct call should always be the top priority.

And for those worried about the game slowing down... have you been watching the refs constantly huddle up after every single call these days??? It takes them 5 minutes to call a false start now,,, by the time the head zebra turns his mic on and actually let's us in on the decision, we've already watched the replay 4 or 5 times. Meanwhile, the clowns in stripes are arguing amongst themselves about what they THINK they saw.

Replay would speak UP the process compared to what's happening now... and the accuracy of the calls would be dramatically improved.

 

[blackbart]

Simplify the rules

Make the refs full time employees and hold them accountable

Fix the offensive holding calls somehow. I mean if it is obvious and not getting called like choking out Quinn why not just do away with it all together on pass plays.

Calls away from the play are not called unless it is a personal foul

Do something about penalties on punts. The dumbshit like running out of bounds who cares??

Someone watching every play and verifying calls like roughing the passer and scores.If its obvious overturn the call. None of this undisputed or not BS

 

[fearsomefour]

Make everything and every play eligible for review.

Limiting the amount of corrections allowed in a game is asinine. The correct call should always be the top priority.

And for those worried about the game slowing down... have you been watching the refs constantly huddle up after every single call these days??? It takes them 5 minutes to call a false start now,,, by the time the head zebra turns his mic on and actually let's us in on the decision, we've already watched the replay 4 or 5 times. Meanwhile, the clowns in stripes are arguing amongst themselves about what they THINK they saw.

Replay would speak UP the process compared to what's happening now... and the accuracy of the calls would be dramatically improved.

Everything for review?
You would certainly end up with 5 hour games. What is called a hold and what is not?
Endless.
Would make the game unwatchable.

 

[fearsomefour]

Simplify the rules

Make the refs full time employees and hold them accountable

Fix the offensive holding calls somehow. I mean if it is obvious and not getting called like choking out Quinn why not just do away with it all together on pass plays.

Calls away from the play are not called unless it is a personal foul

Do something about penalties on punts. The dumbshit like running out of bounds who cares??

Someone watching every play and verifying calls like roughing the passer and scores.If its obvious overturn the call. None of this undisputed or not BS

The problem is a lot of the rules depend on how action is happening. If someone is blocking and has his hands in good position and the rusher dips down to get around the blocker and it causes the arm to go around the rusher....like we see with Quinn a lot....BUT, the blocker never changed his hand position, that is generally not going to get called. The defensive player put himself in that position.

 

[Selassie I]

Everything for review?
You would certainly end up with 5 hour games. What is called a hold and what is not?
Endless.
Would make the game unwatchable.

Like I tried to say in my post... I actually think it would speed up the calls. But even if it didn't,,, and 10 - 15 minutes were added to the game... I'd be perfectly fine with it. The correct call should be priority.

Technology has made everything faster... it can do the same for football if we use it more.

 

[fearsomefour]

Like I tried to say in my post... I actually think it would speed up the calls. But even if it didn't,,, and 10 - 15 minutes were added to the game... I'd be perfectly fine with it. The correct call should be priority.

Technology has made everything faster... it can do the same for football if we use it more.

Just wouldn't work I think.
You know how many pass plays would be reviewed for ether PI or a non call PI or more likely D hold or illegal use of hands? Every single pass play has that element that could be reviewed. You are talking about 50-60 plays a game just in the pass game, just in the D backfield. It would be a disaster.
Like MLB experimenting with digital umps calling balls and strikes....only to find out the digital was inaccurate as well.
It is the human element, no easy fix.

 

[blackbart]

Get rid of the controlling the ball to the ground for a catch. Runners are down by contact if they fumble going to the ground receivers should be too

 

[Zaphod]

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.

It took guts to say it, but I think you're right about the root of the problem in that last paragraph. Of course there will still be a black market for anything illegal with demand and I don't know how they can go about it, but any way you can reduce the profit margin and thus it's it's impact is potentially a good thing. But you can't change human nature and other big monetary influences like the tv market factor which kind of coincides with gambling IMO.

Not trivializing your other ideas, i thought they were all good. I guess that point really hit home with me as something i expect to be related but rarely talked about.

 

[Fatbot]

They should have to speak, mandatory, to the press after games, just like coaches

Here was one attempt to have refs on a talk show after the game, it didn't work out well: https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-referee/2877573

 

[12intheBox]

Let the players call their own fouls?

Robots?

Scrap the rule book and let everything go?

 

[Selassie I]

Just wouldn't work I think.
You know how many pass plays would be reviewed for ether PI or a non call PI or more likely D hold or illegal use of hands? Every single pass play has that element that could be reviewed. You are talking about 50-60 plays a game just in the pass game, just in the D backfield. It would be a disaster.
Like MLB experimenting with digital umps calling balls and strikes....only to find out the digital was inaccurate as well.
It is the human element, no easy fix.

An eye in the sky can watch the game at the same time the on field refs do. The eye would have the final say instead of the head ref. Instead of a huddle of clowns arguing over what they remember seeing... the eye would quickly verify the correct call... it would be as fast, if not fsster, than the current ref huddles.

Not all plays require much in the way of replay or verification. Most plays don't really.

I don't believe the process would take longer at all. Especially if we add a few cameras and technology instead of another zebra out on the field.

People and the human element will still be there and an integral part of the process. Lasers and electronic eyes won't be making the calls... they will allow the dumb humans to be far more accurate and consistent.

 

[Fatbot]

Instead of a huddle of clowns

"Clowns" reminded me of this gathering: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs....621/A_NEWS/306210316/-1/WAP07&template=wapart
Gotta love the only rule Mike Pereira ever lived by as an NFL ref (and now laughably the FOX ref guru), "Don't screw the 49ers".
If that's the "human element", no thanks.

 

[Leuzer]

Public executions...