NFL officiating

Craig S. · 12-12-2002, 12:25 PM

I've always found the refereeing in the NFL to be the worst of any major sport. There's absolutely no consistency, especially in the areas of offensive holding and defensive pass interference.

Now, a recent league memo pretty much admits that referee Walt Coleman cost the Vikes a win over Green Bay on Sunday night:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2002/1211/1475659.html

I don't expect any league's officials to be perfect. Baseball has the strike zone issue, certain NBA refs allow for more physical play, and the NHL officials are again swallowing their whistles in the third period and overtime. However, I'm amazed week after week at what is missed or miscalled in the NFL.

Walt Coleman, the man at the center this time, is no stranger to controversy:

http://www.provencehome.org/refsuck/walt_coleman.htm

Maybe they could rate the officials and reward/punish them based on performace, although I'm sure their contracts and union rights make that difficult. As an NFL fan, it's just gotten to a ridiculous point week after week, where you have to hope the officials don't cost your team a victory.

sweaver · 12-12-2002, 12:32 PM

NFL officials are, almost by definition, part-time employees. One day a week, sixteen workdays a year, plus exhibitions and playoffs. The NFL will have to pony up some serious money to get full-time, fully professional officials.

Gosfgiants · 12-12-2002, 12:34 PM

In order to avoid an appearance of impropriety the NFL does not employ full-time refs. Every other sport uses full-time officials. I think that if the league made the officials full-time employees they quality of officiating would improve.

pwdennis · 12-14-2002, 01:38 AM

NFL officiating is a disgrace. How a league with the big-time TV revenues of the NFL thinks it can get by with part time officials is beyond me. Only the WWE has worse officials

pathogan · 12-18-2002, 11:22 AM

who is no slouch, once said, and I heard him, to someone who was going onand on" yep, you're the kind of fellow who believes that NFL refs are on the up and up, too." Now they gave him a chance to retract and he said"WHY?"...

Craig S. · 01-07-2003, 08:25 AM

Now the NFL is admitting that they blew the final play of the Giants-49ers game, and that the Giants should have had another chance to try a field goal:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs02/s/...6/1487933.html

I'm sure this is of great solace to the Giants at this point.

WiredTiger · 01-07-2003, 08:49 AM

The officials did not do a very good job on that Giants call. It seemed like they didn't know what the rules were. I do think full-time refs would help. The NFL is making money hand over fist and they can't afford to pay refs full time during the season?

pathogan · 01-07-2003, 09:54 AM

did not blow a 24 point lead in 17 minutes. the giants did that all by themselves

WiredTiger · 01-07-2003, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pathogan
did not blow a 24 point lead in 17 minutes. the giants did that all by themselves

Agreed. I have a feeling if they had got the snap down that the kick wasn't going through anyways. But they still probably deserved another chance to fail on their own.

Skip · 01-07-2003, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gosfgiants
In order to avoid an appearance of impropriety the NFL does not employ full-time refs.

I don't understand this statement.

KCBOOMER · 01-07-2003, 10:58 AM

The other sports have full-time officials because for at least six months the officials work at least three times a week plus travel. The NFL offcials travel once and just for one game.

The NFL needs to figure out how to up the amount of training these guys receive, but convincing the owners that upping their officiating costs by a factor of 5 to 10 is going to be a tough sell.

Gosfgiants · 01-07-2003, 12:16 PM

With playoff games the NFL uses all-star crews. The refs in all games this weekend had most likely not worked together before. Add in the other problems of not being full-time officials and you get awful calls like what happened in the Giants-Niners game.

SmedIndy · 01-07-2003, 11:19 PM

I thought the NFL officiating was better this year than in the past. However, I think you need to keep crews together.

One of my friends here in Zionsville is a head linesman for high school and small college games - for the HS tournament they pick crews, not individual refs, for the assignments and he did a state final game in football this year.

Bad calls happen in every sport. They cost team games. It's possibly exacerbated in football because there are few games, but the refs don't beat you 999 times out of 1000.

You haven't seen bad officiating until you have seen the refs in the Central Hockey League...phew....

JamesI · 01-07-2003, 11:35 PM

The officiating can be horid, but not really any worse than the NBA or the MLB strikezone.

Skip · 01-07-2003, 11:46 PM

I have an acquaintance/ex-student who is also an ex-NFL part-time ref. His comments about the 'profession' are quite interesting. Positive in general, but open about the reality of the part-time-ness of the job and what that means in terms of approach to it.

12-12-2002, 12:25 PM	#1
Craig S. Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,330	NFL officiating I've always found the refereeing in the NFL to be the worst of any major sport. There's absolutely no consistency, especially in the areas of offensive holding and defensive pass interference. Now, a recent league memo pretty much admits that referee Walt Coleman cost the Vikes a win over Green Bay on Sunday night: http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2002/1211/1475659.html I don't expect any league's officials to be perfect. Baseball has the strike zone issue, certain NBA refs allow for more physical play, and the NHL officials are again swallowing their whistles in the third period and overtime. However, I'm amazed week after week at what is missed or miscalled in the NFL. Walt Coleman, the man at the center this time, is no stranger to controversy: http://www.provencehome.org/refsuck/walt_coleman.htm Maybe they could rate the officials and reward/punish them based on performace, although I'm sure their contracts and union rights make that difficult. As an NFL fan, it's just gotten to a ridiculous point week after week, where you have to hope the officials don't cost your team a victory.

12-12-2002, 12:34 PM	#3
Gosfgiants NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 1,136	In order to avoid an appearance of impropriety the NFL does not employ full-time refs. Every other sport uses full-time officials. I think that if the league made the officials full-time employees they quality of officiating would improve. __________________ It'll always be Pacbell Park Beat LA!!!

12-14-2002, 01:38 AM	#4
pwdennis NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Winter Springs, FL Posts: 2,503	NFL officiating is a disgrace. How a league with the big-time TV revenues of the NFL thinks it can get by with part time officials is beyond me. Only the WWE has worse officials __________________ "I would submit that if the world survives for a million years, perhaps its finest hour may be that in the last half of the 20th century, when the power to blow up the world rested in the hands of a few men in two very unsophisticated and suspicious countries, we didn't do it, and one American, Richard Nixon, moved the cold war away from permanent confrontation toward victory. How could any wrong that he did compare with that?" - John Sears

12-18-2002, 11:22 AM	#5
pathogan william Blake's Innkeeper Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 2,828	Dan Jenkins who is no slouch, once said, and I heard him, to someone who was going onand on" yep, you're the kind of fellow who believes that NFL refs are on the up and up, too." Now they gave him a chance to retract and he said"WHY?"...

01-07-2003, 09:54 AM	#8
pathogan william Blake's Innkeeper Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 2,828	however,the zebras did not blow a 24 point lead in 17 minutes. the giants did that all by themselves

12-12-2002, 12:32 PM	#2
sweaver Netshrine Cleanup Hitter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Mountain State Posts: 8,883	NFL officials are, almost by definition, part-time employees. One day a week, sixteen workdays a year, plus exhibitions and playoffs. The NFL will have to pony up some serious money to get full-time, fully professional officials.

01-07-2003, 08:25 AM	#6
Craig S. Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,330	Now the NFL is admitting that they blew the final play of the Giants-49ers game, and that the Giants should have had another chance to try a field goal: http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs02/s/...6/1487933.html I'm sure this is of great solace to the Giants at this point.

01-07-2003, 08:49 AM	#7
WiredTiger Guest Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The city of Kaline, Cobb and Greenberg Posts: 3,395	The officials did not do a very good job on that Giants call. It seemed like they didn't know what the rules were. I do think full-time refs would help. The NFL is making money hand over fist and they can't afford to pay refs full time during the season?

01-07-2003, 10:58 AM	#11
KCBOOMER NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Home of the T-Bones Posts: 11,116	The other sports have full-time officials because for at least six months the officials work at least three times a week plus travel. The NFL offcials travel once and just for one game. The NFL needs to figure out how to up the amount of training these guys receive, but convincing the owners that upping their officiating costs by a factor of 5 to 10 is going to be a tough sell. __________________ KCBOOMER *Buck O'Neil: The Monarch of Baseball*

01-07-2003, 12:16 PM	#12
Gosfgiants NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 1,136	With playoff games the NFL uses all-star crews. The refs in all games this weekend had most likely not worked together before. Add in the other problems of not being full-time officials and you get awful calls like what happened in the Giants-Niners game. __________________ It'll always be Pacbell Park Beat LA!!!

01-07-2003, 11:19 PM	#13
SmedIndy NetShrine's Historian Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Zionsville, IN Posts: 10,569	I thought the NFL officiating was better this year than in the past. However, I think you need to keep crews together. One of my friends here in Zionsville is a head linesman for high school and small college games - for the HS tournament they pick crews, not individual refs, for the assignments and he did a state final game in football this year. Bad calls happen in every sport. They cost team games. It's possibly exacerbated in football because there are few games, but the refs don't beat you 999 times out of 1000. You haven't seen bad officiating until you have seen the refs in the Central Hockey League...phew....

01-07-2003, 11:35 PM	#14
JamesI Netshrine Vacuum Cleaner Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Potsdam, N.Y. Posts: 3,723	The officiating can be horid, but not really any worse than the NBA or the MLB strikezone.

01-07-2003, 11:46 PM	#15
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	I have an acquaintance/ex-student who is also an ex-NFL part-time ref. His comments about the 'profession' are quite interesting. Positive in general, but open about the reality of the part-time-ness of the job and what that means in terms of approach to it.

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