sacrosaint
All-Pro
Offline
I am just a fan. I am a fan of the New Orleans Saints and a fan of the NFL. I am tired of watching NFL games - not just Saints games - that are adversely affected by the current officiating system in place. The game has changed. It is time for NFL officiating to keep up.
I am not an expert but I can see that the officiating in the NFL needs to be fixed. For the 3rd time in three high profile games, the officials have made errors that cost the Saints games and/or points. No team should be subjected to these types of mistakes. Even if you are not a fan of the Saints, it should be concerning to you as a fan of an NFL team that these situations continue to occur.
The average age of an NFL official is 51 years. The average age of an NFL player is 26.6 years. The officials are almost two times older than the players on the field. The speed of the game is faster than ever and will only continue to increase as teams and players look for conditioning, training, and analytical methods to get an edge over competitors. Meanwhile, the NFL is expecting middle-aged men to keep up with players half their age on the field and to see the plays in real time and make decisions on the spot.
Another issue is that not all NFL officials are full time employees. This is a distraction from focusing on the rule changes and expectations of meeting the needs on game days from August through February.
It is time for a change. It is time for the NFL to recognize that the game has evolved and the current methods of choosing and training NFL officials are outdated. It is time for the NFL to bring in younger, faster referees who are more physically able to keep up with the ever accelerating speed of the athletes who play the game and deserve accurate calls on the field.
I propose that the NFL begin a transition to using former college and NFL players as full-time officials in the NFL. All referees have to be under the age of 40. Former players will have the speed to keep up with the players on the field and the knowledge of rules to make calls in real time.
I propose that the number of referees increase from 7 to 10 for each game. And I propose that the NFL needs to rework the employment of referees so that all are full time and are constantly training on the rules of the NFL. Former players will be monitored to ensure that they are not officiating games that could call create bias. Referees should be assigned to regions that are not part of their hometown or college/pro assignments.
I also propose that the NFL completely revamp their replay and challenge systems to make full use of all possible technology at their disposal. It is obvious that the way it is currently handled does not take advantage of all options available to enable referees to see what has happened on the field. The NFL needs to update the booth review process to make it transparent. Communication between booth review officials and on field officials should be shared in real time with the teams, fans, and commentators.
The current system in place for referees is a problem for the long term health of the NFL. The credibility of the NFL is in jeopardy. It is time for a discussion led by coaches, and players engaging and encouraging owners and the NFL front office in the process. It is time to make a change.
I am not an expert but I can see that the officiating in the NFL needs to be fixed. For the 3rd time in three high profile games, the officials have made errors that cost the Saints games and/or points. No team should be subjected to these types of mistakes. Even if you are not a fan of the Saints, it should be concerning to you as a fan of an NFL team that these situations continue to occur.
The average age of an NFL official is 51 years. The average age of an NFL player is 26.6 years. The officials are almost two times older than the players on the field. The speed of the game is faster than ever and will only continue to increase as teams and players look for conditioning, training, and analytical methods to get an edge over competitors. Meanwhile, the NFL is expecting middle-aged men to keep up with players half their age on the field and to see the plays in real time and make decisions on the spot.
Another issue is that not all NFL officials are full time employees. This is a distraction from focusing on the rule changes and expectations of meeting the needs on game days from August through February.
It is time for a change. It is time for the NFL to recognize that the game has evolved and the current methods of choosing and training NFL officials are outdated. It is time for the NFL to bring in younger, faster referees who are more physically able to keep up with the ever accelerating speed of the athletes who play the game and deserve accurate calls on the field.
I propose that the NFL begin a transition to using former college and NFL players as full-time officials in the NFL. All referees have to be under the age of 40. Former players will have the speed to keep up with the players on the field and the knowledge of rules to make calls in real time.
I propose that the number of referees increase from 7 to 10 for each game. And I propose that the NFL needs to rework the employment of referees so that all are full time and are constantly training on the rules of the NFL. Former players will be monitored to ensure that they are not officiating games that could call create bias. Referees should be assigned to regions that are not part of their hometown or college/pro assignments.
I also propose that the NFL completely revamp their replay and challenge systems to make full use of all possible technology at their disposal. It is obvious that the way it is currently handled does not take advantage of all options available to enable referees to see what has happened on the field. The NFL needs to update the booth review process to make it transparent. Communication between booth review officials and on field officials should be shared in real time with the teams, fans, and commentators.
The current system in place for referees is a problem for the long term health of the NFL. The credibility of the NFL is in jeopardy. It is time for a discussion led by coaches, and players engaging and encouraging owners and the NFL front office in the process. It is time to make a change.
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