Theory on NFL officiating (1 Viewer)

[AARPSaint]

Zach Strief actually just wrote an interesting article about the officiating (and also calling for patience with Bridgewater). Well worth the read:

Strief: Saints fans need patience with Bridgewater, impatience with incompetent NFL refs

Well, that wasn’t what we were hoping for...was it?

wwl.radio.com

Well worth reading!

 

[AARPSaint]

Really referring to Strief's excellent article--there has to be a technology that can train officials. If we can train pilots with flight simulators, which have been around for decades, there has to be a way to simulate game situations for training officials. We don't need to uproot their families; just find a way to do it like a video conference call.

Come on, NFL, figure it out. If you want to protect the shield, that means to safeguard the integrity of the game. Get an extra official to oversee each game as Mike Pereira suggested. Train officials with technology that was probably available years ago. Keep crews together for the postseason. Evaluate them properly, not with the equivalent of a participant trophy (another good point Strief made).

We're talking about a game here. If technology can train pilots, who are responsible for people in potentially life and death situations, it should be possible for the NFL to find a way to use it.

 

[DaveXA]

When you’re assessing the flaws in a group such as NFL officials, there can be multiple reasons creating problems. So it can be the complexity of the game, bias, human error, speed and physicality, increased scrutiny, ethics, and so on.

Silverbullet gave a specific example of a system that could improve the way games are officiated. Whatever the solution, it needs to be something that sufficiently works to mitigate any of the problematic influences.

Primarily I’m pushing back against the ideas of:

-they hate us
-there is a centrally directed system in place to rig the outcome of games

While I don't disagree with your last 2 points, it doesn't make me feel any more confident in the competence or integrity of the officiating. I don't think anyone disputes that officiating has gotten worse. And the excuses I'm hearing really fall flat for me.

For example, I have heard a lot about the speed of the game getting faster. I've been to hundreds of games at all levels of competition, I've also officiated games in little league. While the speed of the game is certainly a lot faster at these NFL level, it's not so fast that correct calls are that much more difficult to make. These officials have been trained and should be used to the speed of the game. If the game is too fast for them, maybe it stands to reason that they're not cut out to officiate at the hehe pro level. Sure there will be bang-bang plays. The blown call in the NFCCG wasn't a bang-bang play, that's an easy call to make. The lost seconds at the end of the half in week 1 wasn't a bang-bang play. The one Sunday with the fumble called was closest to bang-bang, but even that one, the ball clearly slipped out of Goff's hand before the ball squirted forward.

The rules have changed and are myriad, but if they are pros, they should have and firm grasp of the rules. There's no excuse for not knowing the rules.

To me, from my prior experience and observations it's just becoming very difficult to chalk this up to incompetence or no knowing the rules.

 

[FLIPPY]

Ok, why didn’t the league just rig it so the Rams won the Super Bowl?

Who knows...?

Why does the NFL have so much money vested in Los Angeles..? Did they do that in any other NFL city?

Zach Strief actually just wrote an interesting article about the officiating (and also calling for patience with Bridgewater). Well worth the read:

Strief: Saints fans need patience with Bridgewater, impatience with incompetent NFL refs

Well, that wasn’t what we were hoping for...was it?

wwl.radio.com

I know I stated a thread about Bridgewater not being the answer after the game; however, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and a full weeks practice with the firsts to see what he does..

But if the guy just stands there again looking for receivers and not being able to read a defense... What should I think..?