Let's start a petition to Goodell.

[Jeffg010]

they are getting alot of flack for calling too many penalties, but lets be honest, the regular refs let alot of PI and holds go all the damn time

Ya PI is a subjective rule that refs will never get it right. That is what everyone was bitching about last year.

 

[zokudu]

It's not even the calls its the 15 minute breaks halfway through a quarter because of something stupid. Anyone see the eagles game where there was a penalty during a sack? Literally like 10 minute stop in gameplay for no reason.

 

[soulcougher73]

I for one love challenges when you are out of timeouts....oh wait..

 

[Nintendesert]

for me it isn't the terrible calls and general lack of awareness from the refs, it is the utter lack of control that they have on the game. players and coaches are realizing that they can get away with more than normal.

players are getting chippy, coaches are pulling stunts (SF was a prime example today), and the game is devolving to sandlot football. I don't think I've seen a week where a fight hasn't broken out. I even think I saw a ref get clocked in the head last weekend and a single flag didn't fly. Hoc-ules would have ripped the guy a new a-hole.

the NFL has stood for professionalism all around. Unfortunately now we have a lack of professionalism from the refs and it shows. is it entertaining, yes. Every week something new is going to bubble up and I'm going to watch no matter what. so, queue Russel Crowe in a referee uniform asking us if we aren't entertained. that is what the NFL really stands for entertainment...and a crap ton of money much like hollywood.

also, if someone really does put a zebra suit on Russel Crowe I want credit when it hits reddit.

Oh noes! God forbid a bunch of adults act like adults and not some fucking peewee football players.

 

[RPD]

It's the lack of control, lack of knowing what is going on (what no time outs sure you can challenge something), having the clock run when it should be stopped, or stopped when it should be running and now player safety is being a huge issue. There were atleast 3 illegal hits/tackles that I saw this weekend with not a single flag. The two in the Oakland/Stealers game were really bad.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

As others have mentioned, the calls aren't the issue; they generally get them right, although there have been some pretty blatant pass intereference calls/non-calls that made no sense whatsoever. But the bigger issue is game management. It seems like every time a flag gets thrown, there's a 3 minute powwow in the middle of the field to figure out what's going on, what infraction was committed, where to spot the ball, should the clock be running, what time should it read, does the coach want to decline it, call the play, wait, there was a mistake in telling the coach what happened, now he wants to accept it, let's review where to spot it again and where the play clock should be.... When this happens 15-20 times a game, it just gets outlandish. NFL Red Zone has had to cut off their broadcast before games have finished 2 out of 3 weeks this year, and it's because games are taking 40 minutes longer due to incompetence on behalf of the refs making quick calls, spotting the ball in a timely manner and letting the game continue. You have announcers literally saying "we'll cut away from that game, they'll be done spotting the ball in 5 minutes or so," and then coming back in 5 minutes, and they're still reviewing something that is obvious to everyone with eyes. They're trying their best, and I don't fault them for that. But they are maddeningly incompetent to referee at this level.

 

[pelov]

What I've found to the most shocking thing here is that the NFL doesn't seem to care about the damage this has, and perhaps will continue to do, to their reputation.

Whether you're on the side that calls the replacement refs bad or the side that states there isn't much of a difference between the old refs and the ones in place currently, one thing is inarguable: what's happening now is just bad for the game.

Every channel I flipped to seemed to have the commentators, players and coaching staff over-analyzing the calls and being hypercritical towards the replacement refs. The game of football will always have poor calls, but the highlighting of the poor calls has been abysmal and shed a very negative light on the NFL as a whole. Through all of this the NFL has sat back and absorbed it and done their best to ignore it, placing their better replacement refs in charge of the most viewed games. Yet this has done nothing to calm the storm. Week after week it gets worse and the NFL is turning a blind eye.

The NFL absolutely needs to resolve this and give the refs what they want. Their image has taken a serious beating and that's harming them exponentially more than any amount of money or contracts the referees could ask for. It was idiotic from the beginning, but now th NFL's position has been weakened and if the refs asked for even more they'd probably receive it.

So good going, Goodell. You let hubris and selfishness dictate your decisions and now watching the NFL every weekend is like watching an inevitable car crash. You know it's going to happen and that it's going to be horrible, it's just a matter of turning on the TV.

 

[waggy]

Football hasn't been this entertaining since they had replacement players...

i agree. i have to admit im watching nearly every game i can. why? to see how the fuck the refs are going to fuck it up again.

I really wanted the FG in the game last night to be bad even though they called it good.

i am enjoying the shitstorm and want a big one! unless it effects the bears..then they need to do it right.

 

[pelov]

i agree. i have to admit im watching nearly every game i can. why? to see how the fuck the refs are going to fuck it up again

I think a lot of people feel that way, and oddly enough that type of viewership isn't necessarily a good thing for the NFL.

 

[waggy]

I think a lot of people feel that way, and oddly enough that type of viewership isn't necessarily a good thing for the NFL.

agreed.

while most likely i would end up watchign every game anyway. Now the main reason is to see fuck ups.

its like watching a car wreck. you know you shouldn't but you look anyway.

 

[Krazy4Real]

I just hate how long the games are taking now. They have to huddle up and discus every single flag it seems like. Not to mention anytime they review something, it takes forever.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Anything other than not showing up to the game or not tuning in is pissing in the wind. Money talks.

Said as much to the wife last night, during the game. I made the comment after the crowd took up the bullshit chant. But I understand their showing up, since many bought those tickets well ahead of time. Those of us watching from home, have zero excuse for not boycotting.

The other comment I made was that the reffing is very NBA like. Make a bad call? Just do the same to the other team to make up for it. Never mind that they probably affected the outcome of the game. :thumbsdown:

 

[Nintendesert]

What I've found to the most shocking thing here is that the NFL doesn't seem to care about the damage this has, and perhaps will continue to do, to their reputation.

Whether you're on the side that calls the replacement refs bad or the side that states there isn't much of a difference between the old refs and the ones in place currently, one thing is inarguable: what's happening now is just bad for the game.

Every channel I flipped to seemed to have the commentators, players and coaching staff over-analyzing the calls and being hypercritical towards the replacement refs. The game of football will always have poor calls, but the highlighting of the poor calls has been abysmal and shed a very negative light on the NFL as a whole. Through all of this the NFL has sat back and absorbed it and done their best to ignore it, placing their better replacement refs in charge of the most viewed games. Yet this has done nothing to calm the storm. Week after week it gets worse and the NFL is turning a blind eye.

The NFL absolutely needs to resolve this and give the refs what they want. Their image has taken a serious beating and that's harming them exponentially more than any amount of money or contracts the referees could ask for. It was idiotic from the beginning, but now th NFL's position has been weakened and if the refs asked for even more they'd probably receive it.

So good going, Goodell. You let hubris and selfishness dictate your decisions and now watching the NFL every weekend is like watching an inevitable car crash. You know it's going to happen and that it's going to be horrible, it's just a matter of turning on the TV.

And most of the time the commentators are wrong and are simply bitching about the refs. I had to listen to Troy Aikmen drone on and on about how bad a call it was when a player ripped off his helmet on the field and got flagged for it.

That has been a rule in the NFL since he was playing and getting knocked in the head.

Maybe we should just accept that these commentators are rooting for someone when it comes to these labor negotiations. :whiste:

 

[pelov]

And most of the time the commentators are wrong and are simply bitching about the refs. I had to listen to Troy Aikmen drone on and on about how bad a call it was when a player ripped off his helmet on the field and got flagged for it.

That has been a rule in the NFL since he was playing and getting knocked in the head.

Maybe we should just accept that these commentators are rooting for someone when it comes to these labor negotiations. :whiste:

I don't think that matters at this point. We all know the calls are going to be scrutinized like never before and it's progressively getting worse, not better.

This all boils down to the lack of confidence in the replacement referees and that's unlikely to change unless Goodell and crew plan on keeping these guys for a period of years and putting up with the criticism and all that it entails.

 

[Exterous]

I just hate how long the games are taking now. They have to huddle up and discus every single flag it seems like. Not to mention anytime they review something, it takes forever.

Not only that even after getting together they'll fuck it up. And don't forget the announcements:
"Uh...there was a penalty on..uh....the offense...uh...num-number 98." Switch off for another conference. "Correction.....the p-penalty was on the....uh defense...uh...number 93 red. The result of the...uh...play is....uh first down Yankees."

 

[waggy]

I just hate how long the games are taking now. They have to huddle up and discus every single flag it seems like. Not to mention anytime they review something, it takes forever.

EVEN with the fucking huddles, Extra refs (they have some in the repley booth that are supposed to correct calls) etc they still fuck up. the other night they gave out 2 free challenges! really!?

I can understand not saying the right number or team. Blowing a play dead when you think it is because its to fast, missing that the ball touched the ground on a live play or someones foot out of bounds.


But giving extra timeouts, giving wrong yardage on fouls? EVEN after a replay that shows something without a doubt they have GOT IT WRONG.

Some of the shit is understandable. some of it just blows my fucking mind that they are getting it wrong.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Said as much to the wife last night, during the game. I made the comment after the crowd took up the bullshit chant. But I understand their showing up, since many bought those tickets well ahead of time. Those of us watching from home, have zero excuse for not boycotting.

I'm done with the NFL until the professional refs are back. I watch college football because of my connections to schools, and expect to watch an amateur competition. I watch the NFL because they are highly skilled professionals and expect to watch a professional competition. The coaches and players are not behaving professionally, because the refs aren't professionals.

The other comment I made was that the reffing is very NBA like. Make a bad call? Just do the same to the other team to make up for it. Never mind that they probably affected the outcome of the game. :thumbsdown:

And that's exactly why I do not watch the NBA.

 

[iRONic]

King has a good piece today in the MMQB;

But the crazy thing Sunday was the infection spread into the replay booth. Little-known officiating fact: The NFL has officiating supervisors from the league office at every NFL game to review crew mechanics and scout the crews. Usually those supervisors -- retired officials or those who couldn't make the grade on the field -- sit in the press box. Now they're in the replay booth to act as another set of veteran eyes in case they're needed by the rookies on the field. A lot of help the supervisors and replay officials were in Nashville and Minneapolis Sunday. Two glaring examples showed it's not just the replacements who are messing up the games:

 

[Nintendesert]

Yeah, and we have instant replay because the refs were getting the calls right sooooo often.

That's why we have the tuck rule and other shit. You all have a rose colored view of how shitty the regular refs were. They were horrible, every bit as horrible as these refs.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Yeah, and we have instant replay because the refs were getting the calls right sooooo often.

That's why we have the tuck rule and other shit. You all have a rose colored view of how shitty the regular refs were. They were horrible, every bit as horrible as these refs.

You're obviously entitled to your opinion. But basically every sports commentator disagrees with you, not to mention the millions of disgruntled fans. When two people espouse different opinions, it's a toss-up as to who is correct. When a vast majority of experts think one way and you disagree, I'd say both opinions no longer hold equal weight. And, as others have said, the problem is not with the validity of the calls, it's with the length of time it takes to sort out each individual call on the field. I haven't seen any statistical analysis, but I'm positive that if someone did one, it would show that the replacement refs have been significantly slower getting play resumed than the referees used in the past decade. That delay has a negative impact on the game, regardless of the outcome of the calls themselves.

 

[Nintendesert]

You're obviously entitled to your opinion. But basically every sports commentator disagrees with you, not to mention the millions of disgruntled fans. When two people espouse different opinions, it's a toss-up as to who is correct. When a vast majority of experts think one way and you disagree, I'd say both opinions no longer hold equal weight. And, as others have said, the problem is not with the validity of the calls, it's with the length of time it takes to sort out each individual call on the field. I haven't seen any statistical analysis, but I'm positive that if someone did one, it would show that the replacement refs have been significantly slower getting play resumed than the referees used in the past decade. That delay has a negative impact on the game, regardless of the outcome of the calls themselves.

I've already discounted the sports commentators since most are former players. They have a bias against the NFL in the labor negotiations and will tarnish the current refs as much as possible to give their old buddies the most leverage they can.

They aren't unbiased.

Now if you want to just speed up the game without regard for accuracy then we should get rid of all the replays and abolish the ability of coaches to call timeouts to ice kickers. Defense calls a timeout on a field goal, 15 yards. That would do more to make the game more enjoyable than changing the refs.

That shit is lame as fuck and it's like watching the last 30 seconds of a basketball game.

 

[zinfamous]

Oh please, everyone bitched just as much about the regular refs. It's not like it's going to make your shitty teams any better.

Uh...no they didn't.

Pro refs in any sport tend to be 98-99% accurate on their calls. The fans' problems with refs is merely an issue of stupid bias. Further, instant replay has pretty much cleared up any potential egregious errors that have, historically, occurred, due to the real limits of officiating on the field.

I am 100% on the refs's side of this. The NFL is an organization that literally prints money and over the last couple of years--and I know I'm not alone--I've become more and more disillusioned with how they deal with host cities (demanding residents pay for their fun houses which each franchise is more than capable of covering, with unsound arguments based on no facts--generate revenue for the town? lolBS).

The NFL shit its britches with the looming player strike last season, and settled before the season, rather than risk a sub-par product on the field--or to simply cancel weeks of the season. Now, anyone can see that the officials have no easy job, and that they are as integral a part of the game, and producing a quality product, as are the players and coaches for each team.

The hubris of the NFL owners continues to be on full display, and every week we see shit games, the officials score another point. Pay them the money they deserve. It's quite simple.



Now, I think the NFL has moved in some solid directions--particularly with player health and retirement/long-term health of retired players. The NFL has a deep closet filled with some pretty nasty skeletons when it comes to the long-standing tradition of not giving a dick about the geenral well-being of their athletes, but they have improved drastically. And frankly, the attention now paid to tackles on the field and hits, is far, far better for the game. I hope it backs back to actual tackling and athleticism, not simply a reliance on "let me try to injure this guy" type of defensive play.

 

[zinfamous]

You all have a rose colored view of how shitty the regular refs were. They were horrible, every bit as horrible as these refs.

well, I'm sorry whatever team it is you pull for has sucked for so many years that it makes it easy for you to blame the refs for their ineptitude; or...simply, your lack of understanding the many rules of the game doesn't allow you to accurately gauge the quality of the real officials.

:\

 

[zinfamous]

I like this quote from "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" on Saturday morning:

"These replacement refs are so bad, that when the officials return, fans will be changing their jeers in the stadium; such as: 'Hey, ref! You need glasses.......to protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays!"

 

[waggy]

Yeah, and we have instant replay because the refs were getting the calls right sooooo often.

That's why we have the tuck rule and other shit. You all have a rose colored view of how shitty the regular refs were. They were horrible, every bit as horrible as these refs.

sure they got shit wrong. BUT not to the point they are now and not as often. ITS every fucking weekend something major happens. from a ref tripping a player to makeing major phantom calls.