CFZ Some facts about NFL referees

[Bobhaze]

A ton of threads and posts are made each year on our forum about NFL referees. Most are complaints about what are considered inconsistent or inaccurate calls. Some fans even (surprise!) throw out elaborate conspiracy theories that somehow Roger Goodell and his dark minions at the league office are stacking the deck for our enemy teams and against us.

Whatever your opinion is either way is fine by me as long as your opinions are within the rules we agree to follow here. I thought it would be helpful to know some of the facts about refs and what they do.

Disclaimer: I’m not here to attack or defend NFL referees or the quality of their work. (I will say I think NFL officials call way too many penalties but I don’t buy any dark conspiracies against the Cowboys or for or against any other team)

This post is simply designed to show some links to articles about NFL refs and their training, evaluations and how the league handles all things related to officiating games.
SOME GENERAL FACTS ABOUT NFL REFEREES AND THEIR TRAINING:

• According to the NFL in 2023, there are 121 certified NFL referees working games. I don’t know how many are on the field vs the booth.
• There are 17 official crews each working NFL games weekly. At least 1 crew is floating because there can never be more than 16 NFL games per given week.
• From what I’ve read, the NFL requires each ref to have at least 10 years of officiating football games before working an NFL game. That includes collegiate and HS games. Of those 10 years at least 5 must include major college games.
• Each NFL game averages about 150 plays per game. Each play is analyzed by the league for accuracy of penalty calls or missed calls.
• Each NFL referee is evaluated by the league. The highest-graded officials work the playoffs. Those who have been graded as subpar during the regular season watch the playoffs from home.
• Officials with the poorest evaluations can be dropped at the end of the season. All are on 1 year contracts.

SOME INTERESTING LINKS ABOUT OFFICIATING IN THE NFL:

• A general overview: https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/nfl-officials-preparing-for-success/
• How officials are held accountable for mistakes: https://operations.nfl.com/inside-f...epartment also,is cause for additional review.
• Do NFL refs have other jobs? https://en.as.com/nfl/do-nfl-refs-have-other-jobs-n/#
• From a 2022 Chicago article- How much do NFL refs make? https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/nf...oney-nfl-officials-make-working-games/182194/

This doesn't cover everything of course. But if interested, at least you can get into some of the facts regarding NFL refs.

 

[cowboys5xsbs]

Some good information

 

[Bobhaze]

I was surprised to learn that the avg pay for an NFL ref is about $200k a year.

 

[Jake]

I was surprised to learn that the avg pay for an NFL ref is about $200k a year.

On top of what they earn off the field. In the 90s I did tax returns for an NFL official, Ed Coukart. He was also a bank president, which paid more. The notion that a guy like him is going to throw games for gambling money is the kind of stupid stuff I expect from fans on the internet. These guys don't need to risk federal imprisonment for money.

We went to lunch one day and I asked about Jimmy Johnson. His thoughts? Great coach who did everything he could to work the officials. Sounds about right.

 

[Tabascocat]

Referr-ing is hard, I can attest to that. My brother-in-law asked me to umpire in his daughters club softball team game’s because of my experience in baseball. It seems simple, call the right game as it seems. I had a whole new perspective from that side. It hits different when the microscope is on you in the heat of the moment. Whatever call you make will be challenged by someone.

 

[Bobhaze]

On top of what they earn off the field. In the 90s I did tax returns for an NFL official, Ed Coukart. He was also a bank president, which paid more. The notion that a guy like him is going to throw games for gambling money is the kind of stupid stuff I expect from fans on the internet. These guys don't need to risk federal imprisonment for money.

We went to lunch one day and I asked about Jimmy Johnson. His thoughts? Great coach who did everything he could to work the officials. Sounds about right.

That’s an interesting story. I have personally known a couple of HS refs and one college basketball ref. They were all outstanding people. Not perfect but sincerely trying to do their best to make a fast paced game as fair as possible.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

On top of what they earn off the field. In the 90s I did tax returns for an NFL official, Ed Coukart. He was also a bank president, which paid more. The notion that a guy like him is going to throw games for gambling money is the kind of stupid stuff I expect from fans on the internet. These guys don't need to risk federal imprisonment for money.

We went to lunch one day and I asked about Jimmy Johnson. His thoughts? Great coach who did everything he could to work the officials. Sounds about right.

I don't think they are crooked.

But come on....have ANY of you ever walked into a bank....and seen an old dude in a suit that you knew was running things at the bank....and thought: "he should be running around with 22 year old world class athletes making judgement calls on lightning quick athletic movements"?

No....they shod be out fishing with their grandkids or sitting at the barber shop gossiping with Floyd and Andy.

No. No more so than a 22 year old should walk in and be the president of a bank.

 

[GoCowboysGo]

Dean Blandino has never been an NFL referee on the field (only in the booth).

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

A ton of threads and posts are made each year on our forum about NFL referees. Most are complaints about what are considered inconsistent or inaccurate calls. Some fans even (surprise!) throw out elaborate conspiracy theories that somehow Roger Goodell and his dark minions at the league office are stacking the deck for our enemy teams and against us.

Whatever your opinion is either way is fine by me as long as your opinions are within the rules we agree to follow here. I thought it would be helpful to know some of the facts about refs and what they do.

Disclaimer: I’m not here to attack or defend NFL referees or the quality of their work. (I will say I think NFL officials call way too many penalties but I don’t buy any dark conspiracies against the Cowboys or for or against any other team)

This post is simply designed to show some links to articles about NFL refs and their training, evaluations and how the league handles all things related to officiating games.
SOME GENERAL FACTS ABOUT NFL REFEREES AND THEIR TRAINING:

• According to the NFL in 2023, there are 121 certified NFL referees working games. I don’t know how many are on the field vs the booth.
• There are 17 official crews each working NFL games weekly. At least 1 crew is floating because there can never be more than 16 NFL games per given week.
• From what I’ve read, the NFL requires each ref to have at least 10 years of officiating football games before working an NFL game. That includes collegiate and HS games. Of those 10 years at least 5 must include major college games.
• Each NFL game averages about 150 plays per game. Each play is analyzed by the league for accuracy of penalty calls or missed calls.
• Each NFL referee is evaluated by the league. The highest-graded officials work the playoffs. Those who have been graded as subpar during the regular season watch the playoffs from home.
• Officials with the poorest evaluations can be dropped at the end of the season. All are on 1 year contracts.

SOME INTERESTING LINKS ABOUT OFFICIATING IN THE NFL:

• A general overview: https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/nfl-officials-preparing-for-success/
• How officials are held accountable for mistakes: https://operations.nfl.com/inside-f...epartment also,is cause for additional review.
• Do NFL refs have other jobs? https://en.as.com/nfl/do-nfl-refs-have-other-jobs-n/#
• From a 2022 Chicago article- How much do NFL refs make? https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/nf...oney-nfl-officials-make-working-games/182194/

This doesn't cover everything of course. But if interested, at least you can get into some of the facts regarding NFL refs.

Looks like the shadowy dark forces have gotten to Bob. He’s now running interference for them.

 

[Streifenkarl]

I really like these threads. Plain and simple facts, without any interpretation. Thank you Bob. All these conspiracy theories about refs who go after the Cowboys are such loser talk it's just not funny anymore and worrying to say the least. But we still do have a few people on these boards who know people make mistakes, especially under pressure and that refs are humans too.

Alot can be said about the quality of officiating in the NFL and they absolutely need to do something about it. But beyond that all these theories people around here throw around all the time just cross the line of decency way too often.

 

[DripTooHard]

Dean Blandino has never been an NFL referee on the field (only in the booth).

He was placed there by the gambling jefes. The in booth and on air officials are absolutely in the ear of the guys on the field. Go back and listen to the dropped TD review by the Seattle player where Bland also had a PI, and listen to the words of the on air official carefully. “I am told they will overturn theTD call.” How in the hell does this guy have such access to the field officials when he is basically part of the broadcast crew? I do feel the retired on air officials are influencing calls, which seems shady as all hell. Pereira was basically lobbying to overturn the Dez catch in Green Bay in the 2014 playoffs, and Blandino spent the next year explaining that decision.

I don’t for a second believe the officiating isn t slanted. Refs seem to be given a game plan for each game by the league office, and even on air officials as part of the broadcast crew are influencing calls.

 

[Kwyn]

A ton of threads and posts are made each year on our forum about NFL referees. Most are complaints about what are considered inconsistent or inaccurate calls. Some fans even (surprise!) throw out elaborate conspiracy theories that somehow Roger Goodell and his dark minions at the league office are stacking the deck for our enemy teams and against us.

Whatever your opinion is either way is fine by me as long as your opinions are within the rules we agree to follow here. I thought it would be helpful to know some of the facts about refs and what they do.

Disclaimer: I’m not here to attack or defend NFL referees or the quality of their work. (I will say I think NFL officials call way too many penalties but I don’t buy any dark conspiracies against the Cowboys or for or against any other team)

This post is simply designed to show some links to articles about NFL refs and their training, evaluations and how the league handles all things related to officiating games.
SOME GENERAL FACTS ABOUT NFL REFEREES AND THEIR TRAINING:

• According to the NFL in 2023, there are 121 certified NFL referees working games. I don’t know how many are on the field vs the booth.
• There are 17 official crews each working NFL games weekly. At least 1 crew is floating because there can never be more than 16 NFL games per given week.
• From what I’ve read, the NFL requires each ref to have at least 10 years of officiating football games before working an NFL game. That includes collegiate and HS games. Of those 10 years at least 5 must include major college games.
• Each NFL game averages about 150 plays per game. Each play is analyzed by the league for accuracy of penalty calls or missed calls.
• Each NFL referee is evaluated by the league. The highest-graded officials work the playoffs. Those who have been graded as subpar during the regular season watch the playoffs from home.
• Officials with the poorest evaluations can be dropped at the end of the season. All are on 1 year contracts.

SOME INTERESTING LINKS ABOUT OFFICIATING IN THE NFL:

• A general overview: https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/nfl-officials-preparing-for-success/
• How officials are held accountable for mistakes: https://operations.nfl.com/inside-football-ops/rules-enforcement/accountability-fines-appeals/#:~:text=The NFL Officiating Department also,is cause for additional review.
• Do NFL refs have other jobs? https://en.as.com/nfl/do-nfl-refs-have-other-jobs-n/#
• From a 2022 Chicago article- How much do NFL refs make? https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/nf...oney-nfl-officials-make-working-games/182194/

This doesn't cover everything of course. But if interested, at least you can get into some of the facts regarding NFL refs.

Bob, I love your content. You are an ace contributor to the site.

Thanks

 

[plasticman]

Thank you for your research, Bobhaze. I consider you one of the top contributors on this forum and I appreciate your hard work. I also appreciate that your opinions and perspectives are always rational, balanced, and based on reliable information.

I don't believe that there is an organized conspiracy by the refs to deliberately control the outcome of a game or destiny of a team. I would think there are several control tests that analyze the tendencies of each ref and alert them is there appears to be any discrepancies outside the normal range of tolerance. I wouldn't doubt that they spend several hours in conference going over any issues of concern as far as how the games are being called.

Like you, i think there may be refs that tend to penalize more than others, but only to a small and acceptable degree.

Having said that, I am uncertain about the league's degree of transparency when there are actual issues. It's understandable that they want fans to have confidence in their refs and are assured that the games are being managed fairly. However, I really hope that they haven't adopted a policy of keeping these issues a secret from the general public entirely. We are at a point in human history where the internet makes it possible for statements and quotes by our leaders in all facets of life to be recorded and for them to be held accountable. That also goes for their actions. There is a lot of cynicism going around and people no longer have to rely on faith when it comes to public statements by the NFL

The leaders of the NFL, that is, owners, commissioner, GM's etc., need to make a commitment to honestly reporting issues like injuries, non-football related incidents, and also any punitive measures towards the referees. Failure to do so automatically raises suspicion. One of the greatest contributing factors to the cynicism is the change in policy when it comes to organized gambling. They made the decision to cross that road when they allowed the advertising and crowned it with an NFL team in Las Vegas. This requires them to be even more diligent than ever if confronted by any issues regarding cheating. If they decide not to grant access to this information publicly, we know that there are those that are perfectly willing to fill in the blanks and thy are unconcerned about accuracy.

I have seen popularity erode in professional team sports as whole and it concerns me. The entertainment value in an NFL game is based on fair competition and not the personalities of those involved. I hope the NFL remembers that. Otherwise, doubt and suspicion will be commonplace and any conspiracy theory, no matter how ridiculous, will have it's followers. The NFL needs to take this issue seriously by fighting any wrong information with verifiable and accessible facts.

 

[T-RO]

We are so relieved by

Thank you for your research, Bobhaze. I consider you one of the top contributors on this forum and I appreciate your hard work. I also appreciate that your opinions and perspectives are always rational, balanced, and based on reliable information.

I don't believe that there is an organized conspiracy by the refs to deliberately control the outcome of a game or destiny of a team. I would think there are several control tests that analyze the tendencies of each ref and alert them is there appears to be any discrepancies outside the normal range of tolerance. I wouldn't doubt that they spend several hours in conference going over any issues of concern as far as how the games are being called.

Like you, i think there may be refs that tend to penalize more than others, but only to a small and acceptable degree.

Having said that, I am uncertain about the league's degree of transparency when there are actual issues. It's understandable that they want fans to have confidence in their refs and are assured that the games are being managed fairly. However, I really hope that they haven't adopted a policy of keeping these issues a secret from the general public entirely. We are at a point in human history where the internet makes it possible for statements and quotes by our leaders in all facets of life to be recorded and for them to be held accountable. That also goes for their actions. There is a lot of cynicism going around and people no longer have to rely on faith when it comes to public statements by the NFL

The leaders of the NFL, that is, owners, commissioner, GM's etc., need to make a commitment to honestly reporting issues like injuries, non-football related incidents, and also any punitive measures towards the referees. Failure to do so automatically raises suspicion. One of the greatest contributing factors to the cynicism is the change in policy when it comes to organized gambling. They made the decision to cross that road when they allowed the advertising and crowned it with an NFL team in Las Vegas. This requires them to be even more diligent than ever if confronted by any issues regarding cheating. If they decide not to grant access to this information publicly, we know that there are those that are perfectly willing to fill in the blanks and thy are unconcerned about accuracy.

I have seen popularity erode in professional team sports as whole and it concerns me. The entertainment value in an NFL game is based on fair competition and not the personalities of those involved. I hope the NFL remembers that. Otherwise, doubt and suspicion will be commonplace and any conspiracy theory, no matter how ridiculous, will have it's followers. The NFL needs to take this issue seriously by fighting any wrong information with verifiable and accessible facts.

Appreciate the voice of a free man, even one who is carefully and thoughtfully understating the issues. What a welcome resonance over the voices bought or deceived.

Some men who have served their country have a way of holding to faithful habits. Props, bro.

 

[DogFace]

On top of what they earn off the field. In the 90s I did tax returns for an NFL official, Ed Coukart. He was also a bank president, which paid more. The notion that a guy like him is going to throw games for gambling money is the kind of stupid stuff I expect from fans on the internet. These guys don't need to risk federal imprisonment for money.

We went to lunch one day and I asked about Jimmy Johnson. His thoughts? Great coach who did everything he could to work the officials. Sounds about right.

This is why you hate when we criticize refs? I’ll take you out to lunch and let you do my taxes (maybe) when you see the critique of their profession as a healthy harmless thing.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

On top of what they earn off the field. In the 90s I did tax returns for an NFL official, Ed Coukart. He was also a bank president, which paid more. The notion that a guy like him is going to throw games for gambling money is the kind of stupid stuff I expect from fans on the internet. These guys don't need to risk federal imprisonment for money.

We went to lunch one day and I asked about Jimmy Johnson. His thoughts? Great coach who did everything he could to work the officials. Sounds about right.

It is always interesting learning about the jobs outside of officiating that referees have.

 

[starfrombirth]

A ton of threads and posts are made each year on our forum about NFL referees. Most are complaints about what are considered inconsistent or inaccurate calls. Some fans even (surprise!) throw out elaborate conspiracy theories that somehow Roger Goodell and his dark minions at the league office are stacking the deck for our enemy teams and against us.

Whatever your opinion is either way is fine by me as long as your opinions are within the rules we agree to follow here. I thought it would be helpful to know some of the facts about refs and what they do.

Disclaimer: I’m not here to attack or defend NFL referees or the quality of their work. (I will say I think NFL officials call way too many penalties but I don’t buy any dark conspiracies against the Cowboys or for or against any other team)

This post is simply designed to show some links to articles about NFL refs and their training, evaluations and how the league handles all things related to officiating games.
SOME GENERAL FACTS ABOUT NFL REFEREES AND THEIR TRAINING:

• According to the NFL in 2023, there are 121 certified NFL referees working games. I don’t know how many are on the field vs the booth.
• There are 17 official crews each working NFL games weekly. At least 1 crew is floating because there can never be more than 16 NFL games per given week.
• From what I’ve read, the NFL requires each ref to have at least 10 years of officiating football games before working an NFL game. That includes collegiate and HS games. Of those 10 years at least 5 must include major college games.
• Each NFL game averages about 150 plays per game. Each play is analyzed by the league for accuracy of penalty calls or missed calls.
• Each NFL referee is evaluated by the league. The highest-graded officials work the playoffs. Those who have been graded as subpar during the regular season watch the playoffs from home.
• Officials with the poorest evaluations can be dropped at the end of the season. All are on 1 year contracts.

SOME INTERESTING LINKS ABOUT OFFICIATING IN THE NFL:

• A general overview: https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/nfl-officials-preparing-for-success/
• How officials are held accountable for mistakes: https://operations.nfl.com/inside-football-ops/rules-enforcement/accountability-fines-appeals/#:~:text=The NFL Officiating Department also,is cause for additional review.
• Do NFL refs have other jobs? https://en.as.com/nfl/do-nfl-refs-have-other-jobs-n/#
• From a 2022 Chicago article- How much do NFL refs make? https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/nf...oney-nfl-officials-make-working-games/182194/

This doesn't cover everything of course. But if interested, at least you can get into some of the facts regarding NFL refs.

I didn't see anywhere in there who does the reviewing. Is it an independent 3rd party or is it the referee union or the league itself? If it's the referee union then I would question the validity of the decisions/non-decisions. Self monitoring from organizations is almost always suspect. Same goes if it's the league office who does the reviewing. If their was some kind of league bias then them reviewing it wouldn't be valid either. I don't personally believe their is some league level conspiracy but there is definitely some one sided officiating occasionally, which is completely plausible considering everyone has personal biases. After all you either love the Cowboys or love to hate them

 

[Bobhaze]

I didn't see anywhere in there who does the reviewing. Is it an independent 3rd party or is it the referee union or the league itself? If it's the referee union then I would question the validity of the decisions/non-decisions. Self monitoring from organizations is almost always suspect. Same goes if it's the league office who does the reviewing. If their was some kind of league bias then them reviewing it wouldn't be valid either. I don't personally believe their is some league level conspiracy but there is definitely some one sided officiating occasionally, which is completely plausible considering everyone has personal biases. After all you either love the Cowboys or love to hate them

It’s a fair question. From what I’ve read (which may not be enough to thoroughly answer your question) the NFL has what’s called the “Football Operations Compliance Team” that reviews plays, referees’ calls, and determines whether those calls are correct or not.

From what I’ve learned it does not appear that the league uses a third party to determine these things but I could be wrong.

 

[big dog cowboy]

 

[VaqueroTD]