News: The NFL Is Finally Punishing Bad Referees

[CCBoy]

The NFL Is Finally Punishing Bad Referees
The NFL may be hoping to cut down on incidents like #Batgate.

Juliet Spies-GansEditorial Fellow, HuffPost Sports

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...5c6e4b08589ef48e2ba?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592



After a series of primetime officiating miscues, the NFL finally appears to be doing its part to ensure that its referees are held accountable for the blunders they make on the gridiron.


According to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, a new progressive disciplinary system is already in the works for the 2016 NFL season. Under this proposed system, referees would be suspended -- either with or without pay -- according to the flagrancy of their on-field mistakes.


Reports of discussions between the league and the NFL Referees Association come in the wake of a string of errors in the past few weeks. The Detroit Lions were duped out of a win when Seattle Seahawk K.J. Wright illegally batted the football out of play at the end of their Week 4 matchup, prompting the coining of the Batgate hashtag and the reassignment of the official who blew the call...

 

[erod]

This is ridiculous. The referees are only slightly to blame.

The problem is a vague and ambiguous rule book the size of "War and Peace".

How can referees be expected to know rules that the league office, coaches, players, and 100 million fans don't understand.

 

[BoysWin]

The NFL Is Finally Punishing Bad Referees
The NFL may be hoping to cut down on incidents like #Batgate.

Juliet Spies-GansEditorial Fellow, HuffPost Sports

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...5c6e4b08589ef48e2ba?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592



After a series of primetime officiating miscues, the NFL finally appears to be doing its part to ensure that its referees are held accountable for the blunders they make on the gridiron.


According to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, a new progressive disciplinary system is already in the works for the 2016 NFL season. Under this proposed system, referees would be suspended -- either with or without pay -- according to the flagrancy of their on-field mistakes.


Reports of discussions between the league and the NFL Referees Association come in the wake of a string of errors in the past few weeks. The Detroit Lions were duped out of a win when Seattle Seahawk K.J. Wright illegally batted the football out of play at the end of their Week 4 matchup, prompting the coining of the Batgate hashtag and the reassignment of the official who blew the call...

Then DEAN BLANDINO should be BANNED from the league

 

[LandryFan]

This is ridiculous. The referees are only slightly to blame.

The problem is a vague and ambiguous rule book the size of "War and Peace".

How can referees be expected to know rules that the league office, coaches, players, and 100 million fans don't understand.

IMO, it isn't realistic to expect that they know every rule in the book. What they need to look at doing is having something similar to what they have for challenges/reviews. They could have two or three officials on hand (at the league office?) to help the on-field officials deal with unusual/complicated plays and stop play when they see a problem. I know it wouldn't be a perfect system, but apparently would be helpful in some cases. Apparently, Officials in NY knew that the batted ball that cost Detroit a game was illegal but was powerless at that moment to do anything about it. Had they simply buzzed the referee to stop play long enough to correct the on-field call, that particular incorrect call could have been avoided.

 

[erod]

IMO, it isn't realistic to expect that they know every rule in the book. What they need to look at doing is having something similar to what they have for challenges/reviews. They could have two or three officials on hand (at the league office?) to help the on-field officials deal with unusual/complicated plays and stop play when they see a problem. I know it wouldn't be a perfect system, but apparently would be helpful in some cases. Apparently, Officials in NY knew that the batted ball that cost Detroit a game was illegal but was powerless at that moment to do anything about it. Had they simply buzzed the referee to stop play long enough to correct the on-field call, that particular incorrect call would have been avoided.

The dial-up former referees the networks use are wrong half the time.

That tells you the rule book is far too ambiguous. By trying to intricately define rules, they've just made it intricately complicated. Every play is turned into a courtroom drama of ifs and buts and prove-its and how-can-you-be-sures.

For instance, a catch is like porn, as they say. You know it when you see it.

 

[pancakeman]

IMO, it isn't realistic to expect that they know every rule in the book.

Sure it is. That's their job. Other professionals hold that same amount of info in their heads all the time, I think.

 

[LandryFan]

The dial-up former referees the networks use are wrong half the time.

That tells you the rule book is far too ambiguous. By trying to intricately define rules, they've just made it intricately complicated. Every play is turned into a courtroom drama of ifs and buts and prove-its and how-can-you-be-sures.

For instance, a catch is like porn, as they say. You know it when you see it.

All true. It seems as if the rule book has grown to try to fit every situation that has come up. One would think that the league would do an annual review in an attempt to streamline the rules, somewhat (maybe they already do that). At any rate, I don't envy the officials who have to call the games.

 

[LandryFan]

Sure it is. That's their job. Other professionals hold that same amount of info in their heads all the time, I think.

I'm sure that they all know the vast majority of the rules, but there has to be some vague, seldom seen/called rules that come into play every now and then...that's more what I was referring to. But you're right in the sense that it's their job to know the rules and they get paid pretty handsomely to do so.

 

[cowboyblue22]

they messed up on the clock at halftime in giants eagles game didn't start the clock when it was supposed to start. if they start taking there money away they will do a better job.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

They just need to have full time refs. Work shops in the months they aren't reffing games. Make them year round employees and see if that improves the refs.

 

[AzorAhai]

NFL- "Here's a bunch of poorly thought out, badly worded, ultra confusing rules that require judgement to enforce. Don't make us look bad."

Here's an idea idiots at the NFL. Figure out what a catch is before throwing stones.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Then DEAN BLANDINO should be BANNED from the league

BLANDINO is a major problem in the NFL. His position can be used to sway the public on a bad call and say that its because of the rules that justified for making the call. I say that this is bad because the NFL can play favoritism based on who wins or losses.

It all started with the Dez non-catch. Their PR spin on it trying to justify that they made the right call actually has opened up a bees nest in which its even harder for the refs to make the right call or not. This is nothing more than a bandaid solution to try and patch up on what is considered a gapping wound and their using the refs as scapegoats.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

The refs are only half of the problem, the other half being the committee that gives them their marching orders. The way they came out of the gates all flag happy this year wasn't by accident,,, and they still ignored the intentional gray areas like illegal contact, pick plays, etc. Teams like the Patriots will run the same pick plays over and over even when they get flagged because they know those refs are not willing to flag them 10x for the same penalty,,, sometimes they don't flag them at all.

 

[erod]

I think the guys writing the rules are the same dorks that try to break down football with numbers at PFF.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

NFL refs are still the only refs in a major sport that aren't full time right? Couldn't they make them full time and in the offseason, spend more time on "training"?

 

[DeaconBlues]

NFL refs are still the only refs in a major sport that aren't full time right? Couldn't they make them full time and in the offseason, spend more time on "training"?

Stop making sense. This is Goodell's NFL.

 

[mahoneybill]

The NFL Is Finally Punishing Bad Referees
The NFL may be hoping to cut down on incidents like #Batgate.

Juliet Spies-GansEditorial Fellow, HuffPost Sports

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...5c6e4b08589ef48e2ba?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592



After a series of primetime officiating miscues, the NFL finally appears to be doing its part to ensure that its referees are held accountable for the blunders they make on the gridiron.


According to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, a new progressive disciplinary system is already in the works for the 2016 NFL season. Under this proposed system, referees would be suspended -- either with or without pay -- according to the flagrancy of their on-field mistakes.


Reports of discussions between the league and the NFL Referees Association come in the wake of a string of errors in the past few weeks. The Detroit Lions were duped out of a win when Seattle Seahawk K.J. Wright illegally batted the football out of play at the end of their Week 4 matchup, prompting the coining of the Batgate hashtag and the reassignment of the official who blew the call...

Hopefully Blandino is eligible for this treatment I know the answer but can wish can't I as it should also apply to illogical rule interpretations/confusion of the fans on what the rules are

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

NFL refs are still the only refs in a major sport that aren't full time right? Couldn't they make them full time and in the offseason, spend more time on "training"?

As much sense as that makes for a billion dollar industry Im not so sure it would really solve the problem since the real problem is the "rules." The league needs to simplify the rules. It would actually make the game better IMO.

 

[gimmesix]

IMO, it isn't realistic to expect that they know every rule in the book. What they need to look at doing is having something similar to what they have for challenges/reviews. They could have two or three officials on hand (at the league office?) to help the on-field officials deal with unusual/complicated plays and stop play when they see a problem. I know it wouldn't be a perfect system, but apparently would be helpful in some cases. Apparently, Officials in NY knew that the batted ball that cost Detroit a game was illegal but was powerless at that moment to do anything about it. Had they simply buzzed the referee to stop play long enough to correct the on-field call, that particular incorrect call could have been avoided.

I agree with this. In this day and age of instant communication, you would think they could bluetooth the head referee and do that.

 

[DenCWBY]

They just need to have full time refs. Work shops in the months they aren't reffing games. Make them year round employees and see if that improves the refs.

This however I do believe they need to be graded very carefully on their work and rewarded/reprimanded as such.