NFLs horrible officiating (1 Viewer)

[Cowboysfan8]

This article is a good one imo, but barely scratches the surface

https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/12/01/cowboys-seahawks-thursday-night-thriller-ruined-poor-officiating#:~:text=3%20On%20Season-,Enough%20Is%20Enough%3A%20Cowboys%2DSeahawks%20Thriller%20Ruined%20by%20Poor%20Officiating,parade%20of%20yellow%20penalty%20flags.

As @ChiefD pointed out in another thread, it sucks that every time there is an exciting big play the first thing we all do is hesitate to wait and see if a flag has been thrown.


Why won’t the NFL hire full time officials? Would it matter?

 

[efactor]

This article is a good one imo, but barely scratches the surface

https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/12/01/cowboys-seahawks-thursday-night-thriller-ruined-poor-officiating#:~:text=3%20On%20Season-,Enough%20Is%20Enough%3A%20Cowboys%2DSeahawks%20Thriller%20Ruined%20by%20Poor%20Officiating,parade%20of%20yellow%20penalty%20flags.

As @ChiefD pointed out in another thread, it sucks that every time there is an exciting big play the first thing we all do is hesitate to wait and see if a flag has been thrown.


Why won’t the NFL hire full time officials? Would it matter?

I think it would definitely help. Also, younger and better conditioned officials would be a plus IMO.

 

[jobarules]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

 

[jobarules]

Two of these things are completely unrelated to penalties:

1. Enough with the catch/no-catch nonsense. If a player has possession of the football and has both feet on the ground, it’s a fumble if the ball is then lost in-bounds.
2. No defensive pass interference may be called for a ball that is underthrown, causing the receiver to stop meaningful progress. It’s time to stop offenses from benefiting from bad throws.
3. Eliminate the “full body weight” portion of roughing the passer penalties.
4. Put microchips inside both ends of the football. Let science spot the ball.

 

[Gally]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

 

[Gally]

No defensive pass interference may be called for a ball that is underthrown, causing the receiver to stop meaningful progress. It’s time to stop offenses from benefiting from bad throws.

I get the rationale but this will just lead to more "judgement" calls that will lead to more inconsistencies. The real issue with bad officiating is the inconsistency with which items are called.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Why won’t the NFL hire full time officials? Would it matter?

Because they can't. I bring this up every time one of these officiating threads come up. Two of the NFLs big sticking points that led to the refs strike and replacement refs were that the NFL wanted to require officials to be full-time employees instead of part-time, and that they wanted the ability to discipline refs on a week to week basis instead of only at the end of the year.

When everyone in the world started whining about how bad the replacement refs were (forgetting that the regular refs were 100% just as bad) the NFL had to cave and give in to the regular ref's demands, including those two major sticking points.

So refs can be part-time employees, and can not be disciplined for poor performance until the end of the season. People are getting what they asked for with the garbage officiating.

 

[Gally]

Put microchips inside both ends of the football. Let science spot the ball.

Problem with that is you still have the component of "when is the player down" aspect. How do you account for that?

 

[jobarules]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

Ive seen way more illegal formation plays this year than usual. Just get rid of that. Let two guys go in motion at the same time. Let them not get set. Who cares? Offense has taken a step back anyway.

 

[Gally]

if they want to increase offense and protect the QB's then just allow holding by offensive lineman while protecting the QB. Maybe not allow a full on tackle but they are already allowed to hold to some degree. Just allow it completely. It would be a benefit in a few ways with the biggest one being QB protection.

 

[BassNBrew]

Why won’t the NFL hire full time officials? Would it matter?

Because they can't. I bring this up every time one of these officiating threads come up. Two of the NFLs big sticking points that led to the refs strike and replacement refs were that the NFL wanted to require officials to be full-time employees instead of part-time, and that they wanted the ability to discipline refs on a week to week basis instead of only at the end of the year.

When everyone in the world started whining about how bad the replacement refs were (forgetting that the regular refs were 100% just as bad) the NFL had to cave and give in to the regular ref's demands, including those two major sticking points.

So refs can be part-time employees, and can not be disciplined for poor performance until the end of the season. People are getting what they asked for with the garbage officiating.

Exactly. 90% of this board railed on the NFL and their replacement refs. The NFL was trying to fix this and most were more interested in taking shots at the league rather than supporting them.

 

[Brunell4MVP]

AI refs is the answer in all these sports. So much cheaper and more effective than professional refs. No pay. No benefits. No travel issues. It's coming in your lifetime.

 

[Hu-Tang Clan]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

This one drives me nuts, especially when sometimes it's so close. Who cares if a lineman releases his block and starts going up field to block for a screen pass that took a bit too long to develop. Just simplify some of the rules, these refs have so many things to keep track of.

 

[Bri]

I've said this before but I feel this is extremely simple.
The NFL sets us up to be unhappy.
The plays are reviewed and then they want us to accept a ref is human and makes mistakes. What? No! We're either using the technology or we're not, ya can't have both.

The XFL did a fantastic job with reviews. Seeing the screens and hearing the actual conversation "zoom in here" "I gotta see the feet by the line" was like a fan ordered up the experience. It was perfect.

I remember one play "do you see it? I can't see it from any angle. Can you? Well then we gotta go with the field. Good effort tho guys." We saw them try n try to overturn a call but with a zillion angles it wasn't visible.

Conversations being public also obliterates any of this narrative or script writing junk we have too.

The XFL solved this and the NFL is just being spoiled brats not wanting to use another's development.
It's absolutely perfect in the XFL

 

[Birdie048]

Excellent article!! Thanks for posting

 

[SanDawg]

Now that gambling has become so accepted in major sports I feel officiating will always be front and center. They control the game. Gambling is big money in sports and all involved, Vegas / NFL / NBA / MLB, all have a very vested interest in how these games play out. Maybe not a particularly popular take but that's my gut feeling. Just too many obvious missed calls, random calls, no consistency for my eyes.

 

[Rubi]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

Read above. It's might be your fault that they don't, if you were one of the millions complaining about the replacement refs.

 

[Rubi]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

Read above. It's might be your fault that they don't, if you were one of the millions complaining about the replacement refs.

Replacement officials were less invested than the part timers working now.
Fans had every reason to complain about them.
Just cemented the case for full time officials even more.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

Read above. It's might be your fault that they don't, if you were one of the millions complaining about the replacement refs.

Replacement officials were less invested than the part timers working now.
Fans had every reason to complain about them.
Just cemented the case for full time officials even more.

:woosh:

Replacement refs existed because, among other things, the NFL wanted full time officials and the regular refs went on strike to prevent it. Then when people lost their mind over the replacement refs the NFL was forced to cave and sign an agreement that included allowing the refs to continue to be part-time employees.

The NFL cannot hire full-time refs. That is something they had to give up when caving to the ref strike due to pressure from their fans, which includes the vast majority of the same people that now complain about the quality of refs.

The NFL also wanted to hire additional crews so they had more crews than games were played every week, so if some refs were doing a poor job they could "bench" them for one of the other crews. This was also one of the things the union obviously fought against, and won, when public pressure forced the NFL to cave.

The NFL was willing to spend (a lot) more to make the quality of ref'ing better. It is the fans that stopped it from happening, not the NFL.

 

[Dizzy]

NFL world wants a Super Bowl event featuring the Kelce Brothers (and mom), a teary-eyed coach during the Anthem, Team Taylor Swift in the house, and the State Farm All-stars. This is best case scenario for TV viewership and endless storylines leading up to the event. The referees are simply doing their part to execute the script.

Imagine a Lions vs Jaguars Super Bowl... who's watching that?

 

[Rubi]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

Read above. It's might be your fault that they don't, if you were one of the millions complaining about the replacement refs.

Replacement officials were less invested than the part timers working now.
Fans had every reason to complain about them.
Just cemented the case for full time officials even more.

:woosh:

Replacement refs existed because, among other things, the NFL wanted full time officials and the regular refs went on strike to prevent it. Then when people lost their mind over the replacement refs the NFL was forced to cave and sign an agreement that included allowing the refs to continue to be part-time employees.

The NFL cannot hire full-time refs. That is something they had to give up when caving to the ref strike due to pressure from their fans, which includes the vast majority of the same people that now complain about the quality of refs.

The NFL also wanted to hire additional crews so they had more crews than games were played every week, so if some refs were doing a poor job they could "bench" them for one of the other crews. This was also one of the things the union obviously fought against, and won, when public pressure forced the NFL to cave.

The NFL was willing to spend (a lot) more to make the quality of ref'ing better. It is the fans that stopped it from happening, not the NFL.

Contracts expire. The NFL can go to full time officials if they really want to. If pressure from the fans dictated what the league does or does not do it would not be the
mega giant it is today. Fans complain about a multitude of issues. High prices,crappy stadiums,poor field conditions,officiating,coaches,players,organizations.
Yet the league thrives.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

Read above. It's might be your fault that they don't, if you were one of the millions complaining about the replacement refs.

Replacement officials were less invested than the part timers working now.
Fans had every reason to complain about them.
Just cemented the case for full time officials even more.

:woosh:

Replacement refs existed because, among other things, the NFL wanted full time officials and the regular refs went on strike to prevent it. Then when people lost their mind over the replacement refs the NFL was forced to cave and sign an agreement that included allowing the refs to continue to be part-time employees.

The NFL cannot hire full-time refs. That is something they had to give up when caving to the ref strike due to pressure from their fans, which includes the vast majority of the same people that now complain about the quality of refs.

The NFL also wanted to hire additional crews so they had more crews than games were played every week, so if some refs were doing a poor job they could "bench" them for one of the other crews. This was also one of the things the union obviously fought against, and won, when public pressure forced the NFL to cave.

The NFL was willing to spend (a lot) more to make the quality of ref'ing better. It is the fans that stopped it from happening, not the NFL.

Contracts expire. The NFL can go to full time officials if they really want to. If pressure from the fans dictated what the league does or does not do it would not be the
mega giant it is today. Fans complain about a multitude of issues. High prices,crappy stadiums,poor field conditions,officiating,coaches,players,organizations.
Yet the league thrives.

The NFL is under contract w/ the refs until 2026. They literally cannot hire full-time refs no matter how much they "really want to".

Even at that point it's unlikely to change as both sides know the refs hold all the power with the way people revolted last time. They lose way more money dealing with all the people who threatened to (and followed through on) quit when the replacements are there than they lose to generally bad reffing on a weekly basis without the perception damage of having replacements in there.

As much as people complain about the refs now, multiply that times 10,000 and that's how it was when the replacements were in there (even though it wasn't actually much worse, but the narrative took off). It was much more punitive to the league for them to continue operating with the replacements than it was to fix those issues that they wanted to fix. The fans made sure of that.

 

[rockaction]

It wasn't as easy as FreeBaGeL makes it out to be. First and foremost, it was a lockout, not a strike. And best I can tell, the main problem was with the pension fund for officiating. That's always listed as the main reason that the officials were locked out. That and compensation.

As for additional, full-time refs, secondly, the league only wanted a certain amount of full-time officials. Seven, to be exact. The union wasn't opposed to the idea, but they wanted them to be "fairly compensated," whatever that means.

Thirdly, the additional crews proposal FreeBaGeL is talking about (making it look like the NFL cared about the product on the field rather than saving money) came late in the CBA negotiating process and was an add-on by the owners to an already contentious and unworkable negotiation.

By almost all accounts, it was the pension that was the main issue and the NFL was being cheap about it. The other stuff was contentious, but would have been agreed to by the union.

The real problem was when the NFLPA got involved because they started invoking fairness and safety issues to the players. That's when the NFL caved and folded like a cheap suit—from the horrible publicity from the lockout.

So it's always easy to blame one entity, but it was a typical labor negotiation with owners trying to save money and have more authority and the laborers banding together and saying they wanted more money and more autonomy.

 

[kface]

Either way no harm in trying to fix it now. If anything review the hits on the QB because those are costing teams games. Same with defenseless wrs

 

[Rubi]

I've said it before and I'll beat my head against the wall one more time.
FULL TIME OFFICIALS!
The NFL is a multigazzilion dollar operation.
Make the officials FULL TIME!
Non game days can be spent honing their craft.
The fact The NFL does NOT have full time officials is just plain STUPID!
my 2 cents

Read above. It's might be your fault that they don't, if you were one of the millions complaining about the replacement refs.

Replacement officials were less invested than the part timers working now.
Fans had every reason to complain about them.
Just cemented the case for full time officials even more.

:woosh:

Replacement refs existed because, among other things, the NFL wanted full time officials and the regular refs went on strike to prevent it. Then when people lost their mind over the replacement refs the NFL was forced to cave and sign an agreement that included allowing the refs to continue to be part-time employees.

The NFL cannot hire full-time refs. That is something they had to give up when caving to the ref strike due to pressure from their fans, which includes the vast majority of the same people that now complain about the quality of refs.

The NFL also wanted to hire additional crews so they had more crews than games were played every week, so if some refs were doing a poor job they could "bench" them for one of the other crews. This was also one of the things the union obviously fought against, and won, when public pressure forced the NFL to cave.

The NFL was willing to spend (a lot) more to make the quality of ref'ing better. It is the fans that stopped it from happening, not the NFL.

Contracts expire. The NFL can go to full time officials if they really want to. If pressure from the fans dictated what the league does or does not do it would not be the
mega giant it is today. Fans complain about a multitude of issues. High prices,crappy stadiums,poor field conditions,officiating,coaches,players,organizations.
Yet the league thrives.

The NFL is under contract w/ the refs until 2026. They literally cannot hire full-time refs no matter how much they "really want to".

Even at that point it's unlikely to change as both sides know the refs hold all the power with the way people revolted last time. They lose way more money dealing with all the people who threatened to (and followed through on) quit when the replacements are there than they lose to generally bad reffing on a weekly basis without the perception damage of having replacements in there.

As much as people complain about the refs now, multiply that times 10,000 and that's how it was when the replacements were in there (even though it wasn't actually much worse, but the narrative took off). It was much more punitive to the league for them to continue operating with the replacements than it was to fix those issues that they wanted to fix. The fans made sure of that.

The issue would be settled long before the contract expires. There would be no replacement refs. The NFL will learn from the replacement debacle. If they want full time refs they will get them.
The PR machine will get the fans on the leagues side and it will happen. IF they want it to.

 

[JohnnyU]

I’ve made my gripes already in other threads, so I won’t rehash it here, but something is fishy with the refs in 2023.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Some of y'all don't remember what it was like before instant replay and 10,000 views on field. In those days, you got what was given (good or bad), you yelled on field or at your TV, and you liked it.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

Lol wut!?!??

ETA - I really dislike when I see posts like this. These penalties are being called because the NFL no longer lets players practice and bad coaching. It’s no reason to change the rules because these players can’t abide by the same rules allllll the players before them were able to abide by.

Stop trying to turn chess into checkers.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I’ve made my gripes already in other threads, so I won’t rehash it here, but something is fishy with the refs in 2023.

Same here. This thread right here is a prime example of what I said about topic in the game thread- The NFL now thrives on the controversy. Bad press is good press and we’re all engaged.

The ref telling the player to put his helmet back on during a live broadcast was the nail in the coffin for me.

The games aren’t scripted, but they are certainly massaged.

 

[Grahamburn]

Either way no harm in trying to fix it now. If anything review the hits on the QB because those are costing teams games. Same with defenseless wrs

Is it the refs or the rules?

 

[kface]

Either way no harm in trying to fix it now. If anything review the hits on the QB because those are costing teams games. Same with defenseless wrs

Is it the refs or the rules?

A little bit of both really...the rules are fine if they are consistently applied. But a lot of these roughing the passer and personal foul penalties seem like 'they hit the QB so I'm throwing a flag' penalites

 

[renesauz]

interesting article, but the chips in the ball thing always mystifies me. It wouldn't significantly help on 90% of the calls since you still have to figure out WHEN the relevant body part is down. And frankly, you'd then be adding MORE stoppages to the game to figure that part out.
And no....you need more then ball control and two feet down, that proposed change would result in at least 200 more turnovers a year

 

[renesauz]

if they want to increase offense and protect the QB's then just allow holding by offensive lineman while protecting the QB. Maybe not allow a full on tackle but they are already allowed to hold to some degree. Just allow it completely. It would be a benefit in a few ways with the biggest one being QB protection.

this is.....lets be charitable and call it silly.
Offenses would score 100 points/game as they get an automatic 5 yards on every run play too

 

[Gally]

if they want to increase offense and protect the QB's then just allow holding by offensive lineman while protecting the QB. Maybe not allow a full on tackle but they are already allowed to hold to some degree. Just allow it completely. It would be a benefit in a few ways with the biggest one being QB protection.

this is.....lets be charitable and call it silly.
Offenses would score 100 points/game as they get an automatic 5 yards on every run play too

Holding happens every play now and that isn't the case. I believe there is a way to make the penalty more black and white. Much of the complaining is based on the same thing being called one play and not the next. I am not sure what this would look like but I am sure there is a way to have a higher threshold of holding than what is there now

 

[Gally]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

Lol wut!?!??

ETA - I really dislike when I see posts like this. These penalties are being called because the NFL no longer lets players practice and bad coaching. It’s no reason to change the rules because these players can’t abide by the same rules allllll the players before them were able to abide by.

Stop trying to turn chess into checkers.

Rules change all the time as the game evolves. Many of the rules I referenced likely have no place in today's game and are relics from early game play.

I have no idea how eliminating the penalty for a lineman downfield turns the game into checkers.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Why won’t the NFL hire full time officials? Would it matter?

Because they can't. I bring this up every time one of these officiating threads come up. Two of the NFLs big sticking points that led to the refs strike and replacement refs were that the NFL wanted to require officials to be full-time employees instead of part-time, and that they wanted the ability to discipline refs on a week to week basis instead of only at the end of the year.

When everyone in the world started whining about how bad the replacement refs were (forgetting that the regular refs were 100% just as bad) the NFL had to cave and give in to the regular ref's demands, including those two major sticking points.

So refs can be part-time employees, and can not be disciplined for poor performance until the end of the season. People are getting what they asked for with the garbage officiating.

No, we're getting what Peter King asked for. None of us asked for this. Let's put the blame where it belongs.

 

[ghostguy123]

Either way no harm in trying to fix it now. If anything review the hits on the QB because those are costing teams games. Same with defenseless wrs

Is it the refs or the rules?

I say mostly the rules

 

[jobarules]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

Lol wut!?!??

ETA - I really dislike when I see posts like this. These penalties are being called because the NFL no longer lets players practice and bad coaching. It’s no reason to change the rules because these players can’t abide by the same rules allllll the players before them were able to abide by.

Stop trying to turn chess into checkers.

Rules change all the time as the game evolves. Many of the rules I referenced likely have no place in today's game and are relics from early game play.

I have no idea how eliminating the penalty for a lineman downfield turns the game into checkers.

Agreed

The players have changed. The rules need to change with it.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Is it really horrible officiating or way too many penalties in the game and/or ticky tack calls?

I wonder about that too. If they changed the threshold or eliminated some of the ticky tackier plays (lineman downfield, illegal motion, formation call type things) it would help.

Lol wut!?!??

ETA - I really dislike when I see posts like this. These penalties are being called because the NFL no longer lets players practice and bad coaching. It’s no reason to change the rules because these players can’t abide by the same rules allllll the players before them were able to abide by.

Stop trying to turn chess into checkers.

Rules change all the time as the game evolves. Many of the rules I referenced likely have no place in today's game and are relics from early game play.

I have no idea how eliminating the penalty for a lineman downfield turns the game into checkers.

Agreed

The players have changed. The rules need to change with it.

That is not a valid argument.

You can’t have people running downfield blocking and then pass the ball. WTF are y’all even taking about?

Players have changed so you need to change the rules? That doesn’t make any sense at all. Because players and coaches don’t know the rules and are undiscipline we need to make it more lenient?

If you have a valid point, by all means, make it, but because you don’t like it is not a valid reason. The rules are in place for a reason. You can’t have a passing play with all offensive lineman, running down field, blocking the defenders.

It isn’t a very complicated game. Stop trying to ruin it for what? Cause you can’t play within the rules?

The players have changed? Really? Have they gotten stupider?

 

[Gally]

You can’t have people running downfield blocking and then pass the ball. WTF are y’all even taking about?

Players have changed so you need to change the rules? That doesn’t make any sense at all. Because players and coaches don’t know the rules and are undiscipline we need to make it more lenient?

I said the game has changed. I didn't say anything about the players. League wants offense. They have changed rules to promote offense. Thus would be the same thing.

As far as lineman downfield blocking on pass plays. Why is this a problem? PI is still a penalty that would still be in play but it removes the useless call of a lineman going downfield. What does that change? It's a useless penalty with virtually no bearing on the game play.

How does allowing an o-lineman downfield on a passing play change the chess aspect of the game? It may actually increase the complexity. What purpose does that rule serve? What is the reasoning behind it and why should it matter?

 

[ghostguy123]

Lineman being allowed down field would make the game look like a circus.
Go start your own circus somewhere else.

 

[FarFromHome]

Lineman being allowed down field would make the game look like a circus.
Go start your own circus somewhere else.

Funny. I thought the same thing. Like watching elementary school kids playing soccer. All players on field running after the ball. Ha ha

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

You can’t have people running downfield blocking and then pass the ball. WTF are y’all even taking about?

Players have changed so you need to change the rules? That doesn’t make any sense at all. Because players and coaches don’t know the rules and are undiscipline we need to make it more lenient?

I said the game has changed. I didn't say anything about the players. League wants offense. They have changed rules to promote offense. Thus would be the same thing.

As far as lineman downfield blocking on pass plays. Why is this a problem? PI is still a penalty that would still be in play but it removes the useless call of a lineman going downfield. What does that change? It's a useless penalty with virtually no bearing on the game play.

How does allowing an o-lineman downfield on a passing play change the chess aspect of the game? It may actually increase the complexity. What purpose does that rule serve? What is the reasoning behind it and why should it matter?

Player positions are fundamental parts of the game. I’ll use Chess again as an example. Each piece has its own rules and characteristics. A bishop can only move diagonally. A Rook can only move N/S/E/W. Each player abides by these rules - that’s what the game is.

What you’re proposing is breaking the entire scope of the game. It’s why offensive linemen have to tell the defense if they are an eligible receiver. It would be incredibly unfair to the defense and you would have a complete mess of a game. It would look like a game of electronic football.

Additionally, I’d argue that we don’t need more offense. It’s already sensory overload at this point.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Lineman being allowed down field would make the game look like a circus.
Go start your own circus somewhere else.

I love this.

 

[renesauz]

yeah I don't get (getting rid of) the lineman downfield thing, though I do think they aren't always fair with it. An O lineman aggressively bloc ks a DLman and end up 3 yards downfield where the DLman finally beats them JUST before the pass is released? Shouldn't be called. 5 yards downfield setting up to pick off a safety coming after the swing pass to the RB? SHOULD be called.

But TBH I think they usually get it right. 95% of our complaints fall into the category of player safety calls (sacks, unprotected receiver) and catch/non catch. The later have ALWAYS existed, and quite honestly, probably always will. The former are where I take issue. The refs are instructed to throw it and flag it if in doubt.....and that's directly opposite to what they SHOULD be doing, which is hold the flag when in doubt. That was a big hit on the QB, but I'm not sure he actually hit him in the head with any force....HOLD the flag. They can always fine the player later if it was truly illegal, or let an eye in the skybe able to buzz in....if they can't decide before the next play....then again, it wasn't obvious and shouldn't be flagged anyway!

Eye in the sky...there's the real change they should consider

 

[Cowboysfan8]

On officiating concerns, Jerry Jones misses the point (perhaps deliberately)

Cowboys owner thinks if officiating mistakes are acceptable for the teams in a given game they should be acceptable for everyone else, too.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[Dickies]

That article lost me when it complains about how many flags were thrown in the Dallas-Sea game, then proceeds to list examples of penalties that should have been called but weren't in other games. I do think the NFL refs should be full time employees and compensated very well, but they should also be subject to review and the least competent refs should be relegated, giving the opportunity to new refs from lower levels of play.

My biggest gripe is with the NFL and I don't know if this is a rules issue or a ref issue, but it's pass interference. It seems like such a decisive and over-powered penalty that 99% of the time goes against the defense despite the WRs often pushing off too.

 

[rschroeder1]

You can’t have people running downfield blocking and then pass the ball. WTF are y’all even taking about?

Players have changed so you need to change the rules? That doesn’t make any sense at all. Because players and coaches don’t know the rules and are undiscipline we need to make it more lenient?

I said the game has changed. I didn't say anything about the players. League wants offense. They have changed rules to promote offense. Thus would be the same thing.

As far as lineman downfield blocking on pass plays. Why is this a problem? PI is still a penalty that would still be in play but it removes the useless call of a lineman going downfield. What does that change? It's a useless penalty with virtually no bearing on the game play.

How does allowing an o-lineman downfield on a passing play change the chess aspect of the game? It may actually increase the complexity. What purpose does that rule serve? What is the reasoning behind it and why should it matter?

As long as linemen are ineligible receivers, they don't have any function downfield except to block - but it's illegal to block downfield on a pass before the pass is thrown (offensive pass interference). The one-yard rule establishes the box in which blocking of defenders is legal - this is the same for receivers on the outside on a screen pass.

While mistakes are always going to be a part of officiating, I think that de-emphasizing some penalties would decrease the ramifications of missed calls and create a more balanced offense-defense matchup. Make pass interference a 15-yard penalty and not a spot foul. Defensive holding and illegal contact are five-yard penalties but without an automatic first down attached.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

You can’t have people running downfield blocking and then pass the ball. WTF are y’all even taking about?

Players have changed so you need to change the rules? That doesn’t make any sense at all. Because players and coaches don’t know the rules and are undiscipline we need to make it more lenient?

I said the game has changed. I didn't say anything about the players. League wants offense. They have changed rules to promote offense. Thus would be the same thing.

As far as lineman downfield blocking on pass plays. Why is this a problem? PI is still a penalty that would still be in play but it removes the useless call of a lineman going downfield. What does that change? It's a useless penalty with virtually no bearing on the game play.

How does allowing an o-lineman downfield on a passing play change the chess aspect of the game? It may actually increase the complexity. What purpose does that rule serve? What is the reasoning behind it and why should it matter?

As long as linemen are ineligible receivers, they don't have any function downfield except to block - but it's illegal to block downfield on a pass before the pass is thrown (offensive pass interference). The one-yard rule establishes the box in which blocking of defenders is legal - this is the same for receivers on the outside on a screen pass.

While mistakes are always going to be a part of officiating, I think that de-emphasizing some penalties would decrease the ramifications of missed calls and create a more balanced offense-defense matchup. Make pass interference a 15-yard penalty and not a spot foul. Defensive holding and illegal contact are five-yard penalties but without an automatic first down attached.

If PA is not a spot foul people will hold all day long.

You guys are trying to re-invent the wheel.