NFL Will Open Regular Season with Replacement Officials

September 2, 2012 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie

Where does one begin in giving an adept description of the current NFL officiating? More than likely, the answer won’t be brief and it honestly will not be complimentary. It’s pretty much guaranteed that there would be some choice verbiage utilized too.

While some are choosing to find the humor in much of the on-the-field replacements’ performance, most have had their fill as the preseason draws to a close. It seems that the comparisons to Abbott and Costello skit of “Who’s on First?” aren’t far off in a number of instances (actually, the comical representations go on), but with Week one a mere days away, reality hits everyone like a frozen London broil to the face: these referees are going into the regular NFL season.

It’s already been written that the replacement refs will be at MetLife Stadium on the already immensely anticipated evening of September 5th when the Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Giants to open the season.Negotiations remain at a standstill between the NFL and the NFLRA (officials’ union).

This NFL Referees Association was locked out since June and talks on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for them have stalled since July. Anyone that has watched more than one preseason game (not just the New York Giants) have seen the, umm, difference in officiating since replacements have been used in the normal referees’ place. Most (if not, all) are not familiar enough with the NFL Playbook and Rules. Mistakes have been made and clear penalties have been blatantly missed.

Former vice president and senior director of officiating, Mike Pereira had recently made some of the “issues” with the replacements public.

“The integrity of the game will be compromised when you put people out on the field who have no idea of the timing, rules or management of the game or player safety,” Pereira told FOX Sports Radio’s Loose Cannons. ”Much like not seeing the best players, you won’t be seeing the best officiating. You’re going to have people that have never officiated player safety rules at this level before and that will lead to mistakes…the bottom line is the current group of 120 union referees has over 1200 years of NFL officiating experience and you’re going to replace that with zero years’ experience. They need to get this settled.”

He also spoke on the possibility (or reality) that the NFL is enhancing the credentials of the replacement officials.

“They’ve tried to say that Craig Ochoa was a BCS official that he worked in the Big Ten. He didn’t work in the Big Ten. He’s not been a major college official. I don’t think the NFL is going to say that he actually got released midway through the last Lingerie Football League season as a referee. I don’t think the league is going to put that out. The league wants as little out as possible. They don’t want people talking about it. They don’t want me talking about it.” he said on WSCR’s McNeil Speigel Show in early August.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said this past Wednesday night:

“On the NFLRA, we are prepared to resume negotiations at any time. NFLRA talks to the media a lot more than it talks to us.”

The NFLPA went through their own four plus-month lockout last year before resolving and agreeing on a new contract. They even conveyed disappointment about the decision to use replacements. This did similarly happen back in 2001 and the NFL used replacements for the first week of the regular season before a contract was finalized. We can only be just as hopeful now.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands behind the replacement officials and expects them to do “a very credible job.” Really?

Ray Anderson, the NFL‘s executive vice president of football operations says the sides remain significantly apart on economic (of course) issues, including compensation and retirement benefits as well as having a substantial difference on operational issues.

”One of our key goals in this negotiation is to enhance our ability to recruit, train and replace officials who are not performing adequately,” Anderson said. “We believe that officials should be evaluated and performance issues addressed in the same way as players, coaches, club management and league staff. We have proposed several steps to accomplish this, including having a number of full-time officials and expanding the overall number of officials.”

The NFL is proposing to add three full officiating crews (increasing the total number of officials to 140). Consequently, the NFLRA insists the payment being offered with such an increase would reduce officials’ wage. Unreal.

The NFL also reiterates the fact that it has expanded the use of instant replay as an officiating tool this year to include all scoring plays and turnovers. Officiating supervisors will continue to be on hand to assist the novice crews with game management issues (apparently using all the time they deem necessary).

All we want is our uninterrupted New York Giants football. Anyone else hear that proverbial NFL cash register “cha-ching” as we, the fans, sit idly by and suffer while we again wait out contractual debate?

photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photo pin cc

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