There must be a better way to officiate a football game!

[RememberTheRockpile]

1 hour ago, billspro said:

With today’s technology one off the field with a radio could be more effective. It so much easier to see the game from the broadcast than on the field.

I am going to guess that the noise level on the field can at times render the radio communications useless.

[HappyDays]

People physically standing on the field looking for infractions in the middle of a fast professional football game is the least efficient way to do it. They should honestly just have a central officiating office watching all the games on camera. There's so many instances where the broadcast shows a replay that clearly determines the review, but we all wait another 5 minutes while an old man stares into a booth on the sideline. It makes no sense. If they did it by camera, reviews would go much faster which means penalties could be reviewable too. It doesn't take 5 minutes to determine if a defender committed PI. Watch the same angle 3 times in slow motion and call it or don't.

[Just Joshin']

Officials will never be perfect.  That is inherent in sports.

 

It must be:

1.  Consistent.  Do not call one team for a touch foul and let the other team get away with a flagrant foul.

2.  Fair.  If it did not impact the quality of the game/that play, pick up the flag.  Allow coaches to challenge calls that were made or missed.

3.  Transparent.  Each crew should be publicly graded and all fouls backed up with video evidence.  Grade on missed fouls also.  This will be much more important as gambling becomes more legalized.

4.  Accountable.  Fire those who grade poorly every year.  Hold the entire crew accountable for bad calls.  Fine them for poor performance. 

 

The game happens too fast and more cameras/replays make the job more difficult.  Reviews done in real time should be the standard.

 

While the above will not fix all issues, would make the game more watchable and flow better.

[billspro]

1 hour ago, RememberTheRockpile said:

I am going to guess that the noise level on the field can at times render the radio communications useless.

 

True, there would be the potential for more of a home field advantage.

[Matty the Dustmop]

Get rid of the 5yd automatic first down crap.

[Rochesterfan]

Overall - I guess I just do not care that much about this.  We watch replay after replay and the vast majority of times they get the calls right.  The biggest issue is that there are so many border line plays that even on a board like this we do not get a consensus - was it a fumble or was his knee down?  Was it a catch or dropped/knocked away?  Was it PI or not.  We get 3 angles and one angle looks like pass interference, one angle looks like he does not touch him early and one is totally inconclusive.

 

Holding is the same way - they have set it up so holding in the tackle box is very rarely called (which is why Hughes gets so few calls). The Bills end up with McCoy or Allen breaking out of the pocket and get the holding call on the change in direction.

 

Can they improve - yes of course - everything can be improved, but to assume a guy off the field can watch multiple replays of every play and not slow the game down or create issues especially in hurry-up situations.  Or that 2 challenges will work when right now with a team like NO ran out with 3 earlier in the year and that did not include penalties.

 

I think younger officials and more transparent grading would be great, but I think adding technology will create new issues - just as adding replay and all of the slow motion replays have created more controversy rather than fixing things.  

[Bills4everNY]

Have press conferences with the refs after every game, just like they do with the players and coaches. Make the refs go before the cameras and answer questions and have to defend themselves.

[eee1776]

17 hours ago, The Wiz said:

Make gambling on football illegal.  Otherwise nothing changes, even then it would only change a small percentage. 

If we want to admit if or not gambling is having more of an influence in games I personally feel. Every game is tainted one way or another. Although the outcome is not certain I feel a certain prejudice towards a  team of a given day is evident.   

[Mr. WEO]

19 hours ago, PUNT750 said:

 

 

ANY IDEAS???

 

 

I was thinking of starting yet another thread on this topic.  I'm convinced that will change everything.......

[johnnychemo]

18 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Make PI a 15 yard max penalty.  

 

 

If this happens and  I'm a coach, I'm telling every one of my DB's to interfere if there's a chance of catch on a deep ball.

15 yards beats 40 any day.

[Simon]

1) Every official gets 3 flags at the beginning of a game. If you finish the game with no flags left, you don't get paid.

2) If you're wearing stripes, you're also wearing a collar that activates a low grade current every time you get within 10' of another official. If you need to have an officiating group therapy session every time a guy throws a flag, we'll be making it shock therapy.

3) There's one guy in a booth upstairs with four video monitors and a cooler of cold beer. Every review call (only turnovers, scores and 1 coach request/game) goes instantly to him and he has exactly 15 seconds to overturn it before the call on the field becomes permanent and the ball is immediately set for play..

[Bakin]

I can’t remember what pass interference looked like in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. 

But I imagine you pretty much had to blatantly hold or tackle the player to get the call. 

 

Today, if you shout at the WR loud enough, it’s PI. 

 

That, and the ridiculous protection of the QB, make the game a passing league (and this more points which I assume the NFL wants).

 

It’s almost a penalty to sack the QB. 

Edited December 15, 2018 by Bakin

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

13 minutes ago, Simon said:

2) If you're wearing stripes, you're also wearing a collar that activates a low grade current every time you get within 10' of another official. If you need to have an officiating group therapy session every time a guy throws a flag, we'll be making it shock therapy.

“Dance, mailman!”

 

As for the rest of your suggestions, ?.

[BillsWest]

I have thought for a long time that the 10 yard first down markers should do away with the chains and utilize lasers, same with the goal lines.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

2 hours ago, BillsWest said:

I have thought for a long time that the 10 yard first down markers should do away with the chains and utilize lasers, same with the goal lines.

Lasers?

 

Bond:  “Do you expect me to talk”.

Goldfinger:  “No, Meester Bond, I expect you to die!”

Edited December 16, 2018 by Ridgewaycynic2013
Got ‘Goldfinger’ mixed up with ‘Airplane!’

[Best Williams Available]

There are too many moving parts in the sport and too many rules to the game. You can’t change the number of parts (actually you could make it 10 v 10 or 9 v 9), so eliminate more rules. Start with the ones, like PI, where the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. They treat every PI as if it would result in a TD, like a penalty shot in hockey. Just give em 15 yards and make them earn it. If you don’t want to elimate rules, get rid of a ref or two so the chances of catching a penalty in action decreases, resulting in fewer penalties. Addition by subtraction. Removing replay, as mentioned before, would help too. Refs are fallible, so it’s engineered into the game, like strikes/balls in baseball. 

[reddogblitz]

On 12/14/2018 at 7:34 PM, PUNT750 said:

 

Great reply.  It's ruining the game for the fans and players.  Why are the referees so old??

 

i would think that if age of the refs was the issue then the problem would be refs not in position to make calls because they couldn't get there in time. I have NEVER see that happen.  

[BigDingus]

Pass Interference needs to be a reviewable penalty. 

It's absolutely asinine that a penalty that can cost teams so many yards isn't at least able to be challenged. If they want to get away with bogus PI calls, they should just make it an automatic 15 yard penalty instead.