Do All The Nfl Refs Need To Go Back To School?

[theblackdog]

This has just been a year of a lot of blown calls made by the refs for many of the NFL teams that have resulted in a lot of controversies. I know that we as fans will pile on a ref when something doesn't go our way, but to me it says something when there is still talk of how badly a call was made by the refs for the next few days. Is it perhaps time for the NFL to reevaluate how they train their refs and perhaps even their critiques of them as well?

One thing I have mentioned in the past is that apparently in the NHL, a ref will get a critique every morning from the head of the refs association in an E-mail containing game footage and asking them why they made the calls they did, or why they didn't make certain calls that should have been made. I wonder if the NFL does the same thing, and if they don't, should they start doing such a thing?

At the very least, this is a PR issue for the NFL's refs because I get the feeling a lot of folks have lost faith in them, especially after the famous Holuchi blown call in the Broncos vs Chargers game. What does the NFL have to do to restore our faith in their officials?

[GSKSOCCER]

I have been a soccer referee since 1992 and I know that the soccer referees that referee in the MLS (the top soccer league for men in the US) are assessed every time they referee a game. After the game the assesor for that game has a closed door session with the referees. The United States Soccer Fedeartion has started to take the lead like the NHL, NBA and MLB by hiring some full-time referees. The USSF even post some of issues reviewed every week on it website.

Unfortuantley, since the NFL does not play schedules like the NHL, NBA and MLB, so the NFL will justify not doing so. However, with all the money the NFL generates, and the pressure to successed placed on the coaches and the players, now, it seems like a better time, than never to start hiring some full-time referees. Alot of these referess are probably highly skilled individuals in their regualar jobs, such as lawyers, etc, and that is what make them great cannidates for being an NFL Referee. The compley of the NFL game is rapidly changing every year and it needs full-time referees now, in my opinion, since livelyhoods and profession are on the line.

It seems like this year the referees seem to have had an unbelievable mistakes interpreting the rules. In the case of the Devener Broncos, it probably cost them making the playoffs and may have resulted in the firing of Coach Shannah.

[usmccharles]

you would figure in this day and age with all the technology we have we would put some of it to use. There could be trackers in the football itself with sensors at goal lines, ball passes the sensor, touchdown. Delay of game....somehow we are still using the hole...ref looks at the clock than looks as fast as he can to see if the ball was snapped, basically a second leadway (wich helped us beat the titans) but we dont have any type of buzzer or anything, just seems like theres a lot that could benefit the nfl in the way technology could be put to use

[theblackdog]

Okay, after watching the Superbowl last night I'm convinced, the refs need to have their contracts canceled, be sent back to school, and have to re-compete for their jobs back. There were way too many questionable calls last night that left a lot of fans in the room rather pissed off at the game. I even called my mom after the game and she was going "What the?" at some of the refs.

Come on NFL, you have a PR problem on your hands, lots of folks don't have faith in the refs.