NFL planning to hire 17 full-time officials, boost crews from 7 to 8

Mitchapalooza

Guest
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- NFL executive Troy Vincent tells The Associated Press he expects the league to hire as many as 17 full-time officials for the start of next season.

The additions are allowed under the collective bargaining agreement and would increase the size of officiating crews from seven to eight, the league's vice president of football operations said during a visit to Buffalo on Thursday.

Vincent says hiring full-time officials and discussions to expand replay reviews top the agenda of the NFL's competition committee, which is scheduled to meet in February following the Super Bowl.

Currently, NFL officiating crews are part-time staff and hold jobs outside of football.

Vincent says full-time officials would allow the NFL to spend more time training them.

What has yet to be decided is where the additional official would line up on the field. One proposal is to serve as a middle sideline judge to monitor interior defensive line penalties. Another is to oversee hits to the quarterback.
 

Mitchapalooza

Guest
this is a step in the right direction. hopefully it works out and they are consistent.
 

iueyedoc

Variant Also Negotiates
Donator
Joined:
Aug 21, 2012
Posts:
20,760
Liked Posts:
29,471
Location:
Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Cubs
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
  1. Indiana Hoosiers
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- NFL executive Troy Vincent tells The Associated Press he expects the league to hire as many as 17 full-time officials for the start of next season.

The additions are allowed under the collective bargaining agreement and would increase the size of officiating crews from seven to eight, the league's vice president of football operations said during a visit to Buffalo on Thursday.

Vincent says hiring full-time officials and discussions to expand replay reviews top the agenda of the NFL's competition committee, which is scheduled to meet in February following the Super Bowl.

Currently, NFL officiating crews are part-time staff and hold jobs outside of football.

Vincent says full-time officials would allow the NFL to spend more time training them.

What has yet to be decided is where the additional official would line up on the field. One proposal is to serve as a middle sideline judge to monitor interior defensive line penalties. Another is to oversee hits to the quarterback.
Back in the 50's when my dad was a kid, he would see some of the Bears players working summer jobs in NW Ind.

The fact that the NFL, a multi-billion dollar industry, still has some of its products most critical personnel as moon lighting judges, lawyers, doctors and whatnot is mind boggling. Every new game official should only be hired as a full time professional position, as the older guys retire out.
 

FireFox

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Aug 20, 2012
Posts:
3,463
Liked Posts:
2,938
Location:
Yes.
I was reading a story that this physics professor developed an algorithm that could always correctly dictate where the spot of the ball should be. He presented it to the NFL and the referee's union jumped all over that. They were not happy about what the professor was presenting and had him turned down. Unions ruin a lot of things. Why further jeopardize the integrity of the game when there are obvious technological advances that can make more accurate calls and more accurate ball placement?
 

Mitchapalooza

Guest
I was reading a story that this physics professor developed an algorithm that could always correctly dictate where the spot of the ball should be. He presented it to the NFL and the referee's union jumped all over that. They were not happy about what the professor was presenting and had him turned down. Unions ruin a lot of things. Why further jeopardize the integrity of the game when there are obvious technological advances that can make more accurate calls and more accurate ball placement?
Same thing with umps in baseball.
 

nc0gnet0

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Nov 27, 2014
Posts:
17,407
Liked Posts:
3,618
It won't change much, and at first be a real clusterf**k. You will have a 70% or more changeover in officials, as most of the refs won't quite their normal jobs. So at first you will have virgin refs officiating. What they really need is an expanded and more efficient replay system using modern technology. Also, an 8 ref watching line play is going to result in more holding calls, making the game in slower to watch. I can't say I am looking forward to watching a game in which every other play results in a penalty.
 

iueyedoc

Variant Also Negotiates
Donator
Joined:
Aug 21, 2012
Posts:
20,760
Liked Posts:
29,471
Location:
Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Cubs
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
  1. Indiana Hoosiers
It won't change much, and at first be a real clusterf**k. You will have a 70% or more changeover in officials, as most of the refs won't quite their normal jobs. So at first you will have virgin refs officiating. What they really need is an expanded and more efficient replay system using modern technology. Also, an 8 ref watching line play is going to result in more holding calls, making the game in slower to watch. I can't say I am looking forward to watching a game in which every other play results in a penalty.
That's why you grandfather the old guys in. As they retire they get replaced by full timers. The NFL could be training these guys years in advance, plucking the best college ref's. College ref's make around $35,000- 40,000 a year. The average NFL referee salary was $173,000 in 2013, and it is set to rise to $201,000 by 2019.

Hell, $200K to run around the field with NFL stars, stay in 5 star hotels, and be part of NFL games, that is enough to make me quit my day job. It would not be a problem. Don't see the bitch if the older guys are allowed to play it out, only affecting newer ref's.
 

nc0gnet0

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Nov 27, 2014
Posts:
17,407
Liked Posts:
3,618
That's why you grandfather the old guys in. As they retire they get replaced by full timers. The NFL could be training these guys years in advance, plucking the best college ref's. College ref's make around $35,000- 40,000 a year. The average NFL referee salary was $173,000 in 2013, and it is set to rise to $201,000 by 2019.

Hell, $200K to run around the field with NFL stars, stay in 5 star hotels, and be part of NFL games, that is enough to make me quit my day job. It would not be a problem. Don't see the bitch if the older guys are allowed to play it out, only affecting newer ref's.

I could see that working. Not sure another ref is going to help much, other than make the game unbearable (more flags). I still think giving the coach's another challenge flag, and allow them to challenge some things that are not currently reviewable might be a better alternative, or, maybe in addition to.
 

iueyedoc

Variant Also Negotiates
Donator
Joined:
Aug 21, 2012
Posts:
20,760
Liked Posts:
29,471
Location:
Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Cubs
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
  1. Indiana Hoosiers
I could see that working. Not sure another ref is going to help much, other than make the game unbearable (more flags). I still think giving the coach's another challenge flag, and allow them to challenge some things that are not currently reviewable might be a better alternative, or, maybe in addition to.
Yeah, one more set of flawed eyes aren't the answer. I think the leagues, esp. NFL and MLB need to be more forceful with the officials unions. MLB has no excuse for not having a strike/ball buzzer in the home plate umps pocket. The strike and strike out call are part of the game, but it should not be at the mercy of some guys flawed perspective.

Same with NFL, if you have the technology, use it. Cameras, sensors and the like could instantly correct missed ball placement calls and out of bounds calls. Tennis does it in an instant with balls traveling well in excess of 100MPH. The resistance to overturning the call on the field has long since passed, why not get it right more quickly and without the need for challenges or getting in a challenge before the team can rush the next play?

The NFL baffles me, how it saves a dime to lose a dollar as it currently is as it's product becomes more unwatchable.
 

xer0h0ur

HS Referee HoF
Donator
Joined:
Aug 20, 2012
Posts:
22,260
Liked Posts:
17,824
Location:
Chicago, IL.
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
Yeah, one more set of flawed eyes aren't the answer. I think the leagues, esp. NFL and MLB need to be more forceful with the officials unions. MLB has no excuse for not having a strike/ball buzzer in the home plate umps pocket. The strike and strike out call are part of the game, but it should not be at the mercy of some guys flawed perspective.

Same with NFL, if you have the technology, use it. Cameras, sensors and the like could instantly correct missed ball placement calls and out of bounds calls. Tennis does it in an instant with balls traveling well in excess of 100MPH. The resistance to overturning the call on the field has long since passed, why not get it right more quickly and without the need for challenges or getting in a challenge before the team can rush the next play?

The NFL baffles me, how it saves a dime to lose a dollar as it currently is as it's product becomes more unwatchable.

Because, reasons. -NFL
 

Raskolnikov

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Aug 23, 2012
Posts:
22,240
Liked Posts:
7,739
Location:
Enemy Territory via southern C
Probaby to boost crews so they can have 2-3 in a booth somewhere, or activate a functioning control center of officials who review things to speed it up.

The NFL needs to address their product and if we are going to have replay, get the facts as accurately as possible but very very quickly. Corrections we can see on TV should be relayed immediately.
 

westcoast bear fanatic

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Sep 11, 2014
Posts:
4,514
Liked Posts:
3,069
The only reason I worry about going full technology is that no penalty will be missed.

I think the NFL could do more with less. Put half the amount of zebras on the field and they catch the blatant stuff but miss the petty shit. Each game can have its own senior official assigned to remote monitoring. He expedites reviews and coaching challenges. No more zebra under the hood BS. He buzzes to the head referee if play needs to be paused for review and quickly gives him the outcome.

Less refs will mean less personal fouls called however they should be reviewable.

This game is too much about the zebras as is and adding another and making some full timers does little to correct this. Ticky tack fouls have always been part of the game, next thing we know they will start throwing flags if someone passes gas on the field.
 

Monsieur Tirets

Well-known member
Joined:
Nov 8, 2012
Posts:
8,682
Liked Posts:
4,314
while full time officials might help a bit, it really wont make a difference until they all are, and even then theyll still blow calls regularly. whats more interesting is the expansion of replay. they really need to make penalties challengeable. id be good with every single penalty being reviewable, as long as teams still only got three and there had no be overwhelming evidence to overturn the call. but at the very least fast band bang calls need to be, such as defenseless receivers and horse collars, plays that in the moment might look like a flag, because you know, the hit looked to hard, but when shown in replay are clearly not a penalty at all. BS defenseless receiver calls have altered the course of so many games.
 

iueyedoc

Variant Also Negotiates
Donator
Joined:
Aug 21, 2012
Posts:
20,760
Liked Posts:
29,471
Location:
Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Cubs
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
  1. Indiana Hoosiers
plays that in the moment might look like a flag, because you know, the hit looked to hard, but when shown in replay are clearly not a penalty at all. BS defenseless receiver calls have altered the course of so many games.
Similar to the targeting in college. They review that swiftly with little interruption to flow
of the game.
 

Top