I guess complaining about the refs will get you calls

[LennG]

I assume many watched the Chiefs/Bengals game and how the officiating crew helped the Chiefs win another game. Maybe Mahones and company need to go ballistic a few more times as the refs clearly helped KC win t his game.

OK, maybe they would have won anyway, but that intentional grounding call was pretty hard to stomach if you were rooting for the Bengals, and then there is the Chris Jones clear as day, lining up in the neutral zone and then he goes on to sack the QB.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/calls-mount-for-bengals-chiefs-nfl-officiating-crew-to-be-investigated/ar-AA1mhOE5?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=5785966ca5814f6687d775c3b93bb894&ei=17

 On the intentional grounding, there was a Bengals player, not 5 yards from where the pass went.

Really, I know we complain when calls are obviously wrong, but when guys like Mahones goes ballistic against the refs and then, all of a sudden, they start getting ridiculous calls like this to help them win games, well the beat just goes on.

[LennG]

Oh and let's not forget that ridiculous call that gave a victory to the Cowpukes when it was so obvious that they lost.
They have footage of the tow tackles going over to the ref. Why else would they do that if not to report as eligible? How much is Jerrah paying them for that one? After all the NFL needs those Cowpukes to win, win win

[T200]

There's no integrity in NFL officiating. And when you question it, the NFL will fine you.

[BluesCruz]

All they get is plane fare, a room and meals basically.  We need full time professional Refs

Obviously some of them are getting cash envelopes from somewhere'

If you leave a money vacumn in a high dollar situation other cash will fill it in

Also some seem to be fans of Dallas, KC, San Fran etc

[Ed Vette]

All they get is plane fare, a room and meals basically.  We need full time professional Refs

Obviously some of them are getting cash envelopes from somewhere'

If you leave a money vacumn in a high dollar situation other cash will fill it in

Also some seem to be fans of Dallas, KC, San Fran etc

Wrong.

https://www.techopedia.com/gambling/blog/nfl-referee-salary

[ozzie]

NFL Officials make out pretty well. Much more than air fare, room and meals, but I do strongly agree that the league needs to finally make officiating a FULL TIME JOB. There is too much at stake and too much going on to have bankers, attorneys & businessmen doing this as a side gig.
Yes, human error will play into anything involving humans, but there are just way too many blown calls and a letter from the NFL apologizing doesn't quite cut it as "making things right" with the team that got beat.
I feel that someone with a full time, well paying job, officiating on the side is not the same as someone doing the job full time. Being reprimanded or even released for the part timer doesn't have the same weight as it does for someone who relies on the job as their main source of income.
Full time officials with full time consequences for poor performance are needed.

[TDToomer]

NFL Officials make out pretty well. Much more than air fare, room and meals, but I do strongly agree that the league needs to finally make officiating a FULL TIME JOB. There is too much at stake and too much going on to have bankers, attorneys & businessmen doing this as a side gig.
Yes, human error will play into anything involving humans, but there are just way too many blown calls and a letter from the NFL apologizing doesn't quite cut it as "making things right" with the team that got beat.
I feel that someone with a full time, well paying job, officiating on the side is not the same as someone doing the job full time. Being reprimanded or even released for the part timer doesn't have the same weight as it does for someone who relies on the job as their main source of income.
Full time officials with full time consequences for poor performance are needed.

I disagree. It's not a full time profession and you cannot expect these career minded men and women to sit idle for all but 20-25 days in a full calendar year. Plus unless the NFL is the only league you follow you know that every sport has an issue with officiating and those leagues play enough games to make it a full time profession

[LennG]

 I really don't think money has anything to do with this. KC made what was a meltdown over one of their players (Toney) being called for being offside at a critical time. I mean they went ballistic, yet, here is another instance where Jones is clearly lined up in the neutral zone and no call--Why? Yes, different crew and THAT is a big part of it.
Maybe that crew didn't want the attention that the other crew got, but again, this is the main thing, what one crew calls, another may not. We have all seen crews call petty holdings and PIs, and yet another crew will get that 'well the refs are going to let them play today' attitude.

Full-time refs won't solve this problem better directives will. When one ref has the guts to make a call at a critical part of a game and another swallows his whistle.

That IG was horrendous and things like this should be reviewable. Yes, it is a judgment call, but let the ref see what really happened and where everyone was on tape to help make the right call. Come on, we have seen Mahones just throw the ball anywhere and he rarely gets called for IG.

As I said before I guess complaining loudly might get you a few calls.

[spiderblue43]

Rules committee has work to do  Too many defensive holding penalties away from the play resulting in negating great defense. If you must keep the rule away from the play. don't award an automatic first down

Also..touching the passer. err..roughing deserves replay..and no pass interference on uncatchable throws. Saw plenty of laundry there.

Plus Qbs are grabbing defenders to invoke roughing by the collar or face masks. Full stop

Will this make the refs heads explode? Too bad The credibility of games is in real play.

[ozzie]

I disagree. It's not a full time profession and you cannot expect these career minded men and women to sit idle for all but 20-25 days in a full calendar year. Plus unless the NFL is the only league you follow you know that every sport has an issue with officiating and those leagues play enough games to make it a full time profession

I think that if it were made a full time profession, they wouldn't be sitting idle for all but 25 days. You take the rest of the year learning, training, going over rules, sitting in meetings and trying to improve your game and the game itself. The fact that they ONLY work at it 25 days a year is the main problem.
Besides, I don't know too many people who would balk at making 100+ grand for working only 25 days?

[TDToomer]

I think that if it were made a full time profession, they wouldn't be sitting idle for all but 25 days. You take the rest of the year learning, training, going over rules, sitting in meetings and trying to improve your game and the game itself. The fact that they ONLY work at it 25 days a year is the main problem.
Besides, I don't know too many people who would balk at making 100+ grand for working only 25 days?

How much do they make now? I still don't think they will want to give up their other careers. How many meetings can someone be expected to sit through for the 6 month of the year that nothing is happening in football?

[ozzie]

According to the posted article, the average salary is $205,000/Yr. If someone doesn't want to give up their career for it, no one is forcing them to and that is part of my point. Find people who WANT to be full time Officials. I'm sure they are out there. Train them up and have the NFL be their career, not a part time gig.
Also, I don't expect ANYONE to work 365 days a year and only sit through meetings. I do wonder how many questionable calls were made because someone was out of position though? Maybe they couldn't keep up and didn't have the best view to make the proper call. Well, conditioning may help something like that. Teams watch film and have chalkboard talks, why shouldn't the officials?
I'm just saying there is more to calling a game than just showing up on Sunday. I think full time officials who put in as much work as each franchise does to hone their skills would be a step in the right direction.
Like I said before, human error is going to happen, I just think it has been happening too often in the NFL.

[DaveBrown74]

According to the posted article, the average salary is $205,000/Yr. If someone doesn't want to give up their career for it, no one is forcing them to and that is part of my point. Find people who WANT to be full time Officials. I'm sure they are out there. Train them up and have the NFL be their career, not a part time gig.
Also, I don't expect ANYONE to work 365 days a year and only sit through meetings. I do wonder how many questionable calls were made because someone was out of position though? Maybe they couldn't keep up and didn't have the best view to make the proper call. Well, conditioning may help something like that. Teams watch film and have chalkboard talks, why shouldn't the officials?
I'm just saying there is more to calling a game than just showing up on Sunday. I think full time officials who put in as much work as each franchise does to hone their skills would be a step in the right direction.
Like I said before, human error is going to happen, I just think it has been happening too often in the NFL.

Great post.

The NFL was much more of an officiating problem than the other three sports. I follow the other big three fairly closely (football is my favorite although I'm pretty into the other three), and I can say for sure that officiating isn't nearly as big a deal in baseball, hockey, or basketball as it is in football. Obviously, you're going to have games in any sport where the refs have a pretty bad night, or an important call is messed up, but generally it's not anywhere near the problem in the others as it is in football.

To be fair, some of that has to do with the nature of the game itself and the perhaps more pivotal role refs play in the NFL than they do in say hockey. I definitely think it's more difficult to be a great NFL ref than to be a great NBA ref (and that's not in any way putting down NBA refs or refs of any sport - it's a hard job period). So that's part of it, but the problems go much further than what can be explained away by that excuse.