The elephant in the,room

[nigeriannightmare]

Coaches arent saying much about it nor are players because the league has instructed them to do so. Sports illustrated has an article,this past week about the officials lockout. Its not looking promising. In 2001 officials from ncaa power conferences were used. Officials used to large crowds. This lockout out they are using officials from high school, fcs officials-small college football schools, there are even officials from the lingerie league.

Poor officiating may have more of an influence than we want to,admit

[nigeriannightmare]

I don't see an easy resolution to this unless the refs give in and take what they are getting offered. The bottomline is, as it always is, about money. The refs want more (along with more benefits) and the NFL doesn't want to give it.

Why should they? The NFL has already shown that games will still be played and people will still buy tickets for games with sub Refs. While people will complain, they aren't going to stop watching the games. Until it affects the NFL's ability to make money, there is no reason for them to cave.

The only way this could affect their bottom line is if the players threatened to strike in solidarity with the refs, or if they claimed that the new refs are risking their safety, and I don't see that happening during the season.

I just don't understand why they arent using officials from the big 12, big 10, sec, pac 10, acc....those officials at least have large crowds and the enthusiasm is similar. I mean an official from the lingerie league. He'll piss his pants in arrowhead.

And the article did state that it could go well into the season with the official strike they aren't even in the same zip code.

[jap1]

I just don't understand why they arent using officials from the big 12, big 10, sec, pac 10, acc....those officials at least have large crowds and the enthusiasm is similar. I mean an official from the lingerie league. He'll piss his pants in arrowhead.

And the article did state that it could go well into the season with the official strike they aren't even in the same zip code.

The college refs are probably under contract and wouldn't be allowed to work for the NFL without losing their NCAA jobs. Then, if the lockout ends, they would be SOL because they couldn't go back to the NCAA.

However, I read that the difference is something like 6k/ref/game, which comes out to something like 7 mil/yr. And supposedly they went back into negotiations today.

[doobs_05]

Part of me says the NFL should just fork it over. It's a Billion dollar business and you can't give those refs what they are asking for or meet in the middle, but at the same time.....it's a part time job, you work one day out of the week for about 3 to 4 hours about 16-21 times a year, just be glad you get something out of it.

[TopekaRoy]

The college refs are probably under contract and wouldn't be allowed to work for the NFL without losing their NCAA jobs. Then, if the lockout ends, they would be SOL because they couldn't go back to the NCAA.

It's not just that. I heard that the BCS conference refs are represented by the same union as the NFL refs, so there is no way they would cross the "picket line."

NFL refs are part time, but they want to be paid as much as baseball and basketball refs (who work 10 or 5 times as many games per year). The NFL has talked about making some of them full time, but they would want even more money for that, and most of them have full time jobs that they aren't willing to give up. Ed Hoculi, for example, is a successful trial lawyer. The starting salary for NFL refs is $78,000 per year. That's almost $5,000 per game! (I'd do it for half that.)

Here is a good article that breaks down the deails of the disbute: http://www.thebestsportsblog.com/bre...e-lockout.html

[nigeriannightmare]

The college refs are probably under contract and wouldn't be allowed to work for the NFL without losing their NCAA jobs. Then, if the lockout ends, they would be SOL because they couldn't go back to the NCAA.

However, I read that the difference is something like 6k/ref/game, which comes out to something like 7 mil/yr. And supposedly they went back into negotiations today.

Was the BCS around in 2001? The article said that those were the officials they used for 3 weeks when the last strike occurred.

[nigeriannightmare]

I wonder if something will get done now that poor officiating has ruined a game. That was not pass interference not even close and that was an int with blatant offensive pass interference.

[nigeriannightmare]

if you havent' find a way to watch the last drive of the seahawks packers game. Un freaking believable. Im pissed and I don't even like the packers.

[chief31]

if you havent' find a way to watch the last drive of the seahawks packers game. Un freaking believable. Im pissed and I don't even like the packers.

Agreed. I think this was the nail in the coffin for the replacement refs.

[Chiefster]

Yup, First there should have been an offensive pass interference call and second it should have been ruled an interception. IMO.

[Lord-Chiefy]

The PI talks have been a joke. The Dec "fumble" was a joke and the packers "non int" was a joke. Enough already.