Replacement Officials Will Be Used Week 1.......

[Joemailman]

......at least.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/83...regular-season

First game is only a week away. This could be bad. As the intensity of action increases, I'm not sure they'll be up to the job, which of course is exactly what locked-out officials are hoping for.

[QBME]

It will be bad. Time to go to full time, professional officiating.

[Patler]

It will be bad. Time to go to full time, professional officiating.

I understand the need to have good officials, but a full time job for a 16 game schedule?

[QBME]

I understand the need to have good officials, but a full time job for a 16 game schedule?

With preseason and post season, it stretches to about 6 months. Other months would include the requisite time off plus training, training and more training. Perhaps institute a program where official rotate through the various OTA's and training camps. Just like any other profession, the more you work at it the better you get. Yes, it sounds excessive, but with the NFL branding and the billions of dollars involved, it should be a more than worthwhile investment. I guess I can envision a complete program including required qualifications, evaluations, maybe even apprenticeships or ???...

Would it be a plum job? Absolutely. So it will attract and retain only the best-of-the-best. (Sounds like a recruitment commercial for the Marines eh?)

[Patler]

With preseason and post season, it stretches to about 6 months. Other months would include the requisite time off plus training, training and more training. Perhaps institute a program where official rotate through the various OTA's and training camps. Just like any other profession, the more you work at it the better you get. Yes, it sounds excessive, but with the NFL branding and the billions of dollars involved, it should be a more than worthwhile investment. I guess I can envision a complete program including required qualifications, evaluations, maybe even apprenticeships or ???...

Would it be a plum job? Absolutely. So it will attract and retain only the best-of-the-best. (Sounds like a recruitment commercial for the Marines eh?)

No matter how much more you add, it still comes up short.

17 weeks + 4 preseason = 21 weeks.

Not all officiating teams work post season, there are only a handful of games each weekend even at the start of postseason.

The biggest problem is that they only work one day each week even during the season. Training is fine, but really, how much is there to learn?

A "plum" job? It would be a plum job within the field of plum jobs!
The plumest of the plum!

[mraynrand]

There will be mayhem in the streets

[QBME]

No matter how much more you add, it still comes up short.

17 weeks + 4 preseason = 21 weeks.

Not all officiating teams work post season, there are only a handful of games each weekend even at the start of postseason.

The biggest problem is that they only work one day each week even during the season. Training is fine, but really, how much is there to learn?

A "plum" job? It would be a plum job within the field of plum jobs!
The plumest of the plum!

Another perfectly fine theory blown up by the facts I guess. I still believe there's got to be a better way than the status quo...

[pbmax]

Another perfectly fine theory blown up by the facts I guess. I still believe there's got to be a better way than the status quo...

Not entirely. The NFL has already offered to hire one person from each crew full time I believe. And that was their own offer.

[Patler]

Not entirely. The NFL has already offered to hire one person from each crew full time I believe. And that was their own offer.

I can see that. There can be education (as the teacher), review, research, analysis, etc assigned to those few individuals. That's a far cry from having whole crews as full-time.

[sharpe1027]

I don't pay to watch the officials. I pay to complain about them. If the replacements are terrible, I will be getting more for my money. I don't see the problem.

[denverYooper]

I don't pay to watch the officials. I pay to complain about them. If the replacements are terrible, I will be getting more for my money. I don't see the problem.

Good point. More to excuses to choose from after a loss.

[Smidgeon]

Another perfectly fine theory blown up by the facts I guess. I still believe there's got to be a better way than the status quo...

That's what we call being "Patlerized" 'round these parts.

[QBME]

That's what we call being "Patlerized" 'round these parts.

Wow...that was my first, and it didn't hurt at all. He sure is gentle.

[Smidgeon]

Wow...that was my first, and it didn't hurt at all. He sure is gentle.

Of course, you also ceded with grace to the facts. Just try convincing him he's wrong and that "the stats don't matter". See what happens then.

...Aaaaand just waiting for Fritz to take your response completely out of context. Should be entertaining to say the least.

[sharpe1027]

This thread got me thinking (which is a rarity). It can't be that they are striking because the NFL won't force them to show up to work year round. If that was the case, they could just volunteer their time. As always, it must really be about money, with the PR machine spitting out the "full-time" argument to gain public support.

I look at it this way. The NFL referees want more money, so they offer to work more hours. The NFL sees little benefit to the extra hours. So from the NFL's point of view, the referees are just asking for a huge raise. I'm with the NFL on this one. Go ahead and give them a raise, but don't pretend it is about wanting to work full time.