NFL Fans Are Looking For One Thing From NFL Officiating
K. Joudry
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Consistent predictability. That’s what fans want from NFL officiating. It would indeed be a Merry Christmas if every game was officiated with consistent predictability.
When I want to put on my tinfoil hat, I sit down with friends to discuss all things NFL over a cup of coffee. I then proceed by explaining that the NFL actually wants all the referee incompetence. The league, after all, thrives when they’re in the headlines. Getting clicks – even when it comes from boneheaded mistakes and controversies – puts more money in the NFL’s pocket. I have no way of confirming this theory, but its one I’ve kicked around for a little while now. How else do you explain the remarkable issues that continue to plague a league with essentially unlimited resources?
The Bears/Vikings game from this past week is a good example of why fans are so concerned about the refereeing situation. Neither side was pleased how the game went.
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Here is what Bears DE Robert Quinn had to say: “‘These refs seem like they’re controlling the game a little too much. If a play is clean and they’re throwing a flag over something that they thought they can change the game just by one flag, I mean, let guys play ball. If this was a couple years ago, half this stuff wouldn’t even be called, but now they’ve got some of these stupid rules and in the refs’ hands it can change at any given moment.'”
Here is what Mike Zimmer had to say about the clocks at Soldier Field when discussing the late Bears TD: “It didn’t matter at that point. I thought the game should’ve been over on the play before. It was six seconds on the clock. But we won’t talk about the clocks in Chicago here anymore.”
It’s fair to say that Bears fans had a lot to be frustrated about with that game. So did Vikings fans.
The most ridiculous instance came following Matt Nagy’s challenge near the end of the third quarter.
I have no issue with Nagy being upset, nor do I begrudge his decision to challenge the play. The replay showed that Cousins was short, making it a fourth down for the Vikings. The issue, though, is that the challenge never actually occurred. Instead, the folks running the show for NFL officiating obviously sent down word to the referees to reverse their initial decision.
Football Zebras, an online authority for NFL refereeing, provided clarity on what occurred: “Matt Nagy was going to challenge a first down spot. The replay official had already radioed down to fix the spot. Nagy already has one unsportsmanlike foul. Officials will try to keep Nagy in the game. They don’t want to release the Kraken.” If this explanation is indeed what happened, then I’m good with it. I’m very in favor of anything that will make the game function more smoothly.
Here’s the thing, though: why did the mercurial, enigmatic sky judge intervene in that moment and not at other critical moments? Will they always intervene before a challenge when the right call is obvious? If so, will the NFL make the information widely accessible? If not, why won’t they do this every time?
What we all want is consistent predictability from NFL officiating. In many ways, I can’t fault the on-field referees for making mistakes. The game moves at an incredible speed and there are a ton of moving parts. The wording for a lot of these rules, moreover, can be convoluted and subjective. Human error will creep in, which is what makes a sky judge such a tremendous idea.
However, the key is consistent predictability.
During this Christmas season, I’m asking for many things for the Vikings. In a more general sense, I’m asking for the NFL to embrace common sense with their referees. Make the written rules clear and straightforward. Hire full-time refs. Use the sky judge on a consistent basis to improve the flow of the game. Doing all of this will help fans have consistent predictability.
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