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How important are NFL on-field officials to the league and its product?
It appears we'll find out beginning Sunday, when Arizona plays New Orleans in the Hall of Fame game.
That's because the NFL and the NFL Referees Association have been in a labor dispute since June with no end in sight.
Ask Commissioner Roger Goodell about the impasse, he'll say he's comfortable using replacement officials in preseason games.
Regular-season games? One thing at a time.
If what Goodell says is true, the league has offered a 5- to 11-percent pay increase to the officials.
What the league apparently wants is to increase the number of people in the officiating pool and employ those who earn work based on performance.
That approach is poisonous to a union, which prefers to protect its dues-paying members.
Hopefully, a few weeks of action will lead to a compromise.
That approach is poisonous to a union, which prefers to protect its dues-paying members.
Hopefully, a few weeks of action will lead to a compromise.
The league should want to get a deal done because it understands replacement officials will have an image problem in today's "perception is reality" culture. That especially will be true knowing the whistle blowers won't be comprised of high-level experienced officials -- there's little upside for college refs to cross the line for a brief time.
Look, we all know fans don't pay to watch referees or umpires. It's best when a game is held and you hardly know the officials are present.
That's nearly impossible in today's Big Brother in HD world where mistakes and blown calls are noticed and publicized. No official is immune to that, whether it be a replacement or the best of the best.
You can be sure this month's preseason games officiated by replacements will generate errant flags and blown calls/non-calls that get replayed incessantly on SportsCenter and elsewhere.
Throw in coaches and players who'll be complaining about not having the normal zebras, and the league will feel some pressure to get a deal done in time for the season opener.
If not, then the NFL should be flagged for delay of game.
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