Moving the umpire out of the “box” area may not be the only change the NFL makes to its officiating procedures.
Per the Associated Press, the league will experiment with the use of an eighth official during the preseason.
A “deep judge” was used during Friday night’s game between the Falcons and the Dolphins. An extra official also was scheduled for Saturday night’s games between the Ravens and the Giants and the Bengals and Bills. On Thursday, when all 32 teams wrap up the preseason by playing on the same night, eight officials will be used when the Bengals face the Colts.
The fact that the league is using eight officials on an experimental basis suggests that one or more folks with influence believe an extra official is needed — and that enough people agreed to at least give it a try.
I’m sure P. Manning and the colts won’t like this change either. That 8th official might track down the fake noise they pump in.
That eighth official SHOULD BE a replay official in the booth. Having a dedicated replay official would eliminate the under-the-hood silliness and negate the ego factor when officials have to overturn field rulings. And just maybe the guy in the booth could have a rulebook nearby so he won’t invent regulations to support ridiculous rulings.
If the NFL insists on using instant replay, it has an obligation to at least TRY to ensure replay rulings are accurate.
question to the NFL:
why dont you try experimenting with ref in a booth with all the replays, so he can be the one to initiate a reversal call?
WTF, just add 3 more and you have a full starting lineup.
Honestly, the only sport that has the instant replay procedure done right is… the NHL. A dedicated “war room” where nobody is influenced by the call on the ice or atmosphere. I wish the NFL and MLB would do the same. Every score is reviewed and the official on the playing surface is notified that the play in under review. Best system so far in my opinion.
Yeah, those NHL refs do a bang up job (no pun intended) on stopping the thuggery on skates!