Replacement Ref Discussion Thread - Deal Reached, Will Work Thursday

[ZoneBlitz]

Didn't watch SNF this week, Boardwalk Empire is on now, so that's the end of that.

Have you ever heard of a DVR?

 

[ralaw]

The NFL Replacement Ref Audit
The Embattled Officials Aren't Wrong as Much as You Think, but They're Definitely Slower

Through two weeks of action, the NFL's replacement officials have caused an uproar. Quarterback Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens said the refs are "affecting the integrity of the game," which is actually among the nicest things said about the group in the last few days.

The labor dispute centers on a pension plan and salaries—and though there hasn't been any discussion, the referees union sent a letter to the NFL pushing a compromise on the pension on Tuesday. Still, a great divide remains and it looks like the league, its players and its fans must deal with the world of replacement refs. The consensus is that they take too long to make decisions and when they do, they are wrong. But through two weeks, the numbers actually suggest things aren't as bad as they seem.

REPLAYS

NFL coaches have thrown 29 challenge flags this season—that's on pace to be an 11% increase from last season. While it may seem like this would give referees a very public chance to be exposed, that hasn't been the case. Only 31% of those calls have been overturned, which is down from 52% last season and 42% in 2010. The challenge call sends the play to an upstairs booth, where it's reviewed by an official who isn't a replacement.

To be sure, there are some changes this year that could affect replays. Starting this season, there's an automatic replay for touchdowns and turnovers, meaning coaches can use challenges more freely on other aspects of the game.

THEY ARE SLOW

A common image in the last two weeks has been a group of referees huddled together having a conversation while mayhem surrounds them. Their indecision has contributed to games lasting six minutes longer, up to three hours and 13 minutes. As a whole, it's not an apocalyptic number, but the problem is with individual penalties. According to WSJ analysis of 10 games from last week and 10 from Week 2 of last season, which featured roughly 175 penalties, the average penalty call from the replacement refs took 31.3 seconds from the time the whistle was blown until the explanation of the penalty was finished. That's eight seconds more than the time used on average by the regular referees.

The problem was the seven penalties in our sample that kept the replacements in discussion for more than one minute, including one roughing the passer call in the Dallas-Seattle game that took 90 seconds to sort out. In last year's sampling of games, only one penalty featured a conference longer than a minute.

FLAG FREQUENCY

In the past two weeks, 470 penalties were called—that's a difference of 11 penalties from the same span last season. That's not the only consistency. Common penalties like delay of game, illegal block, offside and roughing the passer were nearly identical to their 2011 numbers, according to Stats LLC. There hasn't been much of a home-field bias, either. In 2011, 44.5% of penalties through two weeks were called on the home team. That number rose to just 45.1% this season.

THEY PUNISH…

Defensive backs. Fifty pass interference calls were made through two weeks this year. That's up 28% from last season. Holding penalties were called 121 times, up from 107 a year ago. Perhaps most startling, they've called 21 personal fouls, up from four last season. Those fouls are general misbehavior penalties and don't include infractions like roughing the passer or unnecessary roughness.

THEY IGNORE…

Procedural penalties. Illegal shift (2011: 6, 2012: 0) and illegal player downfield (2011: 7, 2012: 1) seem to have been overlooked by the officials. Illegal use of the hands is down from eight last year to four this season.

THEY AREN'T WINNING STYLE POINTS

In the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Ravens' receiver Jacoby Jones's scored what looked to be a dramatic fourth quarter touchdown. When he came down with the ball, no flag was visible. The call eventually was offensive pass interference—but it was never signaled to the players. Flacco said the referee threw a blue beanie instead of a flag.

You'd think that was the low point, but it's not. On Tuesday, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy claimed in a radio interview that a referee mentioned he needed McCoy to do well for the sake of his fantasy football team. A league spokesman said officials are not allowed to play fantasy football and that the league is investigating.

The NFL also removed a referee from Sunday's Saints-Panthers game due to pictures a referee posted on Facebook showing him as a…massive Saints fan. (The referee will no longer serve as an onfield official.) In another incident, in Monday's Atlanta-Denver game, the referees gave Denver 11 yards on a defensive holding penalty, which by NFL rules is worth five yards. The Broncos scored on the drive.

—Chris Herring and Michael Salfino contributed to this article

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443816804578004613701813182.html

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Have you ever heard of a DVR?

No thanks. After 8 hours of NFL, i'm good. I think i'll live if I skip the first half of 49ers/Lions.

 

[killgod]

No thanks. After 8 hours of NFL, i'm good. I think i'll live if I skip the first half of 49ers/Lions.

I'm with you.

After the 4PM games, I'm done. Basically, once my fantasy outcome, all weekend parlay and Patriots games are done, I'm done. Hell I usually don't even bother with 4PM games anymore.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

ralaw, thanks for the cool article. Kinda lines up with what the reasonable people in this thread have been saying, that the replacements aren't nearly as bad as the media narrative suggests.

Perhaps most startling, they've called 21 personal fouls, up from four last season. Those fouls are general misbehavior penalties and don't include infractions like roughing the passer or unnecessary roughness.

I thought these refs had no control of the players, were intimidated to the point of tears, and prison riots were breaking out every game?

One minor skirmish in two weeks, plus MORE personal foul penalties than last year, suggest otherwise.

 

[killgod]

im not sure what ZB is groaning. It's unacceptable to not tune into 18 hours of NFL per week? lol?

 

[Maynard]

Didn't watch SNF this week, Boardwalk Empire is on now, so that's the end of that.

Please don't question what games I watch, you don't even have cable, let alone Sunday Ticket. You were watching the Browns on your rabbit ears while I was watching everything except the Browns, who DirecTV didn't even bother to put on the Game Mix because nobody gives a shit.

so you watched the ram/skins game and nothing else. obviously flipping around the dial on directv and watching the reds game doesnt give you a chance to watch any game. seeing part of a game doesnt count as actually watching it. This also means you have no point of reference for anything you are debating in this discussion. so please stop trying to enlighten us with your views from Peter Kings blog

who says i dont have sunday ticket? i own a ps3...who says i dont have cable...i said i cancelled cable, analog comes for no charge with cable modem.

Once again show another area that you have no knowledge of....i guess i should put out a blog so you can plagiarizer this info in the future

 

[ZoneBlitz]

im not sure what ZB is groaning. It's unacceptable to not tune into 18 hours of NFL per week? lol?

I bet you and Warner watch 18 hours per week of NHL and MLB, respectively. Fuck you both.

 

[Maynard]

im not sure what ZB is groaning. It's unacceptable to not tune into 18 hours of NFL per week? lol?

i think it says alot about how big a fans of NFL football you and Warner actually are. thats not a knock, its just a fact that there are levels of interest people have....you and warner being a lower level than most die hard fans

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

so you watched the ram/skins game and nothing else. obviously flipping around the dial on directv and watching the reds game doesnt give you a chance to watch any game. seeing part of a game doesnt count as actually watching it. This also means you have no point of reference for anything you are debating in this discussion. so please stop trying to enlighten us with your views from Peter Kings blog

who says i dont have sunday ticket? i own a ps3...who says i dont have cable...i said i cancelled cable, analog comes for no charge with cable modem.

Once again show another area that you have no knowledge of....i guess i should put out a blog so you can plagiarizer this info in the future

Please stop trying to tell me what games I watched. While you're adjusting your rabbit ears, I live in the 21st century. I watched the Game Mix during the early games on my TV, with baseball on the laptop.

thanks

also, enough of your silly blog talk. cite examples of this plagiarism or get in the corner with Cornelius

 

[Aso]

I'm pretty sure I've seen some calls that should've been overturned that weren't. Refs have not been very good, bottom line.

 

[ZoneBlitz]

Please stop trying to tell me what games I watched. While you're adjusting your rabbit ears, I live in the 21st century. I watched the Game Mix during the early games on my TV, with baseball on the laptop.

LOL, even when you watch your small amount of football, its while watching MLB simultaneously. Why do you even post in this section?

 

[Aso]

Who the fuck watches baseball unless you're actually going to a game? Seriously.

 

[killgod]

i think it says alot about how big a fans of NFL football you and Warner actually are. thats not a knock, its just a fact that there are levels of interest people have....you and warner being a lower level than most die hard fans

I've watched 1000's of NFL games. I watch some primetime games when I can.

My opinion is invalid because I only watch 6-8 hours of NFL per week? Okay...

You're superior because you watch more? Okay... Not sure how total minutes of NFL watched defines your understanding of what you see, but I digress.

I'm not touting to be the greatest NFL expert on the planet, but not sure how my opinion is not to be weighted the same based on total minutes watched. Even with a statistical analysis posted by ralaw that seems to support what both Warner and I agree with, we're off base on this particular topic because of minutes watched?

LOL, even when you watch your small amount of football, its while watching MLB simultaneously. Why do you even post in this section?

Because there's no rule that says you have to watch every minute of NFL action per week to post in here.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

What's a football game? Never heard of it. I've never seen one.

Maybe Maynard & ZB should have a chat with my finacee and explain to her that I don't watch football so she'll leave me alone and I don't have to have the same fight with her every Sunday.

 

[ZoneBlitz]

Because there's no rule that says you have to watch every minute of NFL action per week to post in here.

Cool. BRB, gonna watch half a hockey game and start posting in the NHL section.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I've watched 1000's of NFL games. I watch some primetime games when I can.

My opinion is invalid because I only watch 6-8 hours of NFL per week? Okay...

You're superior because you watch more? Okay... Not sure how total minutes of NFL watched defines your understanding of what you see, but I digress.

I'm not touting to be the greatest NFL expert on the planet, but not sure how my opinion is not to be weighted the same based on total minutes watched. Even with a statistical analysis posted by ralaw that seems to support what both Warner and I agree with, we're off base on this particular topic because of minutes watched?



Because there's no rule that says you have to watch every minute of NFL action per week to post in here.

These guys are weirdos, personally I question the sanity (and employment/relationship status) of anybody who has the time to watch 8 hours Sunday afternoon, SNF, MNF, & TNF every single week. There are very few people who do this.

I also don't understand the argument of "you didn't watch a primetime game this week, so your opinion is invalid".

 

[killgod]

Cool. BRB, gonna watch half a hockey game and start posting in the NHL section.

Lets be grown up's shall we? We both know both Warner and I have seen decades worth of NFL games. But because he watches baseball simultaneously (you know, cause football has about 15 minutes of action in 3 hours, I don't blame him), this doesn't count?

What are you, five years old?

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Cool. BRB, gonna watch half a hockey game and start posting in the NHL section.

really, just stop

i've been watching the NFL for 30 years, fanatical to the point of quitting jobs over it (twice)

if this is what you are going to resort to when you've run out of competent arguments in a debate, perhaps it's you that shouldn't be posting here

this is low level stuff

 

[ZoneBlitz]

These guys are weirdos, personally I question the sanity (and employment/relationship status) of anybody who has the time to watch 8 hours Sunday afternoon, SNF, MNF, & TNF every single week. There are very few people who do this.

You watch baseball every day. Assuming its only 1 game per day, that means you devote a minimun of 21 hours per week to MLB. How the fuck is that any different?