Once again, NFL officiating was among the hot topics around the league this past weekend.
Officiating mistakes happen every single game, but there were a plethora of mind-boggling miscues that led to more outrage than usual this week. The Kansas City Chiefs-Green Bay Packers Sunday night contest was especially filled with jaw-dropping errors by the refs.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, one NFL head coach gave him a perfectly blunt assessment of the officiating issue by texting him, “Time for owners to act on officiating.”
Another controversial call saw officials flag Bruce Irvin of the Detroit Lions for a hit on New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr that knocked the latter out of the game. If you watch the replay, however, it looks like a textbook clean hit by the veteran pass-rusher:
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The Lions went on to win 33-28, so the questionable call saved officials from potentially far more scrutiny.
There have been several intriguing ideas as a way to fix the quality of NFL officiating. Some have called for the league to hire full-time officials, while others have suggested the idea of a sky judge system that the XFL and the now-defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF) used.
The NHL, NBA, MLB and FIFA have all enhanced their referee and review rules/systems over the years to help cut back on officiating controversies. The NFL is well behind on that matter, but perhaps Sunday’s latest controversies will have served as a final straw for owners and the league office.
