Brace Yourself, NFL Tells Teams Replacement Refs Will Work Week 1

By: The Football Girl | Posted: August 29, 2012

Well folks, put your complaining caps on because the replacement refs are likely to infiltrate the regular season. Today, the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams telling them to expect replacement refs to work Week 1.

While it’s hard to consider this memo  “official” since regular officials could jump right in at any moment if an agreement were to be reached, there have been crickets between the league and ref union for weeks, if not months.

The consensus opinion is that the replacements have been nothing short of terrible, a sentiment I agree with to a point.   A few refs are seemingly capable of handling the complexities of the professional game, but for the most part these refs, largely hailing from Division II and even high school, have had a consistent blend of non calls, missed calls and the biggest offense - atrocious ball placement. There have been multiple situations were the ball was placed a full yard away from where it should have been. In NFL terms, that is massive.

If only the replacements could watch the games in HD like we can. 

Of course, the even bigger concern is player safety; something continuously harped on by coaches and players as the preseason has progressed.

The memo is an interesting, if not bullish, move by the league. They seem uninterested in negotiating with the NFLRA (referee association); yet every week as the replacement refs breed their brand of bad calls, the union seemingly gains more leverage.

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