NFL Officials to Work in CFL Games This Summer

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

Post Reply
South Pender
Legend
Posts: 2779
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:24 am
Location: Vancouver weekdays; Gulf Islands on weekends

User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

Interesting to see a lot of snarky reader comments to that article — coming from NFL fans frustrated with the perceived poor state of officiating in their league who suggest having officials work in a different league with different rules will further aggravate the quality control. Which IMHO is total bollocks; even without this initiative, every NFL official ever hired has presumably worked in some other football league that also didn't use the NFL rule book.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
User avatar
Coast Mountain Lion
Legend
Posts: 1374
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:52 pm
Location: Champlain Heights

So we'll have games held up even longer while NFL refs consult with other officials or make calls to the league office for CFL rule interpretations?
User avatar
cromartie
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5004
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 2:31 pm
Location: Cleveland, usually

Coast Mountain Lion wrote:So we'll have games held up even longer while NFL refs consult with other officials or make calls to the league office for CFL rule interpretations?
Side and Field Judges. Shouldn't be too impactful as the only real question becomes the yard off the ball rules.

In a way this is good for the NFL, because it gives these officials exposure to PI challenges and the new eye in the sky rule. The NFL needs to create a culture of acceptance toward increased involvement with replay that the CFL has and will institute.

I'm alright with it. It helps both leagues.
User avatar
Hambone
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8173
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:25 pm
Location: Living in PG when not at BC Place, Grey Cup or Mazatlan.

cromartie wrote:
Coast Mountain Lion wrote:So we'll have games held up even longer while NFL refs consult with other officials or make calls to the league office for CFL rule interpretations?
Side and Field Judges. Shouldn't be too impactful as the only real question becomes the yard off the ball rules.

In a way this is good for the NFL, because it gives these officials exposure to PI challenges and the new eye in the sky rule. The NFL needs to create a culture of acceptance toward increased involvement with replay that the CFL has and will institute.

I'm alright with it. It helps both leagues.
I'm very much OK with this. For field and side judges they are mostly responsible for things in the defensive backfield. Probably the only thing that is really different for them is the one foot vs two feet inbounds for a catch but that won't be anything new for the NFL crews. The NFL has long had a similar partnership with the NCAA. Most NFL officials came up through the ranks of the NCAA where, like the CFL, only 1 foot inbounds is required for a catch.


Sporting Charts explains Side Judge

The side judge occupies the same side of the field as the head linesman. He is responsible for decisions regarding players on his portion of the field, including, but not limited to judgments on pass completions, interference, actions made by defensive backs, running backs and receivers. The side judge is usually responsible for keeping count of the number of defensive players on the field. He will also act as a second referee for field goal attempts.

What is Field Judge?

This is one of the referees who controls the game. The field judge will line up 25 yards deep in the defensive backfield, and his responsibilities include watching the game clock and watching for pass interference penalties, illegal use of hands by defensive players, proper count of players on the field, and the spot where a player goes out of bounds on his side of the field
.

As long as the side judge doesn't forget 12 men isn't too many men on the field there or that only 1 foot inbounds is required everything is pretty much the same except in the case of the field judge he may have more field to cover. Fans have long lamented CFL officials need more or better training, without of course knowing the current extent of their training. Being able to tap into the NFL's development program is a golden opportunity to expand their training and knowledge base. In the website detailing the NFL's Officiating Development Program I read an interesting comment from former NFL Director of Officiating Jerry Seeman. “If you were going to write a 10-chapter book about what it’s like to be an official in the NFL, the first nine chapters would deal with preparation. The last chapter would deal with the game.” As fans the only thing that matters to us is Chapter 10 but it's Chapters 1-9 that are the key to how Chapter 10 turns out. For CFL officials I see it as being about what they can learn about how NFL zebras prepare for and approach games that will be the most important.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
User avatar
Lions4ever
Hall of Famer
Posts: 3430
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 7:25 pm
Location: Vancouver Island

sj-roc wrote: Interesting to see a lot of snarky reader comments to that article.
It's a well known fact that reading the the comments section will give you cancer.
User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

Lions4ever wrote:
sj-roc wrote: Interesting to see a lot of snarky reader comments to that article.
It's a well known fact that reading the the comments section will give you cancer.
Well, this entire board is basically one big comments section, technically speaking, so I guess we're all doomed. :shock:
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
User avatar
Lions4ever
Hall of Famer
Posts: 3430
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 7:25 pm
Location: Vancouver Island

sj-roc wrote:
Lions4ever wrote:
sj-roc wrote: Interesting to see a lot of snarky reader comments to that article.
It's a well known fact that reading the the comments section will give you cancer.
Well, this entire board is basically one big comments section, technically speaking, so I guess we're all doomed. :shock:
Present company excepted. :beer:
Post Reply