Let's Start Here

So you want to be an NFL referee? As the replacement officials showed, it's not easy

When those newly appreciated NFL officials return in force across the land today to save football, among them will be a high school principal, a retired firefighter, a retired dentist, an inventor, a dairy farm owner, more than a dozen lawyers and financial advisers, insurance executives and assorted captains of industry.

Faces obscured beneath their caps, homogenized in jailhouse stripes, forgive them if they need a quarter or two to adjust to newfound celebrity buzz. Reserve a drop of sympathy, too, if they lag trying to keep up with an NFL game, played at lurching speeds by bison-sized men. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of NJ.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Take a look in particular at the 2nd half of this article and how it closes. It makes me wonder, is it about the game, or the man.

Can just someone who is very knowledgable about a game be a referee, or is it something more?

All Done ...

NFL refs approve eight-year deal, scramble for Sunday return

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- NFL referees voted and approved a new eight-year deal with the league on Saturday. Now they all can get back to the business of calling games.

Referees approved the contract by a 112-5 vote, officially ending a lockout that led to a rising chorus of complaints from players, coaches, fans and politicians. The next stop for the refs who gathered in Irving, Texas, was the airport, where most were to hop on planes taking them straight to their Sunday game sites. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of SI.

Kicking Back Comments: So many angles on this story. Amount of money in the agreement; use of D3 referees as D1 and D2 guys would not go; how the D3 guys did; use of the word "replacement" with regard to the substitute referees .... on and on.

We'll start on Monday. =)

SQUEALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL !!!!

NFL’s regular refs return tonight

NEW YORK — So long, replacement refs. The NFL’s regular crews will be back on the field starting Thursday night.

After two days of marathon negotiations — and mounting frustration among coaches, players and fans — the NFL and the referees’ union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the Boston Herald.

Kicking Back Comments: I am (obviously) not at all surprised. Much, much more on this soon.

Have We Reached the Squeal Point? (NE v. BAL)

Back on September 7th, I penned "No Agreement ... No Referees." In my comments to the cited Washington Post article, I mentioned a squeal point where the NFL union caves to the Referee Union. After Sunday's New England v. Baltimore game, and Monday's Sea Hawks v. Green Bay game, I wonder if we are there.

Now regarding the New England game, some may come right out and say that I am a New England-ite and have a baked in bias. Well, they would be part right as I do cheer for the team, however I am largely ruined when it comes to most sports as I am far to into the refereeing to be anything other than objective. On a level this is actually really pathetic as I generally watch referees, and not the actual game itself. A noted exception is Little Ms. Saturday morning "magnet ball" sessions.

Now, Bill Belichick is reportedly going to be fined $50,000 for his Sunday night incident where he grabbed a referee (please note I am not using the adjective "replacement" as they are referees), in an apparent attempt to dispute weather the winning field goal actually passed through the uprights, or over them.

I frankly support the fine as grabbing an official is off limits, period. Even if, and I do believe this part, it is done to try to get the attention of the referee. I think there is a lesson in there as well for referees in general, and that is how to deal with end of match confrontations.

Take a look at Belichick defends his contact with replacement referee, from SI, note that "replacement" word again. The first thing that struck me was the picture of a growling Belichick, and a cowering referee. It smacked of "just get me out of here" instead of "let's talk about it."

In the article, Belichick hit the nail on the head had this quote:

"I've coached in this league a long time and never been penalized, never had any incidents with officials or anything like that," he said. "I have never meant any disrespect or in any way tried to abuse or be disrespectful to the officials and the job that they do. I was just trying to get an explanation for, obviously, an important call.

"That's the No. 1 thing between coaches and officials. It's always at the forefront. It's just communication of what's going on, what's happening."

Communication. That's what he states (and I believe) he was after.

Imagine, just imagine, if that referee when Bill tugged on his arm, turned, waited for Bill, and walked side by side with him to allow Bill to ask his questions, or plea his case for the time from the field to the tunnel. What do we think the result would have been?

I opine much better for all. Bill would not be receiving a fine, and the referee would have earned some additional respect from Bill, and the coaches in general.

Both men knew that the call would not change, but Bill wanted to vent, and likely even genuinely ask what was happening. I think that is good, and high level referees employ this technique often to great effect.

It should have happened here, and as it is not, it smacks of "amateurish" behavior for some current NFL referees.

Honestly it is not dissimilar with College soccer and amateur and pro level play, where in my experience a referee who does mostly college matches I find sometimes very "thin skinned" when it comes to a player or coach giving them rubbish. It is the environment they were brought up in and are used to. Keep in mind many of these referees are D3 football referees ... in a college program. Their heads have to be swimming.

Point being here, talk to players, talk to coaches, hear them out, let them vent (not abuse you ... think Brandon Spikes on Twiitter), and things will go better for all.

After all, everyone want to be heard when they have something to say. It's just human nature. 

Have We Reached the Squeal Point? (GB v. SEA)

Back on September 7th, I penned "No Agreement ... No Referees." In my comments to the cited Washington Post article, I mentioned a squeal point where the NFL union caves to the Referee Union. After Sunday's New England v. Baltimore game, and Monday's Sea Hawks v. Green Bay game, I wonder if we are there.

In the days ahead I will write about the NE game and how I believe that a lack of communication between the referee and coaching staff of both teams continues to dig a hole for the guys in stripes, and for the games themselves. Although I'll say tongue in cheek, if the NFL was looking for an additional revenue stream they may have found it via fines for offenses to referees.

Today is a discussion about the ending of the GB v. SEA game on Monday night, and the mess that followed.

A good "blow by blow" of the single incident that may be that "squeal point" is detailed in "So about those replacement officials …" (there's that replacement word again), and the video is here, at CBS Rapid Reports.

Take a look at the video before reading on ... I'll wait. It's below for as long as the NFL allows it on YouTube.

My first reaction was an audible groan, and let me assure you it was not from the call itself, or the need for a review, it was for watching (2) referees a few feet apart failing to talk to each other before giving a signal, and each going the other way.

That one hurts.

This was a game changer at the hands of the referee, it was the squeal point. The referees could have made everyone say ... Hey, we're here, deal with it, and we are going to make the calls. Instead they seemed to say ... Hey, we're here, and we are not at all on the same page.

Again, this is not about the call itself. I don't care, and am not so knowledgable about the rules of football that I can figure it out anyway. It just looked horrible.

Both go touchdown, both go interception, both call a timeout for the review (the worst of all evils as it shows a lack of conviction), they just needed to BOTH GO ONE WAY. They were right there, they should have looked, heck even talked, before raising their arms in the air.

It's tough being a pro referee, I know that first hand. The pressures are tremendous, and things happen fast, fast, fast. Jobs are on the line with split second decisions. Referees (in general) in these positions, need to communicate, and get it right, all going the right way.

A tall order to be sure, but that's what separates pro referees from the rest.

This one incident showed clearly that the current NFL referees are not pro referees. This is true more than any other set of incidents so far this season. Can they eventually get there? Some certainly will. Will they be allowed the time to do so? I don't think so. I think Monday nights incident was the beginning of the end of the current set of referees.

We have officially hit the squeal point.

No agreement ... No referees

NFL, officials’ union meeting ends without agreement

NEW YORK — The NFL and its on-field referees union failed to reach an agreement when they met Saturday, and the league said it’s proceeding with replacement officials.

The NFL locked out the referees in early June, then hired replacements, whose work in exhibition games has been heavily criticized. ...

See the whole story here, from the Washington Post.

Kicking Back Comments: One very interesting part of this article was the NFL's thought of hiring (1) full time crew to essentially be a liaison between the referees and the league. Now the less interesting part was the NFLRA's response of ... pay us better. That was pretty weak.

That said, the NFL should take a page out of the MLS playbook as they have employed "full time" referees for a while. The exact numbers has flexed a bit from what I understand (at one point it was up to 3 guys), but the concept is there.

From what I have heard on the street, these guys were getting paid in the order of $50K per year. It makes me wonder what the NFL is proposing for a salary.

Now, given the player minimum league salary for the NFL is $390K for 2012 (source), and for the MLS is $34K for 2012 (source), should it scale appropriately? Should a NFL "full timer" get $500K a year in salary? Or asked another way, why should a referee be paid near the level that a rookie is making?

Take a look at MLB unpires. After a stint in the minor leagues, these guys when they hit "the show" can make up to $300K annually ($140K is the average). NBA, about $120K on average annually. NHL is about the same as MLB on average.

Now lets be fair, MLB, NBA, and NHL schedules are grueling, NFL is not. Even MLS plays more than the NFL and its referees get paid far less. (NFL salaries are ~$25K - $70K, MLS is based on number of games, but assuming you do a match every week ... which you won't ... you would make about $19K (36 weeks * $600).

I'd be interested in the actual numbers from the NFL, but a game a week for 20 weeks or so ... $100K? That's pretty good, and the league can certainly afford it.

We'll see where this goes, and what happens after week 1 ... but I think there will be a "squeal point" in there from the NFL that will be directly proportional to the number of "blown calls" in real matches.

After all, its how GLT made it to reality.

Send in the Clones

NFL to use replacement officials for Week 1

NEW YORK | The NFL will open the regular season next week with replacement officials and said it was prepared to use them "as much ... as necessary" afterward.

Replacements will be on the field beginning Wednesday night when the Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Giants in the season opener, league executive Ray Anderson told the 32 teams in a memo. Negotiations are at a standstill between the NFL and the officials' union. ...

See the whole story here, from nwi.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Can you imagine what must be going through these replacements heads? I remember my first pro match as a 4th official back when I was 19 or so. It was at BU and involved the Boston Bolts.

I was terrified as it was the first time I was even involved with the pros at any level. My last match before that was an amateur match the previous week between two ethnic Boston area teams in a lousy neighborhood of Boston.

It was easier than the very well behaved pro match.

Heck, when I joined the MLS ranks in 1995, and served as a 4th, JAR, and SAR for several years before getting a shot in the middle, I figured I was a "seasoned pro." I was ready and could handle anything they threw at me, right?

Wrong.

I vividly recall Spartan Stadium, and the match between the (then) San Jose Clash, and Colorado Rapids. I was welcomed by Marcel Balboa almost knocking me on may a$$ and telling me to get the hell out of the way during the opening minuets.

I was kinda in the way ... but he was making a point ... and I took note of it.

I was not in Kansas any more Toto ... and neither are these guys who are stepping in this week.

After failing that assessment I went on to take some lumps and learn a whole bunch ove rthe next 10 years as a pro referee. Most importantly, the pro's are a whole different level than anything else.

I would imagine our replacement brethren will figure this one out soon enough on Sunday.

Good luck to them all.

If only FIFA had these b@ll$

Saints Coach Suspended for Season Over Bounties

Meting out unprecedented punishment for a crush-for-cash bounty system that targeted key opposing players, the NFL suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay for next season and indefinitely banned the team's former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams.

Payton is the first head coach suspended by the league for any reason, accused of trying to cover up a system of extra cash payouts that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday called "particularly unusual and egregious" and "totally unacceptable." ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ABC News.

Kicking Back Comments: Top marks for Roger Goodell! Imagine, just imagine, if FIFA has this courage to deal with its corruption issues. You could almost watch the sea part if Sepp had the gumption.

Heavy handed? Maybe.

Message sending? Definitely!

You can bet that all the other teams in the NFL who likely did this, and have any form of tangible evidence are shredding it as we speak here.

Imagine ... just imagine The Game without corruption.

You know, this works for on the field stuff too. If a player presents you with a gift wrapped opportunity to send an appropriate message to all the other players (an example may be for a hard challenge), by all means send the message (however you see fit).

At the end of your match, I'd bet that you would see less issues if you handle the first one with sufficient emphasis.

"The Commish" did here, and the game he presides over will be the better for it in the immediate and long term.

It stays in the family I guess

John Parry from Akron Ohio has been named referee for Super Bowl 46.

Michigan City native John Parry will be the head referee for Super Bowl XLVI, to be played Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.

Parry, son of the late Dave Parry, also served as an official in Super Bowl XLI between the Bears and Colts.

Parry’s father also officiated in a Super Bowl and was instrumental in collegiate officiating as well, including being the head of the NCAA referees prior to his death in May of 2011. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the Herald Argus.

Kicking Back Comments: I am a big fan of refereeing families. I think it gives rise to a fantastic "built in" support system. I have many, many fond memories of interactions (i.e. debates) with my dad about the LOTG and their application from the in-town leagues I used to do, straight through to the international level.

Funny to that I am beginning to probe to see if Jr. would want to work some in-town matches. That will be a story unto itself I am sure.

Coaches Are People Too

Image Courtesy of Bentcorner.com

Anyone see the Detroit v. San Fran (gridiron) football game the other day?

If so, you were treated to some coach on coach bumping and grinding as rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers, handed the Lion’s head coach Jim Schwartz his first loss of the year.

Harbaugh can be seen immediately before coming over to slap Schwartz on the back, jumping around like a frog on a hot plate. Not surprisingly, Schwartz took some exception to the treatment, all of which, and the aftermath can be seen here, from NFL films.

Well now what is the referee role here for such boorish behavior one may ask?

Head for the showers? Call the police? What's the call?

Well, first let me say that I don't blame Schwartz one bit. While I appreciate the excitement from Harbaugh, I also think it was way over the top. WAY over the top. That said, there referees have a responsibility here, and can't just turn their backs and head to the showers.

So lets think about it, this is essentially a mass confrontation scenario. What do we do?

While each scenario is different, generally if you can get in between the trouble makers, do so. You can see the referees actually trying to so this in the video. With that you can actually try to talk some sense into the parties and get them to calm down a bit. You can also usually count on help when you start to separate folks like this too especially in big venues like the subject one. In smaller venues, other players usually jump in to help.

After that, take a breath, and when things are not going to reignite, TAKE NOTES! Right there is the time to make sure you get the relevant notes down. You will need them later.

Well, what if you get no help, now what?

Back off, and if you are not in any danger, take notes. Have your officiating team do the same. If there is not a reasonable way to control what is going on, make sure that it gets reported accurately, to the league, or the police as needed.

In no cases however, should you compromise your safety and that of your crew. If the scene is unsafe, get out and when safe, write the details of what happened as you will need to write a report later. No exceptions here, if you are in danger, leave.

At the end of the day here, I expect both coaches to get fined by the NFL, Harbaugh more than Schwartz for starting the whole thing. Then again, Schwartz could have just let it go after the first slap on the back.

Again, coaches are people too and are emotional beings, and as referees we should allow them to be so. When it goes over the top however, they need to be reeled in too, just as you would any other participant.

Should have kept his day job ...

Photo courtesy of Fox Sports

Reports from the training camp that Ochocinco is attending are pretty clear. This quote from the AP says a lot.

Locked out of his day job, Ochocinco opened a four-day tryout with Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday and by the end of his first day with the Major League Soccer team the star receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals was panting for breath.

He said himself he did not expect to be "Superman" ... but many, I think, expected more than what he has shown.

I for one give him credit for a couple of things. First, he clearly underestimated the fitness level required and kudos to him for going through the paces with an MLS team. He said himself he ate some "humble pie." I personally have taken that ride and I am with him ... it hurts.

Second, childhood fantasy or media stunt, he is making the effort, not just showing up and taking pictures. In a particularly vivid moment when asked if he would play for free, he quickly said,  "Yes. Can I do that?"

So at the end of the day while I believe there is no place in KC's lineup for Ochocinco, there seems to be a genuine part of him that loves THE game ... and would play, if he could, for free.

I doubt however that Peter Vermes is going to give him that chance.

Will kick for food ...

NFL star Ochocinco to try out with Sporting Kansas City

It’s a gimmick. It has to be.

That was the first reaction most had to the news that NFL star Chad Ochocinco would be trying out for MLS side Sporting Kansas City. With a labor battle putting his day job on hold, here was Ochocinco, master of the media circus, delving into a new hobby.

That seemed like the most logical explanation for why Ochocinco, he of the Dancing With the Stars appearance, reality show and engagement to a fellow reality show star, would try to be a pro at a sport he hadn’t played on any organized level in nearly two decades. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: I hope KC and Ocho enjoy the fame for the (4) day training camp. If the past is any indication, Ocho is going to get summarily cut before he even sees a practice match. Anyone remember Sunil Chetri?

It's Superbowl Day

For any who are curious what this day is all about in the United States and other places around the globe that watch this game, here is some history and some facts that I pulled out of cyberspace.

What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967.

How did the Super Bowl come to be (from Wikipedia)?

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions.

Who has won past Super Bowls?
As would be expected, the NFL has a very nice summary here, to see the past Superbowl's winners and all the vital stats.

Who was the referee for past Super Bowls?

About.com has a summary of NFL referee's, and which Super Bowl they officiated in. Dr. Walt Anderson will be the referee for the 2011 Super Bowl.

World Cup Final or Super Bowl, who has the larger TV audience?
From Answers.com ... it's the World Cup Final (not a surprise given the relative market penetration)

While FIFA has claimed that over 1 Billion people watch the World Cup Final, that number is greatly exaggerated.

According to a 2007 article in the UK newspaper The Independent, "Fifa's overblown figures, the World Cup finals of 1998, 2002 and 2006 respectively attracted global audiences of 1.3 billion, 1.1 billion and 715.1 million people.

According to Initiative Sports Futures, independent analysts, the figure for the 2006 World Cup Final was 260 million in the 54 key markets it surveyed, accounting for 90% of the world's TV households.

Even so, at 260 million, the World Cup final had more viewers than the 2006 Super Bowl.

2006 World Cup vs. Super Bowl viewer-ship World Cup Final, Italy v France
Claim: 715.1 million, Estimated: 260 million

Super Bowl Steelers v Seahawks
Claim: 750 million-1 billion, Estimated: 98 million

So it would seem that both FIFA and the NFL are prone to a bit of exaggeration but at the end of the day, the World Cup Final takes is by 2.5 times.

Keep in mind however, the most of the world won't get the Super Bowl televised to it, as the sport is foreign to most of the world.

NFL to take a play out of the MLS playbook

I am shocked ... and this is not sarcastic play.
I am genuinely shocked.

The NFL just now is deciding to have a weekly conference call with its officials to discuss points of emphasis, as reported here by ESPN.

My very first reaction was, "you mean these guys were not doing this already?"

My very next though was how reactive this was given the several incidents that occurred in the last couple of weeks on the grid iron. My thoughts went then to the above though that I was surprised it has not been done before.

Wash - rinse - repeat.

Since MLS was around, referees, and in some cases ARs, have a weekly call to discuss the previous week, and to hear any additional points of emphasis for the following week.

It was not uncommon for an individual referee to have to explain an incident to the whole of the call as to what happened and the "behind the scenes" and why.

These were excellent calls, and I can speak from experience they were very humbling when it was my turn (yes I was indeed called on the carpet once) to stand up and explain how I screwed up and how it could be done better for the next referee.

Let me repeat, I am shocked the NFL is not doing this.

While I am at times critical of US Soccer, this is an area in which they shine ... and outshine the NFL. Instructional material.

For those who have not done so, visit the Week In Review, and poke around. Now THAT is instructional information. Paul, Herb, and the National Staff do an excellent job of preparing this information for general consumption.

So what compares for the NFL?

A simple recitation of the rules, no interpretation, no outreach, no nothing that I can see.

With the tens of billions of dollars that the NFL is worth, I am glad to see they putting some of that money to good use, and holding a weekly conference call for their referees ... now. Something the much less funded US Soccer and MLS has done over ten years ago, and continue to do today.

Better late the never I guess. I do wonder however what else the NFL can learn from MLS?

Just throw the flag

Simple is better.

I have felt that way most of my life about just about everything. In fact when I find myself trying to over-complicate things, my approach is to break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks to deal with.

During the day on Sunday I was watching week 7 of NFL games in earnest to wait for the first big helmet to helmet hit to see what the referees were going to do. I saw no such hit.

I did see a bunch of good legal hits, and even ones that I would have considered "on the edge." There was one trend I did notice however, the celebration of the defensive player who made such a hit, regardless of the gain that had just occurred.

This was odd to me, celebrating just tackling someone. Now I can see a sack being celebrated (tackling the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage when they are in possession of the ball), or a play that results in a turnover or similar possession change. But just a run of the mill tackle with such celebration?

It got weirder ...

After watching a few games I noticed that more than a few touchdown celebrations were very muted. A team that just scored, really did not celebrate.

Why?

I wonder if it is the NFL's current policy on "excessive celebration" that has something to do with it? Now I agree, there was a point in time when things were a bit out of control. Take TO's "sharpie gate" for one. It is tough to argue that end zone celebrations were going a bit too far, but has the NFL gone too far in instructing referees to decry ANY such activity?

Compare with today's game and the hits that are leveled on players, and the accompanying celebration. Is THAT going too far in the wrong direction? My answer is yes.

Today NFL referees are being asked to decide metaphysical questions regarding helmet to helmet hits. Did he mean it? What was the intent? All of this at warp speed.

My solution is simple to put a little sanity back in the game. If a player excessively celebrates after tackling another, penalize them for excessive celebration.

Still bust them for the helmet to helmet stuff, but also take some time to prevent the seeds of those types of hits from growing, by getting everyone to calm down, just a little.

Throw the flag.

Who really blew the call

So if anyone follows grid iron football, week 6 was interesting from the perspective that $175K in fines were handed out to (3) players for what has been termed "violent hits." I am not here to question the wisdom of the fines, although some did state that James Harrison makes $20 Million a year, and the $75K he was fined was a pittance to him. One funny point is that the NFL fined Harrison about 3 times what FIFA fined both Spain and the Netherlands (all players on both teams!!) for their poor behavior in the 2010 World Cup final.

What caught my eye were some of the comments from Ray Anderson, VP of operation for the NFL, who told SI.com that the referees missed it by not penalizing Harrison for unsporting like conduct after the hit to the Cleveland Browns Mohamed Massaquoi.

From the SI.com article:

The hit should have been flagged for Harrison whacking a defenseless receiver in the helmet, the kind of hit that was a point of emphasis this offseason for the league's 17 officiating crews. But it got no flag.

He's no dummy, and started to right the ship on the next comment, at least partially using the royal "we":

"We missed a call,'' Anderson said. "That call should have been made.''

So let me get this straight, the NFL has suddenly decided after (6) weeks they prefer their players conscious and that helmet to helmet hits are a bad thing, and in response, in relevant part, the VP of operations is blaming the referee.

Your kidding right?

The players and referees will go as far as the league will let them. That is the nature of the professional game, football or soccer. For a very long time NFL has enjoyed the fame associated with "big hits" and similar hype that went along with it. The NFL is a marketing machine, and this play was a part of that.

For the NFL to implicate anyone but themselves for failings to patrol such behavior, sees a bit self serving to me. For my money the NFL blew the call a long time ago, not the guys calling the game on Sunday.