NFL wants to use replay to help replacement refs in case of labor impasse
If the NFL has to use replacement referees this season, it wants to be prepared.
That’s why one of the five playing rules proposals that will be considered at next week’s NFL Annual Meetings is for the league’s officiating department to be able to correct “clear and obvious mistakes” made in the moment with replay — but only if there’s a work stoppage between the league and the NFL Referees Association.
“We're in the make-sure-the-game-can-go on business if we're stuck in the position that we're currently heading towards … ” competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said Wednesday. “We're going to have new officials that haven't officiated NFL games with a little bit of a different set of rules in certain areas. The game's going to be a fast game. We think they'll be able to do it very competently. We just were trying to go in what areas could we help assist them.”
The collective-bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLRA expires at the end of May.
The last time there was a work impasse between the league and officials was at the start of the 2012 season. Replay technology — and its ability to clarify on-field calls — has changed dramatically.
“Replay Assist already allows us to do things that we never could do in 2012 and review a ton of plays,” McKay said.
The four other rules proposals submitted by the competition committee include allowing teams to declare an onside kick at any point in the game; to eliminate the incentive to kick the ball out of bounds when teams kick off from the 50-yard line after a penalty; to change the alignment of kick return teams; and to allow league representatives to consult with officials during the game when considering whether to eject a player.
Two teams submitted resolutions. The Steelers want to make permanent the rule that allows teams to have up to five video calls with prospective free agents during the legal tampering period, while the Browns want teams to be permitted to trade draft picks five years into the future.
NOTE: McKay said the competition committee did not discuss the NFL’s ruling that the Bears were not due compensatory picks after losing assistant GM Ian Cunningham to the Falcons. That’s under the purview of the Workplace Diversity Committee, he said, though he was unsure if they’d debate it at the annual meetings.