Stop blaming the NFL/Goodell

This ref situation is a mess, that's obvious but it is not completely the NFL's fault. The refs, many of whom are already generously paid for the work they do, want an 8% raise and a pension.

In today's world, an 8% raise across the board is ridiculous. As for the pension, who gets a pension for a part time job?

These guys don't have a natural talent like the players do. They've simply learned the job through many years of doing it. There are a lot of college refs that could step in and easily do the job, bit either they have a signed agreement with the NCAA that they won't jump to the NFL, or they're already on the fast track to the NFL so they've refused to cross the picket line as they will one day have to work with the regular refs.

Should the NFL offer more than the 2.5% they've offered? Perhaps, but 8% and a pension for part time employees who don't have any special talents and could be easily replaced with division 1 refs is excessive.

I actually don't blame the NFL on this one, but even if you do, Goodell is just a mouthpiece for the owners. If you want to blame someone, blame the owners. If they told Goodell to resolve this immediately, he would.

 

"Should the NFL offer more than the 2.5% they've offered? Perhaps, but 8% and a pension for part time employees who don't have any special talents and could be easily replaced with division 1 refs is excessive. "

Have you not watched football the past 2 weeks? The replacement refs are proving that the regular referees are indeed special and apparently can't be replaced. This is a simple matter of supply and demand. NFL quality referees are in short supply and after the debacle in Seattle, demand for their return is very high. I believe they will get what they want. If anyone could do their job, they would be and this would be a none issue.

 

If this goes on for the I tire year these refs will have improved 100% so stop whining

 

If this went on for 10 years the bozos they have as refs now wouldn't improve.

 

Judging by the absolute joke the NFL is becoming because of the replacement refs, the real ones deserve an 8% raise. They are an integral part of the game and you see what happens to it if they aren't out there.

If I was the refs representative in negotiations, I would up my demands by 5% for the NFL being such skinflints. If there is much more of this replacement crap, myself and many others will simply stop watching. Plenty of good books out there to read on Sundays

 

If this goes on the whole year it won't matter, because nobody will be watching. Well, maybe masochists

 

The idiots up in Chicago just reasoned with the Teachers Union for a 16% raise and the public officials caved in like they were in prehistoric times. On top of that, the Union employees still do not have to meet any performance criteria. Automatic raises and no discipline for poor performances. Yippee! Times must be good. Even though I have gotten just a 3% raise over 4 years. Next year is still up in the air thanks mainly to Obamacare and how much uncertainty there is with how much my company may or may not be hit.

These bozo's running around in Stripes up and down the field are from such leagues as the Lingerie (sp?) League where a bunch of women were running around in their panties and bras for entertaining the masses. Gooddell could have and should have got something better than this like the College Officials as you have described but he did not. The owners sat by idly and even gave Rog an extension. They completely bought into it so they're no better than Rog either. Now the whole thing is blowing up in their faces and they still don't want to meet near the middle. At this point the Refs have every reason to stand their ground. They hold all the cards after the past 2 weeks. I wouldn't doubt if they ask for a 10% raise now and full pension.

The only way any of this changes is when we as fans say enough is enough and turn off the TV's and get back to our yard work.

 

It has been reported that what the Refs are asking for amounts to about 3.3 million. Which would cost the teams about an extra $100,000 to each team per year. A 1 billion dollar business is causing this mess over $100,000 a year. What a joke.

http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-referees-dispute-2012-9

 

Ya know even IF the owners just sit there and don't say anything and this continues to go on and people DO boycott and don't watch I think the ONLY people that could MAYBE cause Goodell to budge would be the higher ups at the networks. If noone is watching the products on their station for whatever timeframe the games are on you can bet they'd be screaming for a deal to get done. I would like to say that I won't watch but I paid $200 for my Sunday Ticket and I don't have that kind of money to just throw away and I don't think you can just call and cancel it and get your money back. It would also be cool to think that maybe people would just sit on their tickets and NOT go to the game and let them play in some empty stadiums but those people have the same problem I do with the Sunday Ticket. I've thought hard about whether or not I'm gonna still go to the Titans game but I know ultimately the thrill of getting to be in the presence of my team again will overtake my principles. I just think right now the fans are being held hostage and really have been for a while. Even if you fall on the side of Goodell on THIS issue you HAVE to admit he has been HORRIBLE from a fan's perspective in general.

 

I dont know what all the fuss is about. Are the replacement refs making mistakes? Sure they are! Do the regular refs make mistakes? Sure they do! Have the regular refs ever cost a team the game? Sure they have! The complaints sound as if the replacements dont do anything right, thats entirely false. These guys are from DI DII and DIII colleges. They may not know all the intricacies of the NFL and the rule differences are many. Mistakes are bound to happen, but the coaches are taking advantage of them and so are the players, so blame has to go to them as well. If the integrity of the game is whats at stake, shouldnt the players and the coaches have the largest stake in that game?

I dont see the Seattle game as a blown call. Tate had his left hand between Jennings hands and his chest and clearly had his hand on the ball at the same time Jennings did. Tate then added his right hand on the way to the ground. I dont think the rule stipulates that 2 hands overrule 1 hand for simultaneous possesion. By rule the call was good. By opinion as to who had "more" possesion, that clearly seems to be Jennings. However I dont think the refs could have ruled this any different based on the evidence when they reviewed the players who both clearly had their hands on the ball.

The right call should have been offensive pass interference and the game should have ended, but I have seen regular refs also never call PI on either team on hail mary passes and I have been watching this game for over 40 years.

 

I do think this play might have effectively ended the Hail Mary. I mean how can you have that many guys in one area and them NOT find some ticky tacky reason to throw a flag? My guess would be they're gonna start calling that play to the letter of the law from now on and you will see a lot of penalties resulting in a 10 second run off effectively ending the game.

 

1. The 16% raise is not across the board.
2. I am a teacher and I have not seen a raise in 6 years. I live in a right-to-work state, where there is no union representation.
3. What performance criteria for teachers would you like to use? Heart disease is the #1 killer in the USA. Based on the anti-teacher, anti-union sentiment, we should be firing or replacing the nation's cardiologists. They all suck, apparently.
4. How is it that we don't bat an eye at the negotiations between the NFLPA and the owners, but when it comes to the refs, we have no sympathy. Ticket prices have increased about 700% over the past 30 years: that's not on the underpaid, underappreciated refs.

 

Well then why not 20%? Or even a 100% raise? I mean where is the line drawn. They are already well compensated for the work they do.

The refs were watching now are from the arena league and small division 3 colleges. There are many refs out there that can step in and do the job, and I've already stated why that's not happening.

Just because someone is good at their job doesn't mean you give them as much money as they demand. It's not just in the NFL to end this. It's on both sides. If the NFL just gives them whatever they want due to the replacements being awful, then the next time around the refs will ask for much, much more. Both sides need to bargain in good faith. If one side caves, then the other side will try to take advantage if them again next time around.

Look at the NHL players. They caved badly last time to the owners demands, and now the owners have locked them out again and are demanding the players give back even more money this time, despite record high revenues.

 

This isn't a 9 to 5 job where 2% is the norm, not all things are created equal. I really don't feel what the refs are asking for is unreasonable, they aren't asking for 100% or 20%, they are asking 8% And considering how little that is to the men on the others side of the table, I'm sorry but I can't side with them. They s**t on the fans at every turn anyway, not sure why anyone sides with the owners.[/quote:34en2yqq]

I disagree with the owners ****ting on us fans. I enjoy football a great deal, much more than any other pro sport. The NFL is much more fan friendly and interactive with fans than the other leagues are, IMO.

I don't side with the owners, I'm in the middle. An 8% raise and full pension for people who are already paid very well and are working part time, is crazy to me.

 

Fans need to STOP going to the games not just turning off the TV. Empty seats will get the owners attention.

 

Actually I heard on the news this morning that it was like $60,000 a team. Peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

 

The problem is that you're comparing the ref's situation with a normal part time job, and not what it is, which is one of the very most critical jobs in the NFL. They may or may not be paid well given the hours put in when compared to a normal job like working at a deli or at Target (and I don't know exactly how many hours the refs put in, but I know it's not just the games -- they review film and practice and stuff too). But even if that's great money compared to the same hours as a "normal" job like cashier at Target, why are you comparing it to a normal job? Why don't you instead compare it to the other guys on the field? Since you're so concerned with drawing comparisons to "today's world," shouldn't the players be taking like a 90% pay cut, because they are all so grossly overpaid? I mean let's face it, what they do is not worth half a million per year for rookie bench warmers and $15 million per year for good players. They play a game. Yeah it's a full time job, but plenty of people work as hard or harder and make $40K or less. And they don't get crazy vacations or benefits. And they don't get to do what they love.

But we all know why the players make so much. Because the money is there to be had (thanks to the suckers like us that pay to see it) and because the game couldn't exist without them. At least not a good game. No players, no money at all, and so they get what they want, which is an absurd amount of money when compared to the rest of the world. I've been making the case for years that the refs are grossly underpaid. Not because the work they do is so hard or because they deserve it when compared to the rest of the world, but because -- just like the players -- the money is there to be had (thanks to the suckers like us that pay to see it) and because the game couldn't exist without them. At least not a good game.

Fans don't pay to see players. They pay to see a game. That includes players, refs, stadium builder guys, and other stuff they might not even think about. In my opinion, the refs are just as critical as the players. Even if you disagree with that, you have to agree that the game can't continue without them, which makes them critical. Why are they making less money than practice squad players, who NOBODY pays to see? With all the money that is there to go around, the refs could be asking for a 300% raise. That would still be pennies on the dollar compared to players. It's a shame that they are playing the NFL's game and treating themselves like they work at a regular place. The bigger shame is that the NFL is happy to destroy their own product as long as they get a few extra thousand dollars in their pocket.

 

The league minimum for a single practice squad player is $5,700 per week, or about $97,000 per year. Including training camp it's about $107,000 per year. And that's the minimum. A lot of practice squad guys make more. Some way more.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...and-patriots-have-toppaid-nfl-practice-squad#

 

People, the Owners are the NFL not Goodell, He WORKS FOR THE OWNERS.
JUST THINK WHAT THE MONEY GRUBBING agents will tell thier clients/players if the NFL caves in
to the Refs demands.I will tell you this, this will be the last time the Refs will make the owners
out to be the bad guys. The Owners will start thier own referee school that thousands of people will sign up for and they will eliminate the part time refs making 120k /year.