Even if some could not see it, the truth about NFL officiating was clear long before referee Clete Blakeman's crew all but gifted the Packers a victory over the Lions on "Monday Night Football" in Week 6.
As currently constructed, supported and trained, NFL officiating crews in 2019 are not capable of making correct calls with adequate consistency. And the visibility of pro football — literally with 4K televisions and figuratively with a minimum of three nationally televised games scheduled each week — has increased to the point where officiating blunders are more likely to be amplified than hidden.
As loud as the crescendo was Monday night, when the second of two phantom illegal hands to the face penalties against Detroit capped another game stuffed with questionable calls, it was exponentially more thunderous in January, when a blatant pass interference call was missed, sending the wrong team to the Super Bowl.
Rather than taking a step to solve their league's officiating issues, NFL team owners a couple months later instead shone a massive spotlight on them by making a subjective call like pass interference part of their replay review system. This illumination has resulted in the kind of weekly chatter the league does not want, even if fans continue to watch the games.
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As of Tuesday morning, almost 12 hours after the Packers beat the Lions 23-22, the No. 3 trending topic on Twitter in the United States was "#LionsVsRefs." The No. 6 trending topic was "#nflofficiating." There was no sign of Aaron Rodgers, who sparked a Green Bay comeback with his Hall of Fame-caliber touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, or of Mason Crosby, who in his 13th year with the Packers finally took his first Lambeau Leap after his game-winning field goal.
Instead, observers were more interested in the nonsense that gave Rodgers and Crosby those chances in the first place.
The first of the two illegal hands to the face penalties, both of which were called on Lions defensive end Trey Flowers working against Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, occurred with 10:16 left in the game. Rodgers was sacked on the third-down play, but the penalty gave Green Bay a first down. Three plays later, Rodgers threw the aforementioned TD pass to pull the Packers within two points.
The second call, which also occurred on a third down and looked almost identical to the first, was made with 1:45 left in the game. The first down allowed the Packers to run the clock all the way down before they kicked the game-winner.
Here are the two "hands to the face" penalties called against Lions DE Trey Flowers in the 4th quarter #DETvsGB pic.twitter.com/fWCFCccJzg
— Kevin Boilard (@247KevinBoilard) October 15, 2019
Blakeman, speaking with ESPN after the game, loosely admitted the questionable nature of both calls and all but blamed them on umpire Jeff Rice.
"The umpire threw both of them," the referee said. "The last one was really the only one I’ve discussed with him. Basically, it’s for illegal use of the hands, hands to the face foul. To be a foul, we basically need some forceful contact that's prolonged to the head and neck area of the defender.
"So, in his mind he had pinned him back, it was prolonged, and that’s what created the foul."
In his mind. Yikes.
Blakeman also was asked about a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty called on Detroit's Tracy Walker early in the second half; Walker made a play on the ball, but his helmet made contact with that of Green Bay receiver Geronimo Allison, resulting in the foul. Doesn't the defensive back have a right to make a play on the ball?
"That’s a good question," Blakeman allowed, "but the reality is, it is a strict liability for a defensive player. In this case, he may be going for the ball and not intending to hit the helmet, but when there’s helmet contact, it is a foul in that situation."
Added Blakeman when pressed about Walker going for a pick: "Even if he did impact the helmet and then intercepted the ball, it would still have been a foul.”
Double yikes.
For the record, the NFL's rules on unnecessary roughness, which can be found under Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8 of the rulebook, are vague. Which is part of the problem.
All three poor officiating moments Monday night were judgment calls, the hands to the face penalties being "in (the umpire's) mind" and the roughness penalty being a subjective interpretation of the rule book.
The NFL seems set on preserving the human element in how its games are called, which is good. Remember, letter-of-the-law rulings seemed like a good idea until a couple years ago, when the definition of a completed catch was sharpened to the point where it voided reason.
Likewise, replay review has proven to be a counterproductive element when it comes to officiating improvements. So what can the NFL do?
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NFL team owners are gathering this week for their annual fall meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and according to NFL Network, the topic of officiating will be addressed. If the NFL insists on continuing to have naked eyes impacting its games, that's fine, but the league at least needs to arm its officials with modern tools.
As Pro Football Talk notes, there's no reason the league can't install a booth official who monitors video in real time and has the authority to reverse calls made on the field without the assistance of the replay system. He or she would operate as part of the crew, communicating to the referee when a change needs to be made. This would not slow down the game in a significant way; it would be the equivalent of officials huddling on the field to discuss a call.
From NFL Now: Here at the league meetings in Florida, it's safe to say last night's penalties will be a big topic. pic.twitter.com/0DJyMvzxwW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 15, 2019
As for the bigger picture, which likely will not be addressed in Florida this week, Sporting News in the past has raised the issues that come with a roster of NFL officials who are not full-time employees. The league's full-time officiating program, which in 2018 made 24 of the league's 122 officials full-time employees — who, per ESPN, took part in "rule development, competition committee discussions and offseason visits to teams" — was suspended this year due to ongoing labor talks.
So all NFL officials must spend February through May in a dark period. When they meet each summer at the annual officiating clinic in Dallas, the officials greet each other like good friends who have been separated for months, because they have been separated for months.
At that meeting, vice president of officiating Al Riveron addresses new points of emphasis for the upcoming season, and the newly assembled crews get to meet for the first time. This, just weeks before NFL training camps begin, is the first form of organized instruction officials receive ahead of a new season.
And we expect them to improve?
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Yes, NFL officials are missing calls in a way that's more visible than ever, but they are not solely to blame. The league is failing them.
NFL officials need help. Additional resources like video monitors in the booth would be a good starting point. An obvious next move would be allowing officials to have year-round access to any resources, from film sessions to clinics to time on the field at team facilities, that might help them on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays in September through February.
And the league better hurry. TV technology will only result in clearer pictures moving forward.