The Current System Of Officiating Has To Change

Last Sunday’s Vikings-Saints epic illustrated everything wonderful and demoralizing about America’s Game.

Forty-four years of futility being erased with a single kick that could not have split the uprights more perfectly. A dream four years in the making under a coach and quarterback that took the reigns of a team facing overwhelming odds. If a movie script locked in to solely these facts, the film would be regarded as the feel-good movie of the year.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works in the NFL. For every Cinderella there is a team and its fan base standing dejected, reminiscing about what could have been mere seconds after the game ends. And these depressing thoughts won’t just dissipate in a day's time; they hang with them for a torturous eight months.

Speaking from the perspective of a diehard of another team, watching the Vikings collapse was literally a nightmare scenario. Outplaying the No. 1 seed in possibly the most hostile environment the NFC Championship game has ever offered, there was so much to be proud of.

But the self-destruction that included inexcusable turnovers, coupled with questionable officiating erased all of that. With everything on the line and a future that hinges on the flip-flopping nature of an aging quarterback, there’s nothing the Vikings fans can hold their hats on.

With all of this said, there may be only one image that sticks with Vikings fans this offseason: Ben Leber’s phantom pass interference on the first, and last, drive of overtime.

It’s not the first time this year the officials have called game-changing pass interferences. Regardless of which teams are playing, the propensity the referees have for calling them has me getting on my feet and yelling at the television.

Let’s say the quarterback throws a jump ball from midfield to the end zone. As the ball floats in the air, the receiver and defensive back are stride-for-stride with some extracurricular shoving going on. The side judge deems the contact too much and flags the defensive back for pass interference.

The contact is minimal, and hardly affected the play, yet the offense gets to travel half of the field. Why can’t there be a rule instituted that grants the offense a simple ten yards for pass interference if there’s some contact but not enough to say the ball would have been caught for a touchdown without it?

Seriously, do the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson against 5’10" cornerbacks need that much more help?

The sad truth remains that this rule change will never happen. The NFL is doing everything in its power to remove subjectivity from the officials while they make calls. The force-out rule is completely attributed to that reasoning. And now fans are witnessing even the slightest nudge beyond five yards resulting in an automatic first down for offenses.

Why do you think defenses were terrible this year? Wide receivers are getting more athletic, offensive coordinators are becoming more creative, and officials are becoming extremely flag-happy in the secondary. Passing games succeeded at an unheard of rate in 2009, with ten quarterbacks throwing for over 4,000 yards. That’s ridiculous, especially given the fact that just four years earlier only two reached that milestone.

The worst part may be the lack of accountability from the officials. Coaches have to face the press for poor decisions. Quarterbacks have to swallow all the criticism after a bad game. How come officials are exempt from the process? The only instance in which the fans hear the perspective of an official is from the NFL’s Vice President of Officiating, Mike Pereira.

Week-after-week he has to explain the seemingly unexplainable decisions made by an officiating crew, while everyone forgets the name of the guy who actually made the mistake.

Accountability is an important aspect of today’s society. If people aren’t held accountable for their mistakes, they likely are going to keep making them. It’s one thing to be internally criticized by the league office, but it’s another to have to face the media sharks that the players and coaches do after they make mistakes.

It’s time for the NFL to make some major changes in regards to officiating. Maybe convert it into a full-time job for higher commitment and consistency. Perhaps it’s time for some long overdue tweaking of the current pass interference system.

But most importantly, it’s time to make them accountable for their mistakes. The NFL has tried to protect its officials for too long; this has to change.