NFL Replacement Officials: Why Use of Scabs Would Take Away from Quality of Game

Although it hasn't been discussed much to this point, the NFL has yet to reach a new labor deal with its officials, so there is a distinct possibility that the league might have to use replacements.

According to NFL.com, the search for possible fill-ins has already started, and that will ensure that the season begins on time regardless.

The league has dealt with this before, most recently in 2001, but it lasted for just one week in the regular season. There is no telling how long negotiations might take this time around, but they could last for a significant amount of time.

There is no doubt that officiating is often criticized in the NFL, but the referees are the best in the world at what they do, and being without them will create a noticeable difference.

Here are three factors that will contribute to a decline in quality of the games if replacements are forced to step in for an extended period of time this season.

Different Set of Rules

Rules in the NFL are unlike those in any other football league in the world, and while there are obvious similarities between most leagues, it won't be easy for replacements to quickly learn the nuances of the game.

The plan is to find officials who have recently retired from major college football or currently officiate at a lower level in either college or in the professional ranks. All of the replacements will obviously be trained and taught the rules feverishly, but that doesn't guarantee that they'll catch on immediately.

The rules are second nature to the vast majority of regular NFL officials, so they can easily and confidently make calls. That won't be the case with replacements, as they'll have to be on point and aware of every single thing that goes on around them, and that could ultimately lead to panic and poor calls.

Just like with any job, becoming an official in the NFL takes an adjustment period. The referees would essentially be going from the minors to the big leagues, but the only difference is that the big leagues have a totally different set of rules.

Higher Level of Speed

Even if the new officials were to catch on quickly in terms of the rules, the biggest thing that they'll have to worry about is the speed of the game. There is no question that making quick and correct judgments with players seemingly flying around at 100 mph can be a huge challenge.

The speed is great enough at the high collegiate level, but even the best college players talk about how the NFL is a completely different ballgame due to the change in speed alone.

The replacement officials would be used to having a certain amount of time to make calls, but that amount of time would probably be cut in half at the very least in the NFL. As much heat as the regular officials take, it's actually quite amazing that they are able to make the correct call the vast majority of the time despite so much chaos happening around them.

That is something that can't be taught, and the replacements will have to experience it to become accustomed to it.

Lack of Feel

It may be an intangible thing, but NFL officials simply seem to have a feel for the game that is taking place around them. That allows them to remain in a comfort zone and make calls confidently.

Unfortunately, replacements wouldn't have that luxury, and their minds would likely be racing as they try to compute what to do and what calls to make. That can easily contribute to missed calls or manufactured calls that shouldn't be made, and that isn't something that fans want to see.

In the NFL, like in any sport, it is always preferred that the players settle things on the field and not the officials. For the most part, that is the case in the league today, but with replacements that may not be true.

Replacements simply don't know the right times to be stern or the right times to be laissez-faire in their officiating, and that could create some problems. Officials are at their best when you hardly even notice they're there, but the replacements are sure to be noticed, and that is likely to impact the game negatively.