NFL 2012 Week 3 Thread

Yeah, my impression is all those guys are high-level professionals like doctors, lawyers, and pilots. I don't think any of them are hurting for money.

Phishposer wrote:

Yeah, my impression is all those guys are high-level professionals like doctors, lawyers, and pilots. I don't think any of them are hurting for money.

You say that, but I think most people live by the means of what their pay status will allow. Sure, they're still pulling in that money that they make for their real jobs, but they're losing the money they're supposed to be making from officiating NFL games.

I think if the players should get a piece of the pie, so should the refs. It seems like they're willing to make consessions, and the NFL is not........................which is weird, because their product is suffering mightily.

Then again, is it really suffering? People are still buying tickets and jerseys. They're still watching games on TV. If anything, I feel like more people are going to tune in to see what a cluster-f*** the NFL has become.

Short-term, controversy is good for business. Long-term, this terrible officiating will turn people off to the game. As someone mentioned a few pages back, it could end up like boxing, after wrong decision after wrong decision, where people just stop caring because the judges are purposely setting up rematches to sell you more pay per view and the sport has no integrity.

Granted it's a long way to there. But we're already seeing W/L records changed, and possibly playoff berths starting to be affected, if you go by the historical trends. Needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.

Kush15 wrote:
Phishposer wrote:

Yeah, my impression is all those guys are high-level professionals like doctors, lawyers, and pilots. I don't think any of them are hurting for money.

You say that, but I think most people live by the means of what their pay status will allow. Sure, they're still pulling in that money that they make for their real jobs, but they're losing the money they're supposed to be making from officiating NFL games.

I think if the players should get a piece of the pie, so should the refs. It seems like they're willing to make consessions, and the NFL is not........................which is weird, because their product is suffering mightily.

Then again, is it really suffering? People are still buying tickets and jerseys. They're still watching games on TV. If anything, I feel like more people are going to tune in to see what a cluster-f*** the NFL has become.

The demand for the NFL is sticky. They have a monopoly on American football at the highest level. If we were just football fans off to the NCAA we would go.

Problem is I think the NFL is under estimating how people react to being jerked around. In this case they are blatantly treating the sport as a cash cow while rubbing everyone's nose in it that they can. Sure the majority of fans will keep watching or return but its probably not smart to remind us that the owners don't give a f*ck about the game if it gets in the way of money.

I'm already more in the NCAA camp than the NFL camp. I'm already starting to watch soccer games and play soccer video games. It wouldn't take much to lose me at this point. I'm sure I'm not alone.

If the NCAA would get its head out of its ass about playoffs, I'd already be there. The fan enthusiasm is better. The rules (1 foot inbounds, all plays checked for replay, OT, clock stop on 1st down) are all better. Just like my preference for NCAA basketball over NBA, but that's because March Madness is so awesome.

A 16/32 team NCAA Football playoff would seal it's hold for me over the NFL. But until then, the NFL remains on top by default, for it's fairness and not relying on some damn vote to see who wins it all, and deciding things on the field.

Adam Schefter on Twitter wrote:

@AdamSchefter: As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.

*Legion* wrote:
Adam Schefter on Twitter wrote:

@AdamSchefter: As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.

Peter King on Twitter wrote:

‏@SI_PeterKing: I'm hearing NFLRA negotiator Scott Green has notified officials that a deal is not imminent. Stay tuned, obviously.

Well it's either back with the real refs, or it's another MORTSCOOP, so, win win.

*Legion* wrote:
Adam Schefter on Twitter wrote:

@AdamSchefter: As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.

Schefter said the exact opposite last night!

Btw I don't think a TV boycott hurts the NFL anytime soon. Their contracts are all in place, and AFAIK no one even looks at what you're watching unless you're a Neilsen household. A woman who writes about the Texans and used to be a Neilsen household has indicated as much.

How long these contracts are good for, I have no idea. The league's current attitude seems to be uncompromising, and AFAIK there is no way to effectively hit them in the pocketbook this season. Boycott merchandise, possibly.

I generally agree with jowner, and I may have said earlier, but I fear the Packers-Seahawks debacle may embolden the refs to be inflexible in their demands. I'm all for them getting paid fairly, but it's hard to reach a compromise if both sides don't give up something.

I'm torn on the pension demand; on the one hand, almost no corporate employees get these pensions anymore. On the other hand, NFL players are some of the folks who do still get them, so it's not like this is something that just isn't done in this league.

So, are we waiting on the replacement refs to roll out a week 4 thread?

Fedaykin98 wrote:
*Legion* wrote:
Adam Schefter on Twitter wrote:

@AdamSchefter: As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.

Btw I don't think a TV boycott hurts the NFL anytime soon. Their contracts are all in place, and AFAIK no one even looks at what you're watching unless you're a Neilsen household. A woman who writes about the Texans and used to be a Neilsen household has indicated as much.

How long these contracts are good for, I have no idea. The league's current attitude seems to be uncompromising, and AFAIK there is no way to effectively hit them in the pocketbook this season. Boycott merchandise, possibly.

Pretty much, we have 0 power to really make them take notice.

This is your definition answer of how Monopoly breeds incompetence. Are these owners morons? Probably actually not but they honestly have no competition so they are free to act like ones. Why do you think they put salary caps in to protect them from their own potential levels of {ableist slur}.

insert dan snyder smiling picture here.

Kush15 wrote:
Phishposer wrote:

Yeah, my impression is all those guys are high-level professionals like doctors, lawyers, and pilots. I don't think any of them are hurting for money.

You say that, but I think most people live by the means of what their pay status will allow. Sure, they're still pulling in that money that they make for their real jobs, but they're losing the money they're supposed to be making from officiating NFL games.

I'm not arguing that they don't deserve more money. I'm suggesting that they are in a position of power in that they don't depend on their referee income. I want these guys to be well paid. I want the job of an NFL ref to be a desired thing and for the league to from draw the most qualified candidates. I think refs play an integral part in the quality of NFL football, and having better quality officials leads to a better quality product on the field.
My suspicion is these guys are 1) generally making a ton of money from their "day" jobs and 2) probably have enough free time that if money were an issue for them they'd find another way to make up some of that income.
I think they have the league over a barrel here to an extent when it comes to playing a waiting game.
When it comes to the owners and league not caring about anything but money, that's probably more true than we'd like it to be. At the same time I think it's a mistake to assume these people are so short-sighted with greed they can't see what having low-quality officiating does to the long-term viability of the game.

tboon wrote:

So, are we waiting on the replacement refs to roll out a week 4 thread?

I blame the media blamers.

boogle wrote:
tboon wrote:

So, are we waiting on the replacement refs to roll out a week 4 thread?

I blame the media blamers.

Don't kid, Boogle, we all know it's Obama's fault.

jowner - I think it's a huge point to remember that the NFL is a monopoly, thanks for that. I was talking to someone about this whole referee thing, and he was generally anti-union, but I suggested that if we can tolerate a monopoly, we can probably tolerate a union in that monopoly. He hadn't thought of it that way, and agreed.

Althought the monolithic NFL seems like a greedy bastard who only loves money, most of these owners are in this game because, to a degree, it's fun. At some point, this fiasco will hopefully really start to ruin their fun. It's actually terrible that the worst hosing came to the one team with no big owner, rather than, say, Jerry Jones (which would have the ancillary benefit of messing with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, which is good all by itself).

Houstonians really like and respect the Texans' owner, but I wonder how long that can last if this thing drags on. I said it before, but I hope people start really calling these guys out specifically, in their cities, rather than some nebulous "league" or "the NFL", which is a smokescreen, or even Goodell, who is really just a hired agent.

Adam SchefterVerified
‏@AdamSchefter
As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.
TempestBlayze wrote:
Adam SchefterVerified
‏@AdamSchefter
As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.

Skimming on the very page where this is first quoted and then contradicted? For shame!

Welcome to 10 posts ago.

And I don't believe anything Mortensen says.

karma: English, if you please!

Woops!

::hides in corner::

jowner wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:
*Legion* wrote:
Adam Schefter on Twitter wrote:

@AdamSchefter: As @mortreport is reporting, an agreement between NFL and NFLRA is at hand and both sides will work to have officials working this weekend.

Btw I don't think a TV boycott hurts the NFL anytime soon. Their contracts are all in place, and AFAIK no one even looks at what you're watching unless you're a Neilsen household. A woman who writes about the Texans and used to be a Neilsen household has indicated as much.

How long these contracts are good for, I have no idea. The league's current attitude seems to be uncompromising, and AFAIK there is no way to effectively hit them in the pocketbook this season. Boycott merchandise, possibly.

Pretty much, we have 0 power to really make them take notice.

This is your definition answer of how Monopoly breeds incompetence. Are these owners morons? Probably actually not but they honestly have no competition so they are free to act like ones. Why do you think they put salary caps in to protect them from their own potential levels of {ableist slur}.

IMAGE(http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/snyder.jpg)

The referees association offered a possible compromise with a plan by which current officials would retain their pension plans but going forward, new officials would have 401(k) retirement plans.

Sounds reasonable...

sheared wrote:

Hmmmm.... maybe it was a catch after all?

... no. As a side note, that ESPN Sports Science show did an analysis of it and said that Tate didn't have possession until .52 seconds after Jennings did, ha.

sheared wrote:

Hmmmm.... maybe it was a catch after all?

Certainly shows Tate did get two hands on the ball.. he was under it

It's not the paychecks the refs want it is that they want a certain amount of money added to their pensions each year.

The NFL had considered the referees’ pension proposal overly generous, especially for part-time employees, with sources saying it would have cost the league an annual pension contribution of $38,500 per official. The league had wanted to convert all officials to 401(k) retirement plans. The referees association offered a possible compromise with a plan by which current officials would retain their pension plans but going forward, new officials would have 401(k) retirement plans.

Salaries did not appear to be a major issue. The average official earned about $149,000 last season and the NFL offered prior to the lockout to increase that to $189,000 per official by 2018.

Each official has lost an average of about $50,000 in potential income this year due to the lockout.

garion333 wrote:

I lost it at the bridge.

"Jumbo screen shows the replay - I missed it so bad! I missed it so so bad!"

*Legion* wrote:
garion333 wrote:

I lost it at the bridge.

"Jumbo screen shows the replay - I missed it so bad! I missed it so so bad!"

Same here, that was a pretty good.

That was great