"Technology was supposed to serve as a tool to aid the human eye. "

Instead we get this truly blase and inane AI Cory-bot schlock.

I'm actually starting to look wistfully back at the old month-past-its-prime, rambling pieces full of jumbled metaphors and questionable data and referencing, and edited like a student hitting that last minute before the deadline term paper stuff we used to get from Cory.

And Cory strikes again.

The referees get it right 98.9% of the time, but "By forcing officials to referee under the constant, anxious terror of internal grading metrics......" apparently something terrible will happen. If you get 98.9% of your calls correct there should be little concern about the league looking over your shoulder because you are already doing a remarkably good job. And the refs agreed to this oversight because this has been happening for several years already and apparently isn't particularly burdensome or it would have been a more contentious and public issue.

And horror of horrors, seniority has been replaced by merit. Gee I would much rather have post season games officiated by lowly rated high seniority refs than by higher rated younger refs. We want the refs who make more mistakes refereeing the most important games? Seriously????? I want merit over seniority every time.

Just another case in an ever-burgeoning roll call of contradictions, quandaries, and conundrums as we try to reconcile the application of the sterility of binary technology to the directional requirements of judgment.

I looked at the picture above and was surprised; I didn't know Kevin Hart was an NFL referee!
The only thing of any use I got from this article was, "...With the ratification of a brand-new, seven-year collective bargaining agreement through 2032..." I'd heard that the referee thing had been settled but this is the first time I've seen that the NFL has a new CBA. Why isn't there an article about THAT here on CHTV? Just my 2 cents.

Technology is not always the end of controversy or necessarily able to stand up to scrutiny—look at VAR (Video Assistant Referee) in soccer. However I do want the best officiating possible. I doubt there are many who will argue that that’s what the NFL is giving us.

This will work as well as the metrics are thought out. In principle merit is the key, but the roots of merit here are attracting the best candidates from the biggest pool, not the few with other jobs that permit the considerable flexibility required to be an official currently.

We need full time officials and effective training and appraisal of on field performance coupled with clearer rules. The appraisal would usually be the last piece. Here it’s the first, let’s hope it’s not the only one coming.

There’s nothing worse than watching a sport as a neutral and seeing a game outcome visibly contorted away by officiating. That happens too much in football. If this helps, great, but I’m skeptical that it will do much without much more tangible commitment from the NFL.

Players play, and they make mistakes.
Coaches coach, and they make mistakes.
Officials officiate, and they make mistakes.

Part of the game. Expect to get screwed by the officials and be pleasantly surprised if
it doesn't happen.

If this little "corner" of the internet existed on a Bears fan site, we would all laugh about how stupid Bears fans are to read it.

Embarrassing.

" In reality, it codifies the complete subjugation of on-field authority to a remote, corporate panopticon."

::sigh::

I attempted to add a gift link to a great article from Defector on NBA officiating, but CHTV no longer allows links, I guess.

"The league’s referee grading program, which I’ve covered previously, certainly adds analysis and accountability to the department. But critics feel these efforts have come at the expense of the more nuanced parts of the job."

TL/DR the new kids can't manage a game or the personalities on the floor because of focus on analytics. That keeps the old guard on the floor. FWIW

I'm in support of anything that will help the officiating improve. It may be true that the officials make a very small percentage of errors but some of that small percentage has an impact on the outcome of games and it is more drastic if it happens during a playoff game. The flip is that too often so many flags are dropped during a game that the game becomes unwatchable. Maybe this will bring the officiating to a happy medium. Who knows? Bottom line is that I don't see an end to mistaken or questionable calls by the officiating. They still have yet to clarify what a catch is or isn't in the NFL. Hope for the best. Thanks, Since '61

"In reality, it codifies the complete subjugation of on-field authority to a remote, corporate panopticon."

This reads like an AI generated page 21 in a banking investment account's terms and policies...specifically written to prevent understanding and comprehension.

Maybe it is a "Cory-bot" after all.

Headline thought bubble: ”Napoleon Dynamite.”

What's the question?

Let's keep something simple in life. Anything...Bueller...Bueller...anyone...anyone...

A little early but, Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers out there. :D

PB

"Data published by NFL Football Operations proves that on-field officials are typically accurate on a staggering 98.9% of their calls. Out of roughly 153 violent, fast-paced plays per game, officials make an average of only four to five errors. They operate with a microscopic 1.1% human failure rate."

4 / 153 = ?

Don't publish numbers that contradict.

I wish they would get rid of it all and fans just learned that life isn't fair. Even with all the tech and replay they still get it wrong about the same amount. I think the refs do a pretty good job and the stopping of play can alter the game and its momentum just as much. If they didn't use replay as an excuse to go to commercial and take 5mins I would be more in favor of it. At the moment it is more about selling ads than it is about getting the call right.

Once again Cory is spieling out BS with no context. This should have 0 effect on the game and assure the best officials are working the most important games. Don't know why I bother reading his column.