The NFL has always had officiating problems just like every other sport, but those issues have come to the forefront ever since last January, and every bad call seems to get magnified nowadays.
That’s why the league is planning a “top-down review” of the officiating, according to Judy Battista of NFL Network.
While we don’t know for sure what exactly the review will entail, part of it will consist of examining who should be in charge of replay reviews at the officiating command center.
Right now, senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron holds that position, so it stands to reason that his job could be in jeopardy.
This would mark the latest significant change the NFL has made to its officiating policies over the last year.
During this past offseason, the league made pass interference a reviewable call after an egregious missed call in last year’s NFC Championship Game, where Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman clearly hit then-New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis early on a pass late in the fourth quarter, as well as going helmet-to-helmet with the wide out.
However, no flag was thrown, and the no-call came back to bit the Saints in the end, as the Rams capitalized by tying the game with a field goal and then winning in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl.
There have also been numerous instances this season where poor calls played pivotal roles in deciding games, which is obviously something the NFL wants to rectify moving forward.
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