

Yes, things have gotten murky in that area in the NFL, so much so that pass interference now can be challenged by coaches and reviewed in video replay. Don't underestimate how big a step that was for the league, though when Commissioner Roger Goodell seeks something, he usually gets it.


"No one on the field has the benefit of slow-motion replays and lengthy looks at what just happened," says former NFL officiating chief Mike Pereira, now one of Fox's officiating analysts, along with his successor at the league, Dean Blandino. "It's bang-bang, all the time."



The league itself doesn't make it easy on its officials because there are so many (too many) rules, plus tangents and addendums to the rules. And because the NFL prizes experience in its crews, it winds up with older people who, frankly, can't always keep up.

To identify the NFL's officiating as the worst in pro sports, as we often hear when an egregious error such as the one in the NFC title game is made, probably is unfair — something Saints fans don't want to hear.

College football has major issues, too, such as targeting. It shouldn't be easy to police and enforce, but the penalty is so punitive: ejection from the game.

The college version of replay allows everything reviewed, which can really slow the game; four-hour contests aren't unusual these days.


Consider the other three most popular U.S. sports, too.




It's ramped up, too, debate over using robot umpires. That's still way off in the future, although all the recent high-profile arguments make some think it's closer than once imagined.



The NHL does the best job with replay because it's basically limited, with the main area of focus whether a goal was scored. The price for failed challenges can be more costly though, including winding up short-handed.



The structure of the game, especially on the pro level, increases the difficulty of referees' tasks. Again, like the NFL, the NBA prefers experience in its officials. But the huge, powerful and quick players often gather in a confined space, especially in the lane. Trying to determine exactly what's going on is ultra-difficult.

Then there are refs' interpretations of the rules. Is James Harden's step-back 3-point shot a travel, for instance? A player, again highlighting Harden, swinging his arms to draw contact before shooting a foul on him or the defense? The league basically put in a James Harden rule on that.



"Well, I grew up with officiating," says John Parry, who left the field after 19 seasons and is now ESPN's analysts on the subject on Monday nights.


Seems the modern game has made that almost an impossible task.




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