“What’s Going On Here”: Rule Analysts Fail To Make Sense of NFL’s ‘Mindless’ System

It seems like a huge part of the NFL fanbase is not happy. The fans of the league have become accustomed to the game being played a certain way. Firstly, the NFL first announced a change in the way the MVP will be selected. Furthermore, the NFL’s refereeing has begun to get a bad reputation. Fans have had complaints about the way the refs have been calling games all season. With the upcoming Super Bowl, complaints about refereeing have come under the spotlight.

Specifically, the review system has drawn the ire of fans and ex-refs alike. It seems like there is a lot of friction due to the constant interference by the refs and the new reviewing system. Is there a chance this system is taking away from the true beauty of football?

The new NFL System and its drawbacks

It seems like the NFL’s new review system exists for supposedly making better calls. However, the over usage of the replay system seems to have thrown a bone into the way the game functions. Even ex-NFL refs turned analysts don’t seem to understand the new system. Referees who were an active part of the field are now employed by different networks as analysts.

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Even seasoned refs do not seem like they understand what is going on. A prominent ex-referee-turned-analyst spoke about the system and said, “Leave us out of this. We’ve no more idea what’s going on here — or how it’ll be settled — than you.” as per the New York Post. Furthermore, ex-referees have berated the over usage of the system as opposed to its actual function: sparse replaying for obvious bad calls. Furthermore, the actual implementation of the mindless system seems to have caused trouble in the AFC championship game. It seemed like the Bengals–Chiefs game.

The supposed referees during the Bengals vs. Chiefs

The game between the Chiefs and the Bengals was a close one. The Chiefs got a reprieve when the refs ruled in their favor by calling a necessary roughness on the Bengals’ defense. While the call might have been valid, a lot of fans were not happy with it. Furthermore, there had been several controversial calls by the referees and the so-called ‘expedited’ review system. All in all, the game that decided a Super Bowl contender was riddled with different controversial calls by the referees.

The refereeing of games has always faced some disagreement from fans. However, it certainly has reached new heights this season. It only remains to be seen if this will have an effect on the upcoming Super Bowl.

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