Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2001

Scare tactics

This weekend’s games will scare officials, league back to the bargaining table

By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor

That said, I don’t believe it will happen. There is little reason to believe that the NFL and the officials union will find labor peace in the next few days.

The NFL has informed the union of its plans to use replacement officials in the final week of the preseason. That ought to make for some very interesting viewing this weekend. I intend to be on the sidelines at one of those games, when the Ravens host the Giants on Friday afternoon. And I am happy to predict that what I see on Friday will ultimately lead to a resolution.

There will be blown calls here and there. There will be more frequent on-field huddles, as the officials confer over a decision. The game will probably drag on longer than the intended three-or-so hours. It most certainly won’t run as smoothly as a contest officiated by the regular refs. (Although, I bet the replacement guys get the coin flip right.)

But this weekend’s games — and the course of action the league is taking — may be the best way to get this situation resolved. And I believe it will be resolved before Sept. 9, the first Sunday of regular-season games.

The league will see first-hand the difference between seasoned NFL refs and the replacement refs. They will see the mistakes that are made. They will see that these replacement refs aren’t used to the speed of the NFL. Just like when rookie players enter the NFL and learn that this is an entirely different level of football than they are used to, the replacement officials will come to understand the same thing. And it will show on the game tapes that the league will most certainly review.

At the same time, the regular officials, the ones who are striking for more pay and better benefits, will see that their future employment could be in jeopardy. Yes, they will watch on television and laugh at all of the rookie mistakes that are made. But they will also see that the game is most certainly playable without their presence.

It is this that will goose both sides back to the bargaining table.

I never doubted that it would take a while to get this thing settled. Just look at the tactics used by agent Tom Condon (who is representing the officials) in his negotiations with the Chargers. While working on contracts for rookies LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees, he held his clients out of training camp for extended periods of time. Condon, who by all accounts is a very professional and respected agent, is not afraid of waiting until the last minute to get a deal done.

By Monday morning — Labor Day (how appropriate) — I predict both sides are scared back at the bargaining table. Worried about the integrity of the game and the safety of its players, the league will slightly up their offer to the officials. The officials, who love what they do even if they don’t get paid like they are full-time employees, will soften their stance.

And by Week One of the regular season, this entire mess will be over. Thank God, because I’m ready for some real football — with real refs.

The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season