Non-refs evalutating officials

[mick]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

You may be right. Either way, if the officials all perform about the same, and there are no major problems or obvious incompetence, I can live with affableness as the distinguishing criteria.

Bits,
That was my point.
Any obvious incompetence, unidentified by the unlearned observer, could easily be masked by a quick smile and by the rules knowledge of the coaches and fans. (e.g., A gutsy and proper call by one official may be roundly booed, while an improper application, which may be the expected call, may seem to be adjudged competetent by the observer who is mirroring the fans and coaches.)