When Opportunity Knocks

[DLH17]

Originally Posted by Rich

There's a lot of time, effort, and sacrifice that NFL officials make to get to that level. No NFL official is going to be hired until he works quite a while in Division I. No officials get to Division I without putting in time at smaller college levels. No officials get there without putting time in at HS and lower levels.

The replacements have taken the ultimate shortcut. Why should that be praised?

I understand and respect that perspective.

While I don't personally know any of the replacement officials, it's probably not a stretch to say most of them are excellent officials at whatever level they were working previous to the NFL. What a great opportunity for them to learn, at the highest level, and take back with them an awesome experience when they eventually settle into their previous roles as college, etc, officials.

Maybe, just maybe, a few catch the eye of a decision-maker and thereby creates an opportunity to move up to the NFL ranks down the road.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by DLH17

I understand and respect that perspective.

While I don't personally know any of the replacement officials, it's probably not a stretch to say most of them are excellent officials at whatever level they were working previous to the NFL. What a great opportunity for them to learn, at the highest level, and take back with them an awesome experience when they eventually settle into their previous roles as college, etc, officials.

Maybe, just maybe, a few catch the eye of a decision-maker and thereby creates an opportunity to move up to the NFL ranks down the road.

I just don't see it. I see a bigger chance for those officials to be ostracized by the groups they go back to in some cases, especially if those groups have D-1 officials or NFL officials as part of their ranks.

We'll see.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Rich

I just don't see it. I see a bigger chance for those officials to be ostracized by the groups they go back to in some cases, especially if those groups have D-1 officials or NFL officials as part of their ranks.

We'll see.

Didn't a lot of the NBA replacements from a few years back ultimately make it onto the regular NBA roster?

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Didn't a lot of the NBA replacements from a few years back ultimately make it onto the regular NBA roster?

The NBA and NFL processes are quite different though.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by DLH17

I understand and respect that perspective.

While I don't personally know any of the replacement officials, it's probably not a stretch to say most of them are excellent officials at whatever level they were working previous to the NFL. What a great opportunity for them to learn, at the highest level, and take back with them an awesome experience when they eventually settle into their previous roles as college, etc, officials.

Maybe, just maybe, a few catch the eye of a decision-maker and thereby creates an opportunity to move up to the NFL ranks down the road.

The guys that I know were already told that this would not be a good idea for them. And the guys that crossed that had some college experience probably ruined that opportunity in the future. Not all of them, but certainly many of them. There were guys that were not regular college officials and if they come back I see many of them not even being used. And one of the reasons is they have been replaced already. They are not likely to come back this season as the schedules are set and slots are filled. And actually this situation also made live harder on the assignors as they had to scramble a few weeks out to fill their spots. And even the most high profile of these guys was a crew chief at the D3 level and I do not see him coming back in that role for sure. And none of the guys I know were not realistically to get a shot at D1, let alone the NFL. It would be different if they used D1 officials that worked in the major conferences. Now one guy could not work any college games because of his new job and took this as a chance. I can somewhat understand his position because after this his career might be over anyway. Otherwise most had something to lose when coming back. I guess there is always high school ball.

Peace