NFL Season May Open With Replacement Officials…
By Tom Brant
According to ESPN, the NFL has indicated that the start of the regular season will begin with replacement referees. This would include the Giants versus Cowboys NFL Kick-Off game.
"the NFL and NFL Referees Association are not making any progress towards a new deal, according to sources familiar with the talks."
The ESPN article went on to say the following; which in all honesty I do not understand…
"One source familiar with the stalled negotiations estimated that the two sides would not resolve their differences until the third week of the regular season. His feelings on the state of the talks provide a snapshot of how far apart the two sides are."
Why is it week three and not week four? Either way this would be a very interesting start to the season for everyone. I must say that this shocks me. At a time when in the leagues history when they are focusing now more than ever on player safety and concussions, I just do not understand how we start with rookie officials. The replacement referees have three more weeks of preseason to figure this all out…good luck…