Bolt
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 1,581
- 0
Getty Images
The NFL announced seven proposed rules changes by teams on Tuesday and two of them have to do with the makeup of the officiating crew.
Both proposals were made by the Ravens and Chargers and the first calls for a “booth umpire” to be an eighth member of the officiating crew. The other calls for the addition of a senior technology advisor to the referee to assist the crew.
The specific nature of the positions aren’t laid out in the proposal, but both seek to amend Rule 19, Section 2 of the league rulebook. That rule states that the replay official and designated members of the officiating department at the league office “may consult with the on-field officials to provide information on the correct application of playing rules.”
The rules involved include correct application of penalty yards, proper down and corrections to the game clock. Members of the officiating department may also weigh in on whether an on-field penalty is flagrant enough to call for a disqualification.
None of those would cover calling penalties or picking up flags thrown in error, but the “booth umpire” sounds something like the sky judge idea that’s kicked around as an extra set of eyes to watch for things that officials on the field may not be able to see.
More information on these proposals, as well as ones from the Competition Committee, will come at the league meetings that are scheduled for later this month in Palm Beach.