Replacements in Week 1? NFL is making the wrong call

The NFL is a week away from the start of the regular season, and already the league has blown a major call.

It will open the season with replacement officials.

League executive Ray Anderson has informed all 32 teams that stand-ins will be on the field starting Sept. 5 when the Dallas Cowboys open at the New York Giants, according to multiple reports.

The regular officials have been locked out since June, and negotiations between the NFL and NFL Referees Assn. have stalled.

That means games will be in the hands of officials with dramatically less experience, many of whom came from the high school and college ranks. It’s the equivalent of slapping discount tires on a Ferrari.

The last time replacements worked games that actually counted was in 2001, when they were used in the opening week of games. Those fill-ins were more seasoned, though, including many with major-college experience. This time, officials of that caliber watched this labor fight from the sidelines, declining to step in and work as replacements.

So what are we likely to see in Week 1? The problem will be overly timid officials, not ones who are too aggressive with their calls. It won’t be a shower of yellow flags, but flags that are seemingly sewn into pockets. That was the case in 2001, when some games featured just one penalty called.

Fans can appreciate games that move along more quickly. Players might applaud a little more leeway. But as soon as a replacement makes a wrong call that costs a team a game, the officiating situation will go from sideshow to center stage -- and that’s not the kind of attention the league wants.

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