Advertisement

NFL-CFL program could improve officiating, but has possible Canadian drawbacks

Former referee Glen Johnson, now the CFL's senior vice-president of football, says the joint officiating program with the NFL will benefit the CFL and its officials. (CFL/K. Rodriguez.)

The joint NFL-CFL officiating development program announced Friday seems good for the NFL across the board, but while it has substantial positives for the CFL, it also carries some potential drawbacks. Under this program, a group of NFL officials will have the chance to work on CFL crews during pre-season and regular-season games in June and July, and several CFL officials will join the NFL's Officiating Development Program. This is part of the growing relationship between the leagues we've seen lately, with efforts such as the NFL-CFL partnership to try the King-Devick concussion test on Canadian sidelines and a CFL drug policy that now bars players who receive NFL PED suspensions for a year, but it's maybe the most significant step yet, and it's one that deserves a thorough look. First, here's what CFL vice-president (football) Glen Johnson (a former ref himself) said in the league's release about this move:

“This historic partnership gives officials in both leagues an opportunity to hone their craft and get better through shared development activities and more snaps at the pro level,” said CFL Senior Vice-President, Football Glen Johnson. “We’re excited that a group of our officials will actively participate in the NFL Development Program and now have a formal path forward to be considered as prospects in their league.”

For the NFL, there's no real downside here. Some of their officials will get more game experience at the current highest level of professional football outside the NFL itself, while all they have to give up is a few slots in their officiating development program (and if the CFL officials who go there perform well, that may give the NFL an opportunity to hire them full-time). There are big potential gains for the CFL, too: as Johnson said, having the chance to work with NFL officials should only elevate CFL crews, having the opportunity to attend the officiating development program should bolster CFL officials' knowledge and techniques, and having a clearer potential pathway to the NFL (and its higher-paying, higher-stage jobs) should encourage CFL officials to be at their best in hopes it might lead to something more (something that's worked very well for the CFL with players). However, there are also some potential challenges on the CFL side.

First, there's the question of how well having NFL officials involved in the CFL will work out, especially when it comes to regular-season games. These games matter, so if the NFL officials don't take them seriously, that could be a big problem. That seems a bit unlikely, as evaluations here will probably still matter for their NFL jobs, but it's a prospect worth discussing nonetheless. Beyond that, NFL officials may have the best intentions and efforts, but there's also a chance that their unfamiliarity with the Canadian rules could create some challenges. The release says "The NFL officials working in the CFL will be primarily deep wing officials – side judges and field judges – to minimize the impact of some of the rules differences between the two leagues," and that makes sense and should mitigate some of the issues here, but there are still big differences even at those positions.

If the NFL officials coming in are humble, eager to learn and work hard to do the best job they can, this shouldn't be a problem, and it could even be a benefit for the CFL. There have been tons of complaints about CFL officiating over the last few years, some of them justified, so this is a chance for the league to get some of the officials deemed to be the best in the world in for a few games. That will give the CFL (and fans) a chance to see how these guys work and if they're any better, and adding more (and different) experience to their crews for a few games should benefit CFL officials. However, if the NFL officials in this program don't take it seriously and consider the CFL to be beneath them, there could be some conflict here.

Beyond that, there's the question of how this move will be perceived by fans. There are plenty of CFL fans out there adamant that the league should be completely independent from the NFL, and this may not go over well with them. There are problems on a couple of fronts there, both from the idea of having NFL officials work CFL games and from the idea of having CFL officials be potential NFL officiating prospects; there are a lot of people who dislike the idea of the CFL as a developmental league. There certainly could be some backlash here.

Overall, though, this looks like a reasonable move for the CFL, and one that could pay off. Officials can often learn a lot from programs like the NFL's officiating development program, so that alone could boost the quality of CFL officiating. Working a few games with officials from the NFL could help, too, allowing Canadian crews to experience their perspective, and the league's smart to have the game officials here be at positions where the rule differences will be easier to adapt to and to only do this for a few games in June and July with established NFL officials rather than to be training NFL prospects all season. This is part of an overall further refinement of CFL officiating (three officials were fired last season for poor performance, while five were sent to the university ranks for further development), and that's a good thing for the league. Competition can be beneficial, as a CFL GM told TSN's Gary Lawless earlier:

Not long ago in an off-the-record conversation a general manager pointed at the officiating in the CFL as the No. 1 factor holding back the league.

“It’s not good enough. We have some excellent officials. But not enough. They need competition,” he argued. “They need to be pushed. It’s pro sports. Players, coaches and managers have to compete and strive to get better.

"Why should the referees be any different? They’re sheltered and protected in Canada. It’s not a formula for success and the league is suffering for it. I’ve been here a long time but there have been nights after games where I’ve considered leaving because of this. It can ruin a career. We just have to make it better.”

The GM's right there; CFL officiating has had its struggles. Every other league, including the NFL, sees plenty of officiating criticisms too, but there are certainly areas where the CFL can improve. The officials definitely are getting less sheltered and protected, though; Johnson's firings and demotions of officials have increased the competition and the pressure to perform, and this joint program should do so even more. It should also help attract more people to want to be Canadian football officials; if the league's clear that it's going to make changes when officials don't perform, that opens up more top CFL spots for younger officials, and the partnership with the NFL should be attractive both from a professional development standpoint and from a potential career standpoint.

Anti-NFL feelings here aren't necessarily justified, either. The football world is an interconnected one on the coaching and player side, which has benefited the CFL, and further connectivity on the officiating side seems reasonable too. Still, this does carry some potential perils for the CFL, depending on how it goes. The view from here is that this is probably a smart move overall, and one that should improve the quality of CFL officiating. It's going to be worth keeping an eye on, though, both to see how NFL officials do in CFL games and if CFL officials work their way to the NFL.