Source: Gap between NFL, officials is as much as $70 million
 

Source: Gap between NFL, officials is as much as $70 million
Posted by Mike Florio on September 4, 2012, 9:10 AM EDT

The NFL has been driving a hard bargain with the locked-out officials. Now that the replacements are looking like they need to be replaced, the locked-out officials are driving a hard bargain right back at the league.

The best evidence that the regular officials believe they have the upper hand comes from a Monday report that some are determined to sit out for months, if that’s what it takes to get the deal they want.

“This is a battle of right and wrong,” one unnamed official told Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com. “We are willing to wait for as long as it takes.”

Sorry, unnamed official, but that overstates the situation — and invites a backlash. While plenty of fans believe that the NFL is being obstinate because it can, plenty of other fans believe that the locked-out officials incorrectly assume that their income should grow at the same rate the league’s revenues are growing.

NFLRA spokesman Michael Arnold explained to PFT via email on Monday that the officials’ current proposal would have a total cost $30 million in 2012 in salary and benefits.

It’s still not clear what the precise gap is. A league source tells PFT that, when the parties met on Saturday, the NFLRA reverted to their pre-lockout position, which creates a gap of up to $70 million over the seven-year life of the deal.

If that calculation of the gap is based on the NFLRA’s representation of the officials’ position, this means the NFL is offering a total package worth as little as $20 million — and that the gap extends to as much as $10 million per year.

It could be that the parties have an incentive to overstate the divide in order to avoid external pressure on either side to close it. Regardless, it looks like the replacement officials will get their first close up on Wednesday night, whether they’re ready for it or not.

I thought it was $45m?

There is more loose change in Dane's couch.

the fact the the NFLRA responded to the NFL's offer increase by increasing their demands speaks volumes. They are hoping to embarrass the league into giving them whatever they want.

There is a tipping point though ... after awhile the replacement officials will start getting noticeably better and the leverage for the NFLRA will start dropping big time.

If the 2 sides don't agree by the halfway point of the season i don't think there is much incentive for the NFL to agree at all. Just move on and deal with the new group of officials.

Where the NFL ****ed up with these replacement officials, is they CLEARLY did not train these guys at all. They don't know all the rules. This is obvious.

Seems they just tossed them into the fire.

How hard is it to study the rules? I mean, seriously.

They better extend Cassel now while he's still good.

Posturing.
Posted via Mobile Device

LMAO

This is the perfect opportunity to implement a much more video based rule enforcement system. Significantly reduce referee involvement, and increase video based decision making.

The NFLRA better not overplay their hand. There is going to come a point when the Replacements figure it out, and the NFLRA is going to be hosed.

Pretty much.

The only way the Refs get their way is if the replacements lose some games by horrible calls.

If the NFL was smart they'd tell the refs to get ****ed and just rebuild the entire system. Make it a full time year round job with training in the offseason. They could lure in whoever they wanted, including top college crews if it was a permanent job.

The existing problem is all the current refs are rich professionals that treat it like a side business.

Most of these scab refs are not from BCS conferences. The game is much faster. When NFL players are flying around at game speed in real time, you better know what the **** you're doing, and the calls you make better be second nature because the integrity of the NFL depends on it.

There's more to it than just "getting 2 feet in bounds instead of 1".

Boom, there it is.