Hard to argue with Brian on this..

[grampahol]

Some very good and valid points made by Brian Tuohy of http://TheFixIsIn.net on the page http://www.thefixisin.net/nfl2018.html

Quote:Here's the thing -- and its something you can use if/when arguing about this sort of thing with friends, family, or NFL fans in general: IF the NFL truly wanted to get these calls correct (and not "right" -- the "right" call more often than not is the one that favors the team the NFL favors), they could. The league could undoubtedly make all of these calls correctly with little to no added effort on their part. 

No one gives a flying you-know-what about the "tradition" of the referees on the field making calls. In this modern day and age of technological advances, it would be incredibly easy to have multiple officials in the booth at the stadium watching the game live or via television and have them be able to signal to an on-the-field official to throw a flag and make the call as seen from above. The NFL does not need replays reviewed from NYC and the home office. It was and can be done at the stadium (how often do you really need to see a replay to tell if the ball was caught or fumbled? One extra look often does the trick). Microchips and sensors can be placed inside the ball, on the goal lines, and all over the field to mark where the ball should be spotted. Do we really need two old men holding a pair of sticks with a 10-yard long chain between them to determine a first down in the year 2018? If I can see a TV ad spouting about "next gen" stats which (supposedly) tell me the probability of a catch being made, then that same technology can tell me whether or not the ball broke the plain of the end zone. 

As I've said before in interviews, the most compelling thing on TV could be listening in to the on-the-field referee discussing rules with NFL HQ in NYC during replays. But we don't get to hear that. Why? Now, instead, replays are often determined during commercials and left to the TV broadcasters to explain away. Not everything can be reviewed. Why? If holding can be called on every play and pass interference can be call on every third or fourth pass attempt, why are these subjective calls only made a handful of times per game? If the rules are constantly being broken and going unenforced, what makes this or that play so special to deserve the flag?

The answer to all of this as plain as the nose on your face: control. If all these "high tech" changes were made -- and they could be made in the course of one offseason -- the league would lose its best way to control the outcome of games. They couldn't shade things as much as they are currently able to do because the tech wouldn't allow it (well, unless they added certain backdoor hacks into their own technology which wouldn't surprise me either). But they won't do it because they would sacrifice too much to implement such "radical" changes. So you get the status quo. You get entertainment, You don't get actual sport. End of story.

For those who still believe that the league is completely legit you really should read Brian's entire site and even a few of his well researched books.. Can anyone explain the reasoning behind using non-technology such as the sticks and chains when even the tv networks can and do mark field position with computerized graphics?  Two guys with sticks is almost as accurate as some guy standing outside the stadium throwing a rock to decide field position and yet those are the guys who get to irk us week in week out with their completely subjective opinions  . It's utterly ridiculous as is the same issue with the goal line and the tip of the ball ESPECIALLY when there are several very large human bodies obstructing the view..