The NFL is behind the times in these 4 areas that need changed

While fans still wonder how the NFL trains their referees, something needs to change because what is on the field is atrocious.

Too many games continue to be decided by poor decisions made by referees and it has become an almost game-to-game situation.

Fans still don’t know what constitutes a reception, roughing the passer is the biggest joke in the league, and challenging plays has become nothing more than a distraction.

So how should the league address these problems? For starters, they can hold referees more accountable for mistakes made on the field. They are paid well and since players are fined consistently, often for nothing at all, maybe the referees should be as well.

Challenges should be wider. The problem with allowing coaches the opportunity to challenge plays like pass interference or roughing the passer becomes a matter of referee opinion and that makes it almost unnecessary. Perhaps the league should employ more referees.

Additional eyes on the field could help eliminate missed calls. One referee should be assigned the QB and two more on the sidelines that won’t make refs run up and down the field to keep pace with faster players and then miss calls. Let’s face it, the NFL has the money to pay more.

If all else fails, there should be a box referee that has the final say on all penalties called and some that are not called. There should be a time limit to throw a virtual “box” flag but the league must try to make these games much more evenly called across the entirety of the league. Right now, they are not, at all and what might be called a penalty in one game is not called in another even if the one not called was blatant.