NFL refs to be positioned behind the offense...

[KillerKat]

Bout time! This should've been done years ago. They were always in the way.

ORLANDO -- The NFL will permanently reposition umpires to the offensive backfield beginning with the upcoming 2010 season, in a move designed to protect its most vulnerable on-field officials, the league confirmed Sunday at the annual owners meetings.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5016012&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

[Grammer]

nice move

[DudeNamedJeremy]

yeah, it's only right they be behind the offense since its usually them fuging the offense anyway

[Mr. Scot]

Bout time! This should've been done years ago. They were always in the way.

Would you choose to stand behind the offensive line if you didn't have to?

(the view is positively frightening) :eek:

[KillerKat]

introducing the refs new head gear

[Wither]

Shouldn't they have changed this like 20 years ago?

[panthers55]

I can see why they made the move due to increased safety and why they resisted it. The problem is that most of the action occurs on the defensive side of the ball and it will be increasingly harder to see defensive penalties as well as make calls on pass interference or calls particularly over the middle. I suspect the defensive players will get away with more and calls like offensive holding will go up due to the officials vantage point.

[Snake]

I think this is a very good thing for Defense and a bad thing for WRs in the WCO. They love to use the Ref to get clean of a Defender.

[CatMan72]

I bet Robert Kraft had a cow over this one... that's 50% of the Patriots offensive playbook gone with one rule change. LOL

[pantherclaw]

For the safety of the refs, this should have already been done.

I can't imagine the fouls getting any worse than it already is.

Maybe there won't be as much blatent offensive holding now.