I had one of the smartest men in football, Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira, on the phone Thursday, and he said something that we all think as we watch NFL games:
"The game is over-officiated, and here's the issue to me: I study a lot of plays, and I ask myself, 'Would I have downgraded that?' The officiating is getting way too technical, and it's affecting the game and how the game looks."
Pereira, a former longtime referee in the college and pro game, has become one of the most popular people in the NFL ecosystem because of his ability to break down the complicated maze that is officiating and speak truthfully in doing so.