NFL Refs' Report Card Includes Demerit

Officials Need to Avoid 'Train Wrecks,' Boss Says

DANA POINT, Calif., March 24 -- Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, said Tuesday the league's officials were correct more than 98 percent of the time this past season but had several high-profile "train wrecks" that affected public perception and must be avoided in the future.

Pereira defended officials' overall performance in a season that included several controversies and more criticism than usual by outside observers.

The controversies included referee Ed Hochuli's early-season gaffe in which he erroneously ruled that a fumble by Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler was an incomplete pass. That call, not subject to instant replay review, negated a game-saving fumble recovery by the San Diego Chargers. The Broncos retained possession and went on to score a touchdown and a game-winning two-point conversion.

There also was a mistake in a November game in which the officials, even with a replay review, incorrectly nullified a late touchdown by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu on a botched lateral by the Chargers. The call didn't affect the outcome of the game, which was won by the Steelers, 11-10. But it received attention in part because it prevented the Steelers from covering the gambling spread.

Pereira said during his briefing with reporters Tuesday at the annual league meeting that officials, according to the league's grading system, got 98.1 percent of the plays this past season correct, down slightly from the all-time high of 98.3 percent in the 2007 season.

Pereira also said: "Did I think it was bad last year? No. What we really had is, we had train wrecks. Those train wrecks hurt you. They hurt of the overall perception [of the officiating]. Week Two was a train wreck. The Pittsburgh game was a train wreck. We have to avoid the train wrecks."

Tennessee Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, the co-chairman of the league's competition committee, also defended the officiating, saying at the AFC coaches' breakfast with reporters he thought the officiating had improved each season.

"I see nothing but improvement . . . [but] we're always going to have questions and debatable calls," Fisher said.

The league already announced Pereira has told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell he will retire after next season. Pereira said Tuesday he hopes his successor will be in place by the beginning of the season and the two will work together for a season.

Rule Changes Approved

The league's franchise owners approved four rule changes related to player safety issues, including one that makes it illegal for a defensive player to hit a defenseless receiver in the head with a blow using the forearm or shoulder.

It already was illegal for a defender to deliver a helmet-to-helmet hit to a defenseless receiver. The new rule extends the protection given to a player who is in the act of catching the ball, also prohibiting hits to the helmet when the defender leads with his shoulder or delivers a forearm blow.

The rule change was recommended by the competition committee and approved by the teams. The owners also approved a rule giving similar protection to defenders, making it illegal for an offensive player to deliver a blindside block by using the helmet, shoulder or forearm to deliver a blow to a defensive player's head.

Two other safety-related rule changes that were approved apply to kickoffs and kickoff returns. The kicking team now is prohibited from bunching too many players in the middle of the field, or on a single side of the field. That eliminates dangerous scrambles involving too many players on onside kicks. The receiving team now is prohibited from using a blocking wedge of more than two players on a kickoff return.

McDaniels Addresses Cutler

Broncos Coach Josh McDaniels said he remains hopeful of repairing his fractured relationship with Cutler to keep the disgruntled quarterback with the team.

"We're going to do what we can do to try to affect our relationship positively going forward," McDaniels said while surrounded by reporters at the AFC coaches' breakfast.

Cutler has asked to be traded and has been feuding with the Broncos and McDaniels, the rookie coach hired from the New England Patriots' coaching staff after two-time Super Bowl winner Mike Shanahan was fired. Cutler became upset after the Broncos considered offers for a potential three-team trade that would have put quarterback Matt Cassel, then with the Patriots, in Denver and Cutler reportedly in either Tampa or Detroit.

McDaniels said he knows some teams have expressed interest to Broncos General Manager Brian Xanders in possibly trading for Cutler. But McDaniels indicated no one from another team has talked to him about a potential trade for Cutler, and no prospective trades involving Cutler are under active consideration by the Broncos. He stopped short of completely ruling out a trade, however.

"He's our quarterback," McDaniels said. "We're committed to him. And we'll always do what's in the best interests of our team."