NFL should embrace UFL's officiating transparency

Two years ago, the NFL adopted the XFL's alternative kickoff formation. The NFL should be looking to spring football for more innovations.

At a time when the league is trying to leverage a sudden desire to improve officiating as a collective bargaining hammer against the NFL Referees Association, the NFL should be thinking about ways to improve the perception of officiating.

The UFL fully embraces transparency. Conversations between the officials can be heard by the audience. Input from Dean Blandino, who can talk directly to the officials, is part of the broadcast.

In a recent appearance with The Rich Eisen Show, Blandino talked about the talking that the UFL's audience experiences.

"You're gonna see myself [and] Mike Pereira, in the command center, you're gonna be able to hear what we're saying," Blandino said. "You're gonna be able to hear what the officials are saying. You might not always agree with the decision, but you’re gonna understand why.

"And I think that kind of eliminates some of the angst and some of maybe the conspiracy theories and all that other stuff where it's just people going through a process, trying to make a decision, and you're gonna hear all of it and see everything. And I think that helps. I think the NFL could do more of that."

The NFL could begin by doing any of it. The closest the league comes to transparency is the weekly blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from Walt Anderson on NFL Network.

There's also an important caveat when it comes to transparency in officiating for the NFL.

"It's harder when you have multiple games," Blandino said. "The NFL could have eight or nine games in that early window on Sunday. So you've got to have the right people. Because, listen, there are some conversations that happen on the field or in replay where you don't want that going out over the air. And the other thing is, when you know your people are listening, you may be more guarded in your communication, and you may not be as open, and that can have a negative impact."

That doesn't make it a bad idea. Transparency would definitely help folks shed their tinfoil hats. Which are currently more prevalent than cheeseheads in Green Bay.

"Maybe you start with primetime games with the one-off games, and kind of crawl before you're able to run," Blandino said. "But I do think, again, there's so much riding on these games, and you think about just the livelihoods of the players and the coaches, and then you think about the sports betting element, and everything else, transparency's good. And I think more the league could do, I think it's better for everyone."

Amen to that. If the NFL has the apparatus to do it right.

That could be the easy answer as to why there isn't, and won't be, transparency. Beyond the expense associated with having enough people in place to do it right, some things are hidden behind a curtain for a reason.

And, sometimes, it's better to not list the full ingredients of the sausage.