That's kind of a self-sustaining loop, though, isn't it? The refs can't control the game because they get no respect, and they get no respect because they can't control the game.
Coaches and players have been trying to bully these guys for three (regular season) weeks now, and to express shock and dismay because the guys getting bullied are getting frazzled and making mistakes isn't helping the situation.
The person who really needs to get things under control is Goodell. He needs to state in flat-out terms that there will be no pensions for referees, and that until the refs are willing to accept that, there will be no deal. In the meantime, he himself will review tapes from every game each week, and any player or coach found to be harassing or bullying a referee will be fined and suspended.
Pensions are not the only issue in the dispute. I know that libs want us all to believe that but they are not. An even bigger issue for the ref’s union is the scorecard and its new proposal. The NFL wants to hire 20 new refs to replace older ones when it is time and to have a few in reserve. The reason for the reserve? They want to bench those refs who miss a certain number of calls over a given period of time. So, in similar fashion to the teacher’s unions, the ref’s union wants no accountablility. That is the REAL main issue here.