> NFL teams can be fined or otherwise sanctioned if the league feels like it for taking after officials based on in-game situations, but it seems as if the league is just a bit more sensitive about the issue of public criticism of its officials while the actual refs are locked out in a labor dispute.
> To that end, the NFL has sent out a memo to all teams instructing them to avoid any public criticism of the replacement officials, who will work until a new collective bargaining agreement is struck between the NFL and the NFL Referees’ Association.
They cannot be any worse than the regular referees right?[^link]
[^link]: Please do not bring up this post when a bad call ends up costing the Patriots a game early in the year.