CFL-NFL REF EXCHANGE PROGRAM GOES ON

ATLANTA – The NFL-CFL officiating exchange program is continuing for a third straight year.

NFL senior VP of officiating Al Riveron told Postmedia on Tuesday at the league’s annual spring owners meeting that the cross-border swap of select officials already has begun for 2018.

Four officials from each league are attending the other league’s preseason development meetings, to discuss matters such as new rules, interpretations and fine points on the mechanics of calling plays. Then the four will work the other league’s training camps and preseason games.

“I know our NFL officials are working CFL pre-season games

(in June), but I’m not sure about regular-season games,” Riveron said during a mid-day break in the league meetings, scheduled to conclude Wednesday afternoon at a Buckhead hotel.

“And CFL officials are going to

come down and work our preseason games in August again, yes.”

Last year, six CFL officials went south, double the number from Year 1.

The program was set up in 2016 by Riveron’s predecessor in the NFL, Dean Blandino, and his CFL counterpart at the time, the now retired Glen Johnson.

Participating NFL and CFL officials learn about the other league’s

rulebook, plus different on-field techniques and philosophies, such as the physical mechanics of best observing downfield pass plays. The deepest positioned NFL officials are taught to back-pedal, to never turn their back on the play. But CFL officials, to properly cover the longer, much wider field, have found they must turn and run at times, to speed up and stay on top of some plays.