Dean Blandino Thinks NFL Should Adopt XFL’s Transparent Referee Replay Discussions

The former NFL referee believes the league would benefit from one addition to telecasts.

Longtime NFL official Dean Blandino, who since retiring has served as an NFL rules analyst for Fox Sports, discussed one change the NFL should make in an effort to be more transparent.

Blandino referenced the impact that airing official replay discussions had on the telecast experience in the XFL for fans, and believes it would be beneficial for the NFL to consider doing the same thing.

“I think it could [happen in the NFL],” Blandino said on The 33rd Team podcast. “They’ve been hesitant to do that. In the XFL there’s less games, a smaller sample size…but like you said, you may not always agree with [the call], but you’re not walking away from it going, ‘Well, I don’t know why.’ I understand why, I heard it. I may not agree with it, but I heard it. And I think it eliminates any of the…conspiracy theories and all these other things,” Blandino continued.

NFL rules analyst @DeanBlandino says he could see the NFL one day adapting what the XFL had, which allowed the audience to hear discussions between the replay booth and referees, so the fan better understands calls.

"Our experience with the spring leagues is the narrative around… https://t.co/yGRxXt3pKt pic.twitter.com/13iqK6P7Ra

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 23, 2024

Not only would officiating become more transparent, but it could also lead to a better relationship between fans and officials. Instead of having such a negative view of officiating, Blandino thinks this change would impact the way that fans view officials in a positive way.

“Our experience with the spring leagues has been the narrative has changed around officiating. The narrative is usually always negative. But our experience in the XFL was that it was positive…Fans walked away with a better understanding and a better appreciation for officiating. There was less negativity and it was more positive,” Blandino added.

There is no indication that the NFL plans to adopt this addition to broadcasts anytime soon, but it would certainly be well-received by the league’s gigantic fan base.