The Buffalo Bills Add A Referee To Their Payroll

Yes, they're going to be paying a former ref. No, it's not to help them "fix" games.

The Bills are going to have a referee in their pocket?

We've heard of teams who have referees "in their pocket." Normally it means they've paid them off. But the Bills are all out adding one to their payroll.

Sometimes it feels like your team is up against their opponent AND the referees. In the NFL it's not uncommon to think that someone had slipped a little extra in the pocket of a ref for a well-timed flag or a missed call. No doubt it's incredibly unethical, but fans believe it happens a lot anyway.

That is not what's happening here.

The Buffalo Bills are hiring an officiating liaison

What is an officiating liaison and why do the Bills need one? An officiating liasion is someone who will help the head coach before and during games to help them understand what will and will not be called by an NFL official. According to Yahoo, he will advise head coach Sean McDermott and his staff on NFL rules and replay decisions. So whenever there's an opportunity for a coach's challenge, McDermott will have a better grasp on how likely it will be successful.

Why do the Bills need an officiating liaison?

As it stands right now, Coach McDermott has been near the bottom of the league when it comes to successful coach's challenges. In his career, he's only been successful in 10 of 33 challenges.

This year there will be a ton of rule changes

If there was ever a year to be on top of the rules, it's this year. There have been multiple changes to the game including new rules for the entire kickoff and one that will be particularly hard to put your thumb on - the hip-drop tackle.

John Parry has been brought on to help

Former NFL referee John Parry has been brought on to the Bills payroll to help the team adjust to the new changes and to help during the game with challenges. He has been serving as a rules analyst for ESPN since he left the NFL but will be joining the Bills this year.