“I am a full-time official,” Hochuli said (via PFT). “I'm as full-time as the coaches or the players or anybody could be. If they said, ‘Ed, you can't be a lawyer anymore, you can only do this,' there's nothing else that I could do.”
While we don't agree that Hochuli is "as full-time as the coaches" (we're guessing he doesn't spend February-April obsessively preparing for the NFL Draft), we're not convinced he -- or any other officials -- needs to be. The issue isn't that they don't have a command of the rules (something the replacements couldn't say), it's making split-second decisions in enforcing those rules. And no amount of offseason work will change that.
Real-world example: Back in 2008, Hochuli ruled that quarterback Jay Cutler, then with the Broncos, had thrown an incomplete pass when, in fact, replay ruled it a fumble. Instead of possession going to the Chargers, Hochuli's quick whistle blew the play dead and the ball was spotted at San Diego's 10-yard-line. Moments later later, Denver scored, made the 2-point conversion, and eventually won, 39-38.
"Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling," Hochuli said at the time. "Officials strive for perfection -- I failed miserably. Although it does no good to say it, I am very, very sorry."
So here's the question: Would this have happened if Hochuli had been a "full-time employee"? Almost certainly since, again, this has nothing to do with Hochuli's mastery of the rules but his split-second interpretation of them.
