August 27, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFL referee Ed Hochuli (85) during the first half of a preseason game at the Louisiana Superdome. The New Orleans Saints defeated the San Diego Chargers 36-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Apparently NFL fans haven’t been put through enough of the league’s labor issues. The league announced on Monday that they have started the process of hiring and training replacement officials since talks broke down between the two sides. The refs and the league have been negotiating on a new deal since October, but they haven’t been able to come to terms.

So, as if there aren’t enough problems already with reffing in the league, we may get to experience life with replacements this season. Needless to say, this is bad news. We don’t know if a deal will get done with the refs before the season starts, but let’s all hope it does. Aside from the obvious issue of poorly called games, you have to think that player safety coud be an issue. It is the job of an official to keep things under control on the field, and I’m not sure if replacements can do that. The NFLPA has an issue with this, and I don’t blame them. If the league and the officials can’t get on the same page, the players won’t have a choice.