The National Football League will continue coaching replacement officials in the hope that they improve. League officials do not want to be coerced into negotiations with locked-out regular officials.

But the teams complain that the substitute referees are blowing too many calls and not controlling the games.

There are complaints that the replacements are a different breed from the regulars, who put in many years calling high school and college games before they are chosen to officiate the pros. Even then there is intense training for those chosen to officiate NFL games.

Replacements have been rushed into their assignments. Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was shocked when a replacement official told him that McCoy was on his fantasy football team. Said the player: “I’ll be honest, they are like fans.” (The NFL forbids its game officials from playing fantasy football.)

But fans are still watching the games faithfully.

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