The counter-argument has been the same for years now: We bystanders couldn’t possibly fathom what it’s like to officiate an NFL game.
The needs are almost impossible—mental dexterity to associate a piece of legislative minutiae from the league’s 89-page rule book with a millisecond-long flashpoint in a game played by the fastest and strongest people on earth, years of expertise to properly position yourself for an adequate view without railroading the play in progress and fortitude to trust your instincts and announce the findings to a stadium packed with tens of thousands of disgruntled fans.
For the most part, it’s a functional comeback.