Reality sets in for replacement referee

October 10, 2012, 2:02 am by Frank L. Graham

Jeff Hopf, left, a replacement field judge for the NFL officials with more than 20 years experience with high school and college officiating, manages the game with Blaine Garrett, quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars beside him.

Hopf said being an NFL referee is a test of nerves and knowledge.

Hopf was a field judge, an official who stands deep down the field and has the responsibility of passes and the end zone.

Overall, Hopf said it was the experience of a lifetime.

"I have never seen an organization more professional and well organized as the NFL,” Hopf said. "They treated us with the utmost respect.”

Read all the details and find out what it was like as a replacement referee in the NFL in this week's Llano County Journal and the Marble Falls Highlander. 

Jeff Hopf reveals the behind the scene of it all.