John Harbaugh wants refs to get more practice time

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh believes NFL referees need more practice time in order to officiate the game properly.

"Gosh, you're doing something at the highest level possible," Harbaugh said after practice Saturday, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. "You're at the top of the field. You'd think you'd need more than three days of practice a year to really be good at it. So I don't think it's really an outrageous thing to ask for."

The Ravens coach was displeased with the refs' performance in Thursday's preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints, claiming they missed a blatant intentional grounding penalty in the game.

For Harbaugh the solution is simple: more practice time during training camps.

"If they got more practice time in training camp, I think they'd do a little bit better," he said. "We think that makes us better and certainly makes the officials better, too."

As it stands, referees are present at three training camp practices for each team. The purpose is to give teams clarification on the rules and how they will be enforced heading into the regular season. But Harbaugh thinks more can be done to improve the quality of officiating.

"My proposal is that they get together and get on the same page," Harbaugh said. "Maybe talk to one another and solve a problem once in a while instead of creating a problem."