49ers players excited about potential return of real referees

With the New York Jets as the next challenge for the San Francisco 49ers, players were happy to hear the news that the regular NFL officials could return as soon as this weekend.

Guard Alex Boone told MercuryNews.com that he was "excited" when he saw the report on Facebook. And while reports early Wednesday say a deal is imminent, 49ers safety Donte Whitner appeared to be waiting for official word.

"If it gets done, it's a great thing," 49ers safety Whitner said. "In the last three weeks, there've been mistakes and bad calls. ... We all just want to go out there and have a fair game."

Whitner also said that the return would make defensive backs like himself revert back to playing more traditionally. With the replacement officials, one of the main problems has been the consistency in pass interference calls.

And overall, the good news is that the NFL officials should be ready to jump onto the field very soon after an final agreement is reached between them and the NFL owners. The NFL Referees Association said that all of its officials have been trained for all the rule changes that began this season.