BOURBONNAIS (MCT) -- They did not hold court with the media like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did Wednesday, but replacement officials are in the Chicago Bears training camp.

The league has been working for two months to assemble and train new crews with the regular referees locked out in a labor battle. Chances are good replacement officials will be working the first preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 9 at Soldier Field and the longer this drags out, the greater the possibility they are in place for the beginning of the regular season.

One veteran scout in another training camp said the replacement officials working with his team seemed in “awe” and believes they will “call only what is obvious.”