Zebra Blog

Super Bowl XLIV: Saints vs. Colts

Scott Green will serve as the crew chief in Sunday’s Super Bowl. It is his third Super Bowl, having officiated in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII as a back judge. After his last Super Bowl assignment in 2004, he was promoted to the head referee position.

The Super Bowl is officiated by an “all-star” crew, based upon detailed examination of every call (and non-call) made and written tests. However, if the highest rated official at any position has (1) served in last year’s Super Bowl, (2) has not officiated a playoff game, or (3) has less than five years of NFL seniority, then the next highest rated official is appointed.

This year’s crew includes the following (and the head of the crew each worked with during the regular season):

• U — Undrey Wash (Carl Cheffers)
• HL — John McGrath (Tony Corrente)
• LJ — Jeff Seeman (Gene Steratore)
• FJ — Rob Vernatchi (Pete Morelli)
• SJ — Greg Meyer (Don Carey)
• BJ — Greg Steed (Terry McAuley)
• Replay Assistant — Jim Lapetina (Morelli)
• Video Operator — Jim Pearson (Morelli)

While Green has officiated two other Super Bowls, no other on-field official has prior Super Bowl experience. Also of note, Seeman is the son of former referee and director of officiating Jerry Seeman, who was the crew chief in Super Bowls XXIII and XXV (1998 and 1990 seasons).

The NFL, after a long search plagued with false starts, has named line judge Carl Johnson as vice president of officiating. He officiated on Don Carey’s crew and will take over for the retiring Mike Pereira after the Super Bowl.

Outside of his appointment to Super Bowl XLII (as part of the crew headed by Mike Carey, Don’s brother), Johnson is not a household name. That is not by accident; to be known is to be analyzed for questionable calls. The league specifically cited Johnson’s high ratings in the weekly evaluations every official is subject to.

Johnson will be thrust into a league executive position that is more visible (and under heavier public scrutiny) than anyone else, even the commissioner. The position includes not only being highly analytical of the rules, but also be able to address a weekly television audience on NFL Total Access on the NFL Network.

Periera was a side judge for Mike Carey’s crew in 1996 and 1997, before being promoted to the league office and eventually to the department’s vice president in 2001. (Periera also officiated a Week 1 game in 2001 due to an official’s strike.) By contrast, Johnson has been on the field since 2001.

Prior to Periera, the previous two department heads (which was not vice-president level until Pereira) both served as the head referee on the field.

The press release from the NFL:

CARL JOHNSON, one of the NFL’s highest-rated officials who has worked eight postseason games since joining the league in 2001, has been named NFL vice president of officiating.

Johnson will take over leadership of the NFL Officiating Department this year from MIKE PEREIRA, who is retiring in April after nine years in the position.

Johnson has been an NFL line judge since 2001. He officiated in Super Bowl XLII (Giants-Patriots), four divisional playoff games including this year’s Dallas-Minnesota game, two wild card playoff games, and one Pro Bowl. Pereira was an NFL side judge when he joined the officiating department as a supervisor in 1998 and then replaced JERRY SEEMAN as the head of NFL officiating in 2001.

Johnson, a native of Thibodaux, Louisiana, officiated high school football in Thibodaux from 1982-1993. He then became a head linesman and line judge in the Southland Conference in 1994 and 1995. From 1996-2000, he officiated as a head linesman in the Big XII Conference and worked the 1996 and 1997 Sugar Bowl games, the 1998 Rose Bowl, and the 1999 Big XII Championship Game.

“Carl Johnson is highly respected both by his on-field and off-field officiating colleagues for his stellar body of work and his integrity,” said NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations RAY ANDERSON. “His teamwork-first philosophy and his excellent communication skills will provide terrific leadership to our officiating department.”

In addition to his on-field officiating expertise, Johnson has 30 years of business management experience. This has included training and managing a large sales force for a major company in Louisiana. He has overseen staff hiring, performance reviews, promotions, discipline, and terminations, and has conducted numerous meetings and coaching initiatives to improve the performance of his staff.

“Carl’s skill set is an outstanding match for this position and we look forward to his leadership in this critical area of our operations,” Anderson added.

As alluded to earlier, the league has placed a new rule for replay regarding the clock. Up until now, only a reversal of an on-field call would allow the clock to be changed via replay.

The new rules, which are only in effect for the playoffs and the Super Bowl, summarized:

• Only the last play of a half or overtime period would be subject to this review.
• Replay can determine if the clock should have or should not have expired.
• For the end of the first half, the clock won’t be adjusted following a scoring play. For the end of the second half, the clock may be adjusted to allow for a kickoff as long as neither team leads by more than eight points.
• For the end of the second half, the clock can be reviewed to allow for a snap if a team is trailing by eight points or less, or the game is tied. In overtime, it would be automatic, as both teams are tied.

For the overtime session, there has never existed a situation in the history of the NFL postseason where the clock was ever a factor. That is because the conclusion of the first overtime period is treated as a change in quarter: teams just switch sides of the field, and the next play is from the succeeding spot. I suppose there could be an advantage in an outdoor stadium to allow one play before a switch because of field conditions or wind, but that is highly unlikely.

In a USFL postseason game, however, the clock was a factor. In the 1984 Quarterfinal Playoff, the Michigan Panthers and the Los Angeles Express played to a 21–21 tie through two overtime periods. The third overtime period begins with a kickoff, so the team in possession at the end of the sixth quarter might lose the ball to start the seventh quarter. This is really the only situation where the clock review will come into play in overtime.

(The longest NFL game was Christmas Day, 1972, when the Dolphins and Chiefs had 7:20 remaining in the second overtime period. In NFL/AFL history, only five games went in the second overtime.)

All of that said, there is a strong possibility that this is all moot and there will not be any review of the clock in any of the 11 postseason games. (Glad I could waste your time reading this!) The rule automatically expires at the end of the Super Bowl, and then is placed on the Competition Committee’s agenda for review.

Usually we will give a complete rundown of the “Official Review” segment from the NFL officiating department, but we wanted to advance the news out of that segment to its own post first.

A tip-off to a rare midseason rule change was dropped as vice-president of officiating Mike Pereira (video) was dissecting the fumble recovery in the Eagles–Giants game, which appeared to give the ball to the Eagles with two seconds. Being a nonreviewable play, the half had expired, and the time was not added to the clock.

Pereira said that the league ownership—which currently has a quorum attending an unrelated labor seminar in Dallas—might pass an interim rule change to allow the time on the clock to be reviewable. Because all networks record a camera (usually the live play camera) with a superimposed image of the stadium clock (as opposed to a graphical representation in the “information bar” usually seen on the screen), this combined image could be used for making adjustments to the clock. Quoting Pereira:

We may look at actually making this a rule for the playoffs, that the clock could become reviewable in certain situations. Obviously, there are some situations where it can’t, but [it could for]:

• loose ball going out of bounds,
• runner going out of bounds,
• ball hitting out of bounds,
• a pass hitting out of bounds,
• a field goal hitting the net,

where you have a definitive picture as to when the ball should be dead, and you have the clock superimposed. We may be able to get that this year for the playoffs.

Under the criteria outlined by Pereira—there may be additional criteria that was not mentioned— the play from Sunday night would still not be reviewable. We crack our rulebook to Rule 15, Section 9, which lists under “nonreviewable plays include, but are not limited to … status of the clock, … recovery of loose ball in the field of play.” So, by striking “status of the clock” under the proposed rule change, we are still looking at a fumble recovery not being reviewable unless the sideline or end zone is under review.

And, obviously, the status of the clock by itself is not currently reviewable, but if some other element of the play is under review, replay can adjust the clock to be compliant with any overturned call.

As we found out with the 2,100-inch high-definition screen in the new Cowboys Stadium that blocks punts—yes, I just broke out the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the diagonal measure—any rule changes that occur midseason expire at the end of the season and are automatically placed on the Competition Committee agenda to discuss permanent inclusion.

Predictably, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has skipped over enshrining an official, despite the fact that baseball, basketball and hockey already have done so. In fact, while officials make the long list of nominees, they are routinely pared off the list as the field of semifinalists is announced. Officials who have made the long list recently are:

• 2010: Jim Tunney
• 2009: Ben Dreith
• 2008: Art McNally, Pat Haggerty, Tunney
• 2007: Rex Stuart
• 2006: Haggerty, McNally
• 2005: Haggerty, McNally

None of these men have advanced to the semifinal. So little respect is paid to the position, that 2007’s Rex Stuart, who officiated the umpire position, had his name misspelled on the Hall’s website. The nomination of the obscure Stuart further underscores the uphill battle for officials, as he never officiated a Super Bowl, although he was an alternate in Super Bowl XXIX.

This year’s nominee hoping to advance to the semifinal list of 25 is Jim Tunney. He is currently working as a motivational speaker and writes the Tunney Side of Sports blog.

He was not on the list.

We reported when Tunney was first placed on the long list that at least two non-players advance to the semifinal, usually of the ownership ranks. (This year, former Browns/Ravens owner Art Modell and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue advance to the group of 25.) While there would not be a game today if not for the tremendous investment that a franchise requires, there also would not be any respectable competition if not for a highly qualified officiating staff.

Perhaps some of our nominated officials should band in their cause with retired NFL punters, another position excluded from the Hall of Fame.

Update: Tunney posted the following statement on his blog:

A huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you who took time to vote for me as a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee has selected its top 25 to be voted on for the class of 2010. I was not selected, however, as I said above, “Wait’ll next year!” Indeed, I do count my blessings.

This point from the weekly “Official Review” segment deserved a post as a newsworthy item in its own right. Mike Pereira, the league’s vice-president of officiating, addressed three critical administrative errors in Week 10, which we discussed in length. (video, discussion of new mechanics at 6:10)

One of the errors has lead to a change in operation. When a coach has exhausted his coach’s challenges, he will be informed by the referee, much like when all three timeouts have been used. Quoting Pereira:

We are going to initiate a change in …  these situations. When a team uses all of their timeouts, [the current practice is that] the referee has to go over and tell the head coach. We are going to same thing when he has used his challenges. We are going to go inform the coach face-to-face that he’s used all of his challenges.

Usually, this is done by announcement, but the new rule will require the referee to inform the coach, consistent with Rule 15, Section 2, Article 4:

The Referee must notify the coach and field captain when his team has used its three charged time outs, signal both coaches when two minutes remain in a half, and positively inform the coach of any disqualified player. He may not delegate any such notifications to any other person. He will announce on the microphone when each period is ended.

Referee Peter McCabe is recuperating from a vicious attack at the conclusion of a North American Football League game on Saturday in Rochester, N.Y. McCabe was allegedly assaulted by a player from the Western New York Cougars, who, according to reports, pummeled the referee with the player’s helmet.

McCabe’s nose was detached with most of his facial bones broken. His alleged assailant, Leon Woods, is in prison on $10,000 bail, charged today with first-degree assault.

Peter McCabe, a referee of a football game in Rochester, N.Y., is tended to after being allegedly struck in the face by a player swinging a helmet.

A witness, in a deposition released by police, claimed that he “heard a hard crack” while another said that he “saw the player swing his helmet over his head and hit McCabe in the face with [the] helmet.” Another official told a local TV station that the player was yelling, “Take that! Take that!”

The commissioner of the NAFL, Robin Williams, contacted the Zebra Blog on our request for comment. She expressed that the league is “deeply saddened by the event and wishes the injured referee a speedy and full recovery.”

“We’ve been managing a quality organization for the past 11 years and have never seen an incident like this before.”

We questioned whether the league conducted, or teams were required to conduct, background checks on their players. Williams stated, “In terms of background checks, the NAFL has a relationship with several other leagues, where we cross ban players and owners from joining our league, or vice versa, if that member had been banned by either organization. Because we do encourage mentoring, leadership and getting at-risk youth and adults off the street, we do not have a policy [of] banning players with former criminal or misdemeanor record.”

The Cougars applied for admission to the NAFL in 2009 but have yet to pay the league dues. Rather than canceling games, the NAFL permitted its teams to play the Cougars this year to help defray their costs.

McCabe is home right now, but scheduled to return to the hospital for more reconstructive surgery on Friday. In the meantime, the 25-year veteran official indicated that Saturday’s game will be his last.

Update, 10/29/09: A representative from the Cougars replied to our e-mail, stating that the team intends to issue a press release, but otherwise did not comment on the allegations or answer our questions.

The photo on this post was taken by another referee and is credited to 98.9 The Buzz in Rochester.

This morning, Adam Schefter reported on ESPN that the Competition Committee is looking to recommend that umpires wear protective headgear. The umpire position on the officiating crew, positioned in the middle of the field near the line of scrimmage on the defensive side, is the one most frequently subject to hard hits.

The issue of protecting the umpire was on the agenda at the owners meeting earlier this month in Boston. The Competition Committee makes recommended changes in the offseason on matters of safety and fair play, subject to league approval.

Of course, with all of the attention paid to the umpire position, just today we witnessed a back judge in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Week 7: Vikings at Steelers

During a breakaway runback by Percy Harvins of the Vikings on a kickoff return, back judge Rich Reels found himself right in the path of the coverage team. While running to cover the third quarter runback, he was caught off guard when the play quickly shifted away from the sideline and was plowed to the turf (video).

Reels left the field on his own feet, and the officiating crew reconfigured to six officials. His condition and his chance of return are unknown.

The latest news in the search for the next vice president of NFL officiating is that there is no news. But, a new timetable is now emerging in the process of appointing the successor to Mike Pereira, who announced his retirement last January.

Originally, Pereira was going to be shadowed by his eventual replacement in the 2009 season. We ruled out any active officials at the beginning of the season for that reason, until it was reported that the search was starting anew. But as CBS Sports is reporting, the goal is to get someone in place by February 2010.

In Clark Judge’s article, a league source said that the league will open the search to 15 to 20 participants. This does include active and inactive officials.

Interestingly (for reasons we will point out soon), there were five candidates considered in the offseason, which were winnowed down to three. A consensus could not be reached, however, on a successor, which necessitated a reboot in the replacement search. We can only speculate who was in that pool of five, but we have noticed that is the same number as Pereira’s direct reports: five former officials who all carry the title “supervisor of officials,” and presumably all candidates for successorship. They are:

• Johnny Grier, a long-time former head referee, who moved off the field in 2004.
• Neely Dunn, a former side judge, who moved to the league office in 2001, the same year as Pereira. (He suited up for one more game in 2001 due to a contractural lockout of officials.)
• Ed Coukart, an umpire until the 2005 season.
• Gary Slaughter, a headlinesman whose last game was Super Bowl XLII.
• Bill Vinovich, a former head referee, who moved first to replay work in 2007, presumably due to an undisclosed illness.

It seems, in order to include current officials in the selection pool, the league office will have to take advantage of bye weeks. As we noted before, the new vice president of officiating has to have solid presentation skills, as the position has become much more visible to the public under Pereira’s reign.