Zebra Blog

The NFL has ramped up its policy on avoiding concussions, and the policy has not excluded the referees. With high speed collisions involving the umpire position, the NFL has permanently moved the umpire to the offensive backfield, nine years after a pilot program of the switch was tried in the 2001 preseason.

The most violent collision from the 2009 season didn’t even involve the umpire, but a back judge covering a kickoff return. Rich Reels was bruised up quite a bit and had to sit a week out when he was caught off balance and hit by an upfield blocker. In addition to Reels’ injury, there were reports of concussions and other injuries. The league even considered giving the umpire a helmet.

The umpire position will be opposite the referee in the offensive backfield.

The umpire will now be located in the offensive backfield, rather than the center of the defensive backfield. The umpire will operate on the side opposite the referee, who is generally positioned on the side of the quarterback’s throwing arm. However, after the two minute warning in either half, the umpire will return to the defensive backfield.

There are no changes indicated in the 2010 NFL rule book under the umpire’s duties as a result of this change. (Oddly, the position of the umpire is not and never was discussed in the rule book, despite other officials’ positions being indicated.) However, there is a private manual for officials that express finer details of officiating mechanics which was overhauled.

The umpire will have to quickly set in position after maintaining the ball spot at the line of scrimmage. Once an offense comes to the line, the umpire must retreat to the offensive backfield (while avoiding the players moving from the huddle to the line of scrimmage) rather than a few yards behind the ball. Usually, the offense has to wait about a second for the umpire to be set, but it will likely take longer with the new positioning.

It will be interesting to see some of the bugs worked out in the preseason, and we will update you on any refinements as we are aware of them.

The original image used in the illustration is credited to Pats1 at en.wikipedia.

NFL OWNERS APPROVE ‘MODIFIED SUDDEN DEATH’

Unintended consequences of the new rule (that we see) are:

• Overtime can end on an unspectacular loss on downs, or worse, a measurement.
• There is less risk in tying the game at the conclusion of regulation, rather than boldly going for the lead.
• A team scoring the opening-possession field goal can follow up with an onside kick, ending the game if they recover (OK, that would be kinda cool, I suppose).
• The inequity supposedly created by the kickoff return offering field-goal prime field position is not remedied if both teams score field goals on their first possessions. This is because the next possession is sudden death, and it begins with the oh-so-dreaded kickoff.
• Defensive errors, magnified in overtime, can be softened when a second chance is awarded after surrendering a field goal.
• Somehow, a single drive in overtime ending in a field goal is unacceptable, but a game-winning field goal that breaks a tie at the expiration of the fourth quarter is just fine without a retaliatory possession by the losing team.

We will be adding to this list as a stream of consciousness. Add your suggestions in the comments.

Week 11: Browns at Lions

In addition to the squabbling in the Browns locker room over the quarter-extending penalty, there was a confusing substitution on the second chance awarded to the Lions by penalty (video).

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a separated shoulder after being hit on a Hail Mary pass, which, by rule, requires a player to sit out for a down. While the gamebook shows the official scorekeeper was confused (it is listed as two consecutive timeouts by the Browns, which is not allowed) the Lions were assessed a fourth timeout because of injury. This is granted without penalty, according to Rule 4, Section 5, Article 4:

(d) No yardage penalty will be assessed for the first excess team timeout.

Should a fifth timeout be required for an injury, it would result in a 5-yard penalty.

Backup quarterback Dante Culpepper entered the field for the untimed down, which the caused  Browns to call a timeout to assess the situation. This opened the door for Stafford to return, even though he had not sat out for a play, under the same rule/section/article above:

(c) The player must leave the game for the completion of one down, unless:

(i) the injury is the result of a foul by an opponent; or
(ii) either team calls a charged team timeout.

Of course, the Browns will blame the officiating, rather than accept that they allowed a quarterback with a separated shoulder throw a last-chance, game-winning touchdown.

The rules on the third quarterback eligibility are rarely even considered, yet there were two different situations from Sunday where these rules were in play.

Dolphins second- and third-string quarterbacks Pat White and Chad Henne on the sideline during Week 1. (Credit: Chris J. Nelson)

When special-teams specialists became prevalent in the late 1980s, the 45-man roster was expanded to, at the time, 47 players with at least two declared inactive on a per-game basis. (It is now 53, with eight inactives.) Most teams placed their third-string quarterback as an inactive player until a high-profile Monday Night Football game in 1990. In that game, the Redskins had lost their first- and second-string quarterbacks, and their third quarterback was on the inactive list, unable to play. This lead to running back Brian Mitchell carrying the quarterback load for the remainder of the game.

In the 1990–91 offseason, the rule was amended to allow a third quarterback to be available on game day. Prior to the fourth quarter, the third quarterback could only enter the game but the other two quarterbacks could no longer participate for the rest of the game (either due to injury or coach’s decision). In the fourth quarter, the third quarterback could be used at any time, as long as the other two field generals were not on the field.

The Eagles had Kevin Kolb as the starting quarterback; Michael Vick, second; and Jeff Garcia, third. To avoid the restrictions on Garcia, coach Andy Reid placed Garcia on the active roster, allowing him to freely substitute through the game. This was at the expense of a special-teams position on the active roster. Garcia, however, did not enter until the fourth quarter, while Kolb and Vick alternated through the game.

The Dolphins made a risky decision in their game. When Chad Pennington went down in the third quarter, coach Tony Sparano opted to go with the second-year third quarterback Chad Henne, rather than their rookie sixth-rounder Pat White. This move immediately made Pennington and White ineligible for the remainder of the game, and had Henne been injured, the Dolphins would have to recruit a nonquarterback player from its active roster.