Football Zebras

5 observations from championship weekend, 2020

by Mark Schultz - January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 1

We've made it all the way through the conference championships, and here are my officiating impressions from the weekend. 1. Umpire hustle https://streamable.com/38ntps Both Barry Anderson and Ramon George showed lots of hustle this weekend. It is hard to see in snippets of them running through the frame, but experienced zebra-watchers could tell

Hurry-up clock situation is this week's Call of the Week

by Mark Schultz - October 7, 2020October 7, 2020 0

Expect the unexpected. When umpire Ruben Fowler was inadvertently knocked down during a hurry-up offense, the clock continued to run as the 49ers scrambled to the line. Referee Bill Vinovich had to make a call on the clock situation in the interest of fairness. It is the Football Zebras Call of the

NFL100: A century of determining who gets the ball first

by Mark Schultz - November 27, 2019November 27, 2019 2

It is a simple procedure. The game can’t begin without it. Before any football game starts the referee has to decide who gets the ball first. That question has been decided by the coin toss for the past 100 years. The coin toss determines who gets the first choice of

5 observations from championship weekend

by Mark Schultz - January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 9

http://gty.im/1097101968 For the first time ever, both the NFC and AFC Championship games went to overtime in the same season. There is plenty to write about from the officiating perspective this weekend. Here are just a few of the things that stuck out to me. Crucial missed calls In the NFC Championship Game,

NFL takes a hit after four referee retirements

by Mark Schultz - July 13, 2018July 28, 2018 2

Embed from Getty Images Every generation of NFL officiating gives way to the next. This past offseason, we saw, very quickly and dramatically, one generation give way to the next. Referees Ed Hochuli, Gene Steratore, Terry McAulay and Jeff Triplette represent 88-years of experience at the referee position. That is 88-years

Officials not afraid to use ejection in Week 9

by Mark Schultz - November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 0

Umpire Fred Bryan informs the Bengals' A.J. Green he is ejected after a Week 9 altercation.

NFL officials ejected five players in Week 9 for fighting. It should have been six. And the one who avoided the ejection ended up suspended. Ejection after several warnings It all started in the Bengals-Jaguars game. A.J. Green (pictured with umpire Fred Bryan above) and Jalen Ramsey had been going at it all

Buccaneers’ Evans suspended one game, others could be fined after violent weekend

by Mark Schultz - November 6, 2017November 6, 2017 0

The NFL suspended the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans for one game. Evans helped set off a melee in the Week 9 game against the New Orleans Saints. For some reason, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston thought it would be a good idea to point out Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore by pushing

Hochuli and Vinovich are Conference Championship referees

by Ben Austro - January 21, 2016January 21, 2016 14

Football Zebras has confirmed the assignment of referees Ed Hochuli and Bill Vinovich to the Conference Championship games on Sunday, as previously reported. Hochuli will have the AFC game between the Patriots and Broncos; Vinovich will be heading the crew for the NFC title match between the Cardinals and Panthers. //

Six Super Bowl XLIX officiating observations

Follow-up

by Mark Schultz - February 3, 2015February 3, 2015 8

View image | gettyimages.com The Super Bowl XLIX officiating crew is back at home and recovering from a frenzied season that was capped off with a frenzied Super Bowl. While some may disagree with a call here and there, the biggest controversy is the Seahawks' play calling at the end of

Super Bowl assignment a triumph for Vinovich on many levels

by Mark Schultz - January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 6

View image | gettyimages.com Referee overcomes life threatening illness and long layoff You might excuse Bill Vinovich if he feels a little extra emotional on Sunday. Eight years ago, the thought of working a Super Bowl was the last thing on the referee's mind. In April 2007, Vinovich's goal was to survive