Football Zebras

Belk Bowl crew reverses entire play in replay review

by Football Zebras staff - December 30, 2016January 17, 2019 0

Embed from Getty Images Based solely upon the rules of an inadvertent whistle, it would appear that the Big 12 officiating crew ruled correctly in a sticky situation in the Belk Bowl. However, when replay rules are considered, the ball should have been awarded to Virginia Tech. Happening when an official sounds their

R Ron Winter retires after 19 seasons

by Ben Austro - April 3, 2014January 5, 2017 7

Football Zebras exclusive Football Zebras has learned that Ron Winter will not be returning for the 2014 season, according to several sources. Winter is the sixth official to retire at the conclusion of the 2013 season and the second from the referee position. Those six retiring officials all worked in the final

Don’t fix inadvertent whistle by pretending it never happened

News

by Ben Austro - October 22, 2013October 22, 2013 2

Week 7: Vikings at Giants (video) The Arkansas Association of High School Officials gets it. The NFL does not. If you are an official at any level, may I suggest you print this tweet, cut it out, and laminate it: 1. Clock status 2. Downs 3. Penalty enforcement 4. Whistle control 5.

Week 12 ‘Official Review’: Turkey Day replay, 4th & 29 measure, quick whistle

by Ben Austro - December 2, 2012December 3, 2012 0

video 1 (streaming) | video 2 (streaming) | video 3 (222 MB download) Busy, busy Week 12 in officiating, so let's look at what the officiating department is discussing for "Official Review." NFL director of officiating and head of instant replay Dean Blandino has the calls: On Thanksgiving Day, the obvious missed

Green crew should’ve shut down ugly play

by Ben Austro - November 29, 2012December 2, 2012 0

Saints at Falcons (video) This was a downright sloppy play by Scott Green's crew on Thursday night no matter how you look at it, even though the final ruling on the play was correct. Falcons running back Michael Turner seemed to be stopped and then lost the ball. (This part is correct,

Whistle while you work, NFL referee style

by Mark Schultz - November 29, 2012July 20, 2017 0

This season has seen three inadvertent whistles (IW) being blown by the officials, with the latest being this past week in the game between the Raiders and Bengals. NFL officials, and officials at all levels, have various tricks of the trade to avoid an IW, with some of the most

After further review, LJ blew inadvertent whistle, but admitted it to offended coach

by Ben Austro - November 29, 2012June 23, 2013 5

We are examining the video of the inadvertent whistle from the Raiders-Bengals game, and have confirmed that the line judge was responsible for terminating the play. Because the highlight video on NFL.com does not clearly illustrate the inadvertent whistle, we have the video the help of friend of the site, Timothy

Inadvertent whistle play should have been blown dead before it was blown dead

by Ben Austro - November 25, 2012November 29, 2012 16

Week 12: Raiders at Bengals (video at 2:50) On a 3rd-and-6, the Bengals completed a five-yard pass which was immediately fumbled near the sideline. The Raiders managed to keep the ball from going out of bounds by batting the ball in bounds. The Raiders then recovered the loose ball to return

Officials need to own up to mistakes

by Mark Schultz - November 8, 2012November 15, 2012 1

There is no worse feeling for a football official than when they blow a call. An official would rather be knocked over by Brian Urlacher at full speed than miss a call. And in officiating, the worst call one can make is to blow an inadvertent whistle. An inadvertent whistle (IW)

Despite inadvertent whistle, Panthers TD is allowed to stand, incorrectly

by Ben Austro - November 5, 2012November 5, 2012 6

Week 9: Panthers at Redskins (video) Another Redskins game where DeAngelo causes an officiating problem. No, DeAngelo Hall, the Redskins cornerback, did not raise another ruckus. Rather DeAngelo Williams, the Panthers running back, was given a touchdown, which should have been the call, while at the same time should not have