Football Zebras

For NFL officials, thankfully it is not 2020 anymore

by Mark Schultz - September 11, 2021September 11, 2021 0

When I wrote a recap of the 2020 season, I closed my column by saying "may we never again have another like it." This season, covid-19 is still with us, but for the officials, it will not be a repeat of 2020. Vaccines The NFL reported that 99% of its employees have been

The NFL umpire is more stationary this season

Mechanics

by Mark Schultz - December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 0

This year, Walt Anderson, senior vice president of officiating training and development, trained the officials to get in position and be stationary at the apex of a play. The philosophy is that a stationary official's eyes will be still and he'll be able to zero in and focus on the

With a thin bench, the NFL hopes to have full crews for the final weeks of the season

by Mark Schultz - December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 0

NFL teams have no more bye weeks for the rest of the 2020 season. That means only one crew will be on a bye week in Week 17 (16 games, 17 crews). With covid-19 a constant threat, the NFL has to be crossing its fingers that full crews of seven will be

Players now helping officials during hurry-up offense

Mechanics

by Mark Schultz - November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 0

The final, thrilling, frantic seconds of a football game is always stressful. For the officials, the pressure builds. One of their prime responsibilities is to get the ball ready for play and not cause an unfair delay to the offense. Over the years, the officials have developed ball relays down to

Electronic whistles too quiet for stand-alone option

by Mark Schultz - October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 0

In order to prevent the spread of covid-19 through the air, the NFL and the NCAA wants its officials to wear a mask as much as possible. This means the officials have to modify their whistle technique. So, this year many officials are using electronic whistles (you can see the whistle

No eighth official in 2020

by Mark Schultz - April 14, 2020 1

According to a report from John Kryk in The Telegram, the NFL will not add an eighth official for the 2020 season. The proposal is for the eighth official to be the sky judge (the position name bandied about at the moment). The idea is for the sky judge to intervene and

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

NFL100: Officials used to use only one ball for a game

by Mark Schultz - October 25, 2019December 8, 2020 0

Today, it is rare to see officials spot the same football for two straight downs. Watch the next game and you'll see the wing officials tossing a new football to the referee or umpire after every play. For a regular game, the NFL prepares 48 game footballs and 6 special

NFL100: The expansion of officiating crews followed the evolution of the game

by Mark Schultz - September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 1

http://gty.im/515014724 When the NFL was born, only three officials called the game. Now there are seven --nine if you include the replay official and replay assistant -- with calls to add another pair of eyes at field level. As a part of the NFL's 100th season, Football Zebras takes a look at

Wires and gadgets are part of the NFL official’s uniform

Mechanics

by Mark Schultz - December 6, 2018December 6, 2018 1

NFL officials wear several pieces of equipment out on the field, draped around their neck, wrapped around their wrists and fingers and hooked on their belt. In the last 10 years, NFL officials are hooked up to several wireless devices to help them do their jobs. Every NFL official takes the