Football Zebras

Look for the umpire and back judge to spot the ball during 2-minute drill

by Mark Schultz - January 30, 2022January 30, 2022 01267

There was a ton of consternation this playoff season about the officials spotting the ball during the frantic final seconds of the football game. If there is a two-minute drill this weekend, here is what should happen. First of all, look for players to assist the officials in getting the ball spotted. https://streamable.com/cppnc6 The

Let them talk! We need detailed referee announcements

Commentary

by Mark Schultz - December 28, 2021December 27, 2021 01795

Over the years, we've chronicled the evolution of the referee microphone, from it's humble beginnings to it being used as a valuable teaching and explaining tool. While some people might have snickered or rolled their eyes at long-winded announcements, they could not deny they knew what happened and why the officials

In the chaos of a fumble scrum, how officials seek a quick resolution of possession

Mechanics

by Mark Schultz - December 17, 2021December 17, 2021 02235

Football officials have mechanics for everything. Believe it or not, they even have mechanics for a pile up and fumble scrum. It is critical for the officials to get to the bottom of the pile and determine possession as soon as possible. First of all, possession can change hands under the

For NFL officials, thankfully it is not 2020 anymore

by Mark Schultz - September 11, 2021September 11, 2021 02073

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 03239

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 03702

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 03604

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 05975

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 14477

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, 2019February 12, 2022 211069

It is a simple procedure. The game canâ€™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