Tag: mechanics

5 observations from Super Bowl LII

by Mark Schultz - 7

Another season is in the record books, capped off by one of the best Super Bowls ever. Here are five officiating takeaways from the big game. Communicate! Twice we saw very close touchdown catches and twice we saw field judge Tom Hill and back judge Perry Paganelli communicate before going up with

Which comes first: Time out or delay of game?

by Mark Schultz - 0

Some times, the most frantic time on a football field is the last two seconds of the play clock. Sometimes the offense is milking the clock, other times the coach sees something and calls an audible. Sometimes the quarterback snaps the ball when the play clock hits zero or the

Active offseason for NFL officiating

by Mark Schultz - 2

Embed from Getty Images   We hope you were able to survive the first weekend without football. While there won't be any games until August, there will be a lot of activity as Dean Blandino, senior vice president of officiating, prepares the zebras for 2017. The Dark Period The officials are now in the

Making the impossible call

by Mark Schultz - 2

Embed from Getty Images   Nothing compares to the speed of a NFL game. While I've never been on the field for one, I worked on the chain gang at a Division I NCAA game one level down from the pros. The speed at that level was dizzying. I can only imagine

Calm signals: the sign of under-control officiating

by Mark Schultz - 2

Embed from Getty Images   You've seen it. A touchdown bomb. A diving catch. A toe-tapper on the sideline. A fumble and defensive recovery. These are big moments in a football game. These moments are usually surprising and exciting. But the next time you see such a play, watch the official. They are

Back to basics: The foundation of good officiating

by Mark Schultz - 7

View image | gettyimages.com The individual and collective psyche of NFL officials may be shaken after several rough games in the 2015 season. There are a few techniques that officials can use to help break out of real or perceived slump. One of the best techniques is getting back to the

Surprise: The enemy of officiating

by Mark Schultz - 3

Officials try to prepare for everythingFormer baseball umpire Jim Evans used to run an umpire's school. One of his biggest lessons to his students was "an umpire's biggest enemy is surprise." That mantra can be adopted for all officials in all sports.As tongues were wagging at the end of the

When officials’ jobs are on the (goal) line

by Mark Schultz - 4

Officials, especially the line judge and head linesman, always work to get the forward progress spot. In order to do so, they are taught to trail the play by a few yards and then square up once the ball is dead. But, when a big progress spot is important, the