New angle shows jersey tug on crucial holding call in Super Bowl LVII

It was a key penalty after the two-minute warning, one which was widely questioned whether field judge John Jenkins should have thrown a flag in that situation. The TV broadcast did not show a conclusive angle of the defensive hold. Footage from NFL Films confirms that Eagles cornerback James Bradberry held

4 officiating observations from ‘Super Wild Card Weekend’

Six games in three days - a double header, a triple header and a single. That's a lot of playoff football. The games can start to whirl together but here are my officiating observations from the "Super Wild Card Weekend." 1. Replay more prominent - or was it? https://clips.clippit.tv/qnlaen/360.mp4 It seems like there

Good whistle discipline is vital to good officiating

Referee Scott Novak and umpire Ramon George faced a difficult and potentially dangerous play in Week 14: a fumble scramble turned into a surprising touchdown run for the Miami Dolphins. https://streamable.com/gshb65 There a few mechanics things to unpack here. See leather! When there's a fumble and the ball disappears under a pile of several

Football officials free to leave the field when the game is over

The end of this week's Monday Night Football game featured some angry moments as both teams came together to shake hands at the end of a hard-fought game. https://streamable.com/6a966d While plenty of media reported the incident, you'll notice the officials were nowhere to be found. That's because the officials' responsibility ends the moment

Officiating in the rain is mind over matter

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers played in wet, sloppy conditions at Soldier Field during Week One. While it was fun to play in (especially for the winning Bears), the officials had to push it out of their minds. Water, water everywhere https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1570417595869794306 Officials can power through drizzle or mist, but when

Breaking down the new NFL officiating hires

Football Zebras was first to report the news on May 3 that the NFL hired 10 new officials. As we digest the news, here are a few things that I have noticed. Commitment to diversity The NFL continues to hire minority and female officials. Down judge Robin DeLorenzo (pictured) becomes the third woman

5 Super Bowl LVI officiating observations

The longest NFL season ever has come to an end with a compelling Super Bowl. Here are five officiating observations from another classic game. 1. Another nice coin toss https://streamable.com/hho2ii Over the years I've railed against the crush of media and hangers-on for the Super Bowl coin toss. Last year, the coin toss