Umpire position incubator for future NFL crew chiefs?

[Update: Brad Allen was moved to referee without having worked at the umpire position to fill a vacancy caused by referee Mike Carey's departure. The post as it originally appeared is below.] We know the NFL officiating roster for 2014.  The names have been announced, but one position assignment caught my

NFL borrows 8th official from Big 12

[Editor's note: In 2014, the participating NCAA conferences standardized the name from alternate official to center judge. This post refers to the terminology at the time it was written.] The NFL is looking to take a page from the playbook of one of its referees. Vice president of officiating Dean Blandino is