Tag: coin toss

Long before Zoom, the Super Bowl XIX coin toss was remote

by Mark Schultz - 0

Today, the Super Bowl coin toss is a media frenzy. While not as much of a crush since covid-19, the coin toss is a highly-scripted affair with celebrity visitors to toss the coin. The referee practices the coin toss the day before the big game! This celebri-toss started over 40 years

50 Super Bowl calls, Part 1: L to XLI

by Football Zebras staff - 1

The Football Zebras staff -- with the assistance of our affiliated forum, Behind the Football Stripes -- has examined the Super Bowls of years past for the work of the officials who, in a given year, attain the honor of the best of the best. While every team competes for

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The coin toss: What could go wrong?

by Mark Schultz - 3

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. For generations, that question has been decided by the coin toss. The procedure is the same from pee-wee games to the NFL.First of all,

6 observations from Super Bowl XLVIII

by Mark Schultz - 8

McAulay crew handles first dud Super Bowl in 10 years Well, this year's Super Bowl will not go down as a classic in terms of excitement, but the Seahawks' defensive performance will be talked about for a long time.  Peyton Manning's future and legacy (rightly or wrongly) will be hot topics

After Further Review: Safety is number 1 priority

by Ben Austro - 6

Some of the officiating news items from Sunday: A couple of puzzling replay reviews: Mike Carey allowed a catch to stand, despite clear evidence the pass was incomplete, according to our Roundtable experts [Ben Austro, Football Zebras]. Bill Vinovich ruled a player touched a loose ball with his foot while out

Microphone is ref’s friend for no-sense rules

by Ben Austro - 1

It elicits snickers from football fans when it happens, and it sometimes trends on Twitter. Referee Ed Hochuli turns on his microphone to explain a ruling, and some fans joke that it is NFL open mic night. An example from 2009: We reviewed whether the ball was fumbled down near the

Phil Luckett was right

by Mark Schultz - 0

Officiating boss said, 'What Phil did is correct' In the last 14 years, former NFL referee Phil Luckett was been mocked at best for the coin toss controversy on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. In the 1998 Thanksgiving Day game, the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers ended regulation in a tie, and