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, achieve the honor of the best of the best. While every team competes for
Tag: contact with official
U Garth DeFelice leaves field for regional supervisor post
Veteran's move leaves 11 vacancies for 2014 Football Zebras exclusive Football Zebras can report that umpire Garth DeFelice will leave the field and become one of the regional supervisors for the officiating office. The supervisors have traditionally been the graders that evaluate the game tapes for accuracy in the officials' calls. This
After Further Review: OT flag on new rule draws shrug from Belichick
After Further Review: Bolts halt 2 games
Boger backtracks on ‘bump’; do officials apply double standard to DQ a QB?
Cam disses ref:Â 'disrespect,' luckily it wasn't disqualification Week 16: Raiders at Panthers Panthers quarterback Cam Newton might have revealed a double standard for ejecting quarterbacks. Although there are no official statistics kept, the most recent (and only) instance I can find of a quarterback getting an early shower was in 1995 when
Blakeman crew cool under chaos
Week 13: Lions at Saints Clete Blakeman's crew officiated a game that could have easily become uncontrollable at any moment. It didn't help that they were shorthanded. Umpire Garth DeFelice left the game midway through the first quarter with a foot injury. That required the crew to readjust their mechanics to officiate
Niners Smith pushes U DeFelice, ejected
Week 15: 49ers at Chargers Niners defensive tackle Justin Smith was ejected from the Thursday night 49ers-Chargers game for impermissible contact with an official (video). Umpire Garth DeFelice was attempting to break up some post-play shoving when Smith pushed DeFelice's arm off of him. Whether or not Smith knew it was an
Ravens coach fined $15K for ref bump
Week 2: Ravens at Bengals The league has zero tolerance for deliberate contact with the officials as Ravens coach John Harbaugh was fined $15,000 by the NFL. While fines are usually late-week business, the league levied this fine on Tuesday, underscoring the zero-tolerance nature of "impermissible verbal and physical contact with
Umpire position moved starting with Hall of Fame game
Referee needs reconstrutive surgery after postgame assault at W NY semipro game
Referee Peter McCabe is recuperating from a vicious attack at the conclusion of a North American Football League game on Saturday in Rochester, N.Y. McCabe was allegedly assaulted by a player from the Western New York Cougars, who, according to reports, pummeled the referee with the player's helmet. McCabe's nose was