Football Zebras

With a thin bench, the NFL hopes to have full crews for the final weeks of the season

by Mark Schultz - December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 0

NFL teams have no more bye weeks for the rest of the 2020 season. That means only one crew will be on a bye week in Week 17 (16 games, 17 crews). With covid-19 a constant threat, the NFL has to be crossing its fingers that full crews of seven will be

NBC garbles Carl Cheffers penalty announcements to prevent profanity from airing

by Mark Schultz - November 24, 2020November 25, 2020 2

The NFL is doing its best to play a full season during the covid-19 pandemic. One of the ways the league can get games in is to play in near-empty stadiums. While it is a surreal sight, it also presents challenges for TV sound technicians. In 2020, when referees open their mics

Officials can now flag coaches for not wearing a mask

by Mark Schultz - October 10, 2020October 10, 2020 0

The NFL has given officials the authority to penalize coaches who "approach them in an innappropriate way" without a face covering, 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. This follows a Week 3 complaint by the NFL Referees Association that Baltimore Ravens coach, John Harbaugh, pulled his mask down and got in line

Electronic whistles too quiet for stand-alone option

by Mark Schultz - October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 0

In order to prevent the spread of covid-19 through the air, the NFL and the NCAA wants its officials to wear a mask as much as possible. This means the officials have to modify their whistle technique. So, this year many officials are using electronic whistles (you can see the whistle

Al Riveron back at work after recovering from covid-19

by Mark Schultz - September 20, 2020September 20, 2020 0

Al Riveron, senior vice president, in charge of centralized replay on game day, missed Week 1 due to covid-19. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Riveron is back in the Art McNally Game Day Center for today's games. Russell Yurk, vice president of replay, and three assistants were handling replay challenges in Week 1. We

6 officiating things I’m watching in the 2020 NFL season

2020

by Mark Schultz - September 9, 2020September 13, 2020 2

It's here. I never thought it would get here. Despite the 2020 covid-19 pandemic, we will start the 2020 NFL season Thursday. Here is what I'm looking for as I zebra-watch this season. 1. What will the officials do to protect themselves? I have already stated my concerns about how officials can properly

NFL officials have until August 13 to opt out of season

by Mark Schultz - August 9, 2020August 9, 2020 2

The NFL and the NFL Referees Association, the officials' union, have negotiated the working conditions for the 2020 season. The NFLRA leadership will meet with rank-and-file members on Monday to discuss the details of the agreement. According to a news release, the officials have until August 13 to decide if they will

No NFL preseason games will hurt officials

by Mark Schultz - August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 0

The NFL has canceled the preseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While many wonder how the players will get ready for the regular season, there has to be some concern as to how the NFL's officials will react to no preseason games. The last time NFL officials didn't have a preseason was

Truncated offseason means less time to consider, vote on rule changes

by Mark Schultz - March 31, 2020July 25, 2020 1

Embed from Getty Images Updated 4/1/20 to reflect owners approving expanded playoffs As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to run it's dangerous course, it appears that there will be less, if any, traditional offseason time. Already, the in-person league meetings have been canceled. The owners could meet met via teleconference sometime this week, to