The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have had an intense rivalry for over 50 years, with the Cowboys on the winning end for most of the first 30 years. By the late 1980s, the Cowboys were rebuilding the franchise with new ownership, coaching and front office personnel. The Eagles were
Tag: Cowboys
5 officiating observations from Wild Card weekend
Six wild card games in three days, including a triple header one day! Whew! Six crews, 42 on field officials, and lots of calls. Here are a few thoughts about the weekend. 1. Mistakes happen no matter the experience The Raiders-Bengals game featured an erroneous whistle (formerly called an inadvertent whistle). While
Fred Swearingen, referee for the Immaculate Reception, passes away
Frederick Swearingen 1921-2016 Former NFL referee and field judge Fred Swearingen, who presided over the Immaculate Reception, passed away Dec. 16, 2016, at the age of 95. Swearingen was a NFL field judge (now back judge) and referee from 1960 until 1980. A native of Ohio, Swearingen served in the Navy during
50 Super Bowl calls, Part 4: XX to XI
50 Super Bowl calls, Part 3: XXX to XXI
50 Super Bowl calls, Part 2: XL to XXXI
50 Super Bowl calls, Part 1: L to XLI
Seahawks get unintentional benefit, and no penalty, for back-to-back timeouts
Week 1 Officiating Video: Pop-up, timeout, ball down
Dean Blandino, the NFL's vice president of officiating, began the season today by explaining calls in Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season in the weekly video for the media (download). Some highlights included:In overtime in St. Louis, the officials, according to Blandino, correctly ruled that there was a valid
The anatomy of an overturned call
View image | gettyimages.com There is a well-defined process to overturning a call This past weekend, the Lions-Cowboys playoff game was marked by the crew picking up a pass interference flag against the Lions, setting off a huge uproar. Football officials have a set protocol that occurs before changing a call. How do