Football Zebras

5 officiating observations from Wild Card weekend

by Mark Schultz - January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 13199

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

Obituary

by Mark Schultz - April 7, 2017April 8, 2017 08092

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

by Football Zebras staff - February 4, 2016September 7, 2016 610526

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

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50 Super Bowl calls, Part 3: XXX to XXI

50 Super Bowl calls

by Football Zebras staff - February 3, 2016March 15, 2019 09431

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50 Super Bowl calls, Part 2: XL to XXXI

50 Super Bowl calls

by Football Zebras staff - February 2, 2016February 6, 2016 510559

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50 Super Bowl calls, Part 1: L to XLI

50 Super Bowl calls

by Football Zebras staff - February 1, 2016February 19, 2016 111103

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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Seahawks get unintentional benefit, and no penalty, for back-to-back timeouts

Calls
Week 8

by Ben Austro - November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 64458

Â View image | gettyimages.comWeek 8: Seahawks at Cowboys (video at 1:04)After a timeout, the Cowboys were lined up to attempt a field goal. There was a mad scramble in the Seahawks backfield with too many players on the field, and the Seahawks called another timeout. The timeout should not have

Week 1 Officiating Video: Pop-up, timeout, ball down

Officiating Dept. Video

by Josh Lewis - September 19, 2015September 19, 2015 13739

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

by Mark Schultz - January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 237788

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.Â Football officials have a set protocol that occurs before changing a call. How do

Flopping for flag can flip flag in face of flopper

Follow-up

by Mark Schultz - December 5, 2014June 26, 2015 03669

If you are a fan of basketball, you are well aware of flopping -- the art of exaggerating contact to try to draw a foul on your opponent.Â Well, the art of flopping is also alive and well in the NFL, fans just haven't heard a referee call it such.