7 officiating observations for the 2018 season

Dale Shaw (Tennessee Titans) It was another great football season and, for us, there were several officiating stories from 2018. Here are the seven that stood out to me. 1. Hugo Cruz fired In one of the most shocking events of the year, the NFL fired down judge Hugo Cruz in mid-season. This

Gene Steratore to retire after 15 seasons, joining CBS

Embed from Getty Images Referee Gene Steratore, a veteran NFL official who served for 15 seasons, and just worked Super Bowl LII, will be retiring from the league, according to senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron. Sources have confirmed that Steratore will become a rules analyst for CBS Sports, a

5 observations from Super Bowl LII

Another season is in the record books, capped off by one of the best Super Bowls ever. Here are five officiating takeaways from the big game. Communicate! Twice we saw very close touchdown catches and twice we saw field judge Tom Hill and back judge Perry Paganelli communicate before going up with

Photo album: Let’s meet the Super Bowl LII crew

As you get ready for the big game, you can familiarize yourself with the Super Bowl LII crew courtesy of team photographers and Getty Images. Click on a photo to begin the gallery.   Gene Steratore Embed from Getty Images Roy Ellison Embed from Getty Images Jerry Bergman Embed from Getty Images Byron Boston Embed from Getty Images Tom Hill Embed from

Calm signals: the sign of under-control officiating

Embed from Getty Images   You've seen it. A touchdown bomb. A diving catch. A toe-tapper on the sideline. A fumble and defensive recovery. These are big moments in a football game. These moments are usually surprising and exciting. But the next time you see such a play, watch the official. They are

Steratore crew defeated in Monday night game

It takes a lot for this space to turn on the crews. This year has been particularly troubling for officiating, although a fair share of the criticism has been a mixture of trumped-up rhetoric and outrage over quick judgement calls without the benefit of replay. Improved technology that offers crisp

Preventative officiating happens every play

There were several tongues wagging in Week 7 when an official advised a player he was in illegal formation.  Many football fans learned the term "preventative officiating," and the debate began whether or not preventative officiating was actually coaching.  Well, preventative officiating happens every game and at every level