NFL should strictly enforce penalities for players joining a fight

View image | gettyimages.com Commentary by Mark Schultz The Week 15 game between the Tennessee Titans and the New York Jets featured an unacceptable situation that saw players come off the bench to participate in the fight (video).  While football games rarely feature bench-clearing brawls, the NFL and NCAA must do all

‘Official Review’ Week 3: a hideout and TD wipeout

The semiregular "Official Review" segment appeared for (I believe) the first time this season on NFL Total Access. Vice president of officiating Dean Blandino addressed two calls (video): The hideout play executed by Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (which we covered Sunday) was reviewed. Blandino added this illegal maneuver is legal maneuver

Week 2 remainders: fumbles become incomplete passes

In the third quarter of Week 2, Jets quarterback Geno Smith was sacked while trying to throw a pass. The ball landed behind him, so the officials ruled it a backward pass with the Packers recovering the loose ball. Also, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith was sacked, fumbled the ball forward,

Teams must give officials room on sideline

One of the Week 2 highlights was a 102-yard kickoff return by C.J. Spiller of the Buffalo Bills.  What was hardly noticed on the play was a dangerous situation in which side judge Rick Patterson collided with a member of the Bills staff and took a hard fall (bottom of

Jets late-game TD nullified by timeout that shouldn’t* be called

Jets at Packers (video) The Jets scored an apparent game-tying touchdown, but the play was dead because the Jets bench called timeout prior to the snap. Television replays (with the sideline partially out of frame) show assistant coach Mike Mornhinweg giving a timeout signal, and head coach Rex Ryan is apparently not

Tomlin fined $100K for ‘interfering with play in progress’

The NFL announced Wednesday that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will be fined $100,000 for stepping on the field during the Thanksgiving night game against the Ravens.Vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said on Tuesday that the Steelers should have been assessed a 15-yard penalty as well, which would have been

The eyes have it

Officials double check with each other on tight and routine calls NFL officials each have a specific area and specific player or players to watch during each play.  But do you know that officials also watch each other during a play?  The glance may be a few hundredths of a second,

After Further Review: Bolts halt 2 games

Referee  John Parry awaits with an NFL official in the CenturyLink Field tunnel during a lightning delay in the first quarter of the 49ers-Seahawks game. Here are some of the items making news this week: Quick calls from Week 2 [Football Zebras] Parry really had no rule to evoke for a fan's whistle