Tag: NFL

NFL, officials reach a tentative labor agreement

by Mark Schultz - 0

No replacements. No Fail Mary. No angst. According to Pro Football Talk NFL and the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) have reportedly reached a tentative labor argeement, or "agreement in principle" that will guarantee that the regular officials will continue to call the games. We don't yet know the details or length

Banks Williams, Super Bowl XXV official, has passed away

by Mark Schultz - 0

Banks Boothe Williams, 1932-2019 Banks Williams, an NFL back judge (the position name is now the field judge) from 1978 to 1994 passed away in April at the age of 86. Williams, a Texas native, wore uniform number 99 for most of his career. Wlliams got started in officiating in the 1960s,

Week 13 photo album, 2018

by Mark Schultz - 0

Courtesy of team photographers and Getty Images, here are NFL officials in action in Week 13. Click on a photo to begin the gallery.   From Getty Images http://gty.im/1077230852 http://gty.im/1068190348 http://gty.im/1077498672 http://gty.im/1067884492

Kickoff touchbacks will be at the 25 for another year

by Mark Schultz - 0

Embed from Getty Images The NFL is extending a temporary rule this year that moves kickoff touchbacks to the 25. All other touchbacks (punts into and defensive recoveries into the end zone) will come out to the 20. This was an experimental rule for 2016, and the owners voted to extend that

Umpire Butch Hannah retires after 18 seasons

by Mark Schultz - 0

Embed from Getty Images   In a late offseason move, umpire Butch Hannah retired from the NFL according to multiple sources. Football Zebras does not know the reason Hannah left the league, but it has been indicated he initiated the move. His last game was the Raiders-Texans Wild Card Playoff game in January. Much like

The science of building good NFL crews

by Mark Schultz - 0

Embed from Getty Images   As NFL officials prepare for their mini-clinic in May, the NFL officiating office is building 17 officiating crews. Exiting senior vice president for officiating Dean Blandino will oversee the rest of the offseason (which ends May 15 for officials), so he has a say in the crew

VP of officiating: who WANTS this job?!

by Mark Schultz - 0

Embed from Getty Images   Former vice president of officiating, Mike Pereira (pictured above), knew every Monday during the football season would be busy. In his book, After Further Review, Pereira wrote that he could predict what coaches would be calling and what they wanted to talk about. He had to field calls,

Competition committee focuses on safety, sportsmanship and replay

by Mark Schultz - 3

Embed from Getty Images   The NFL Competition Committee is considering having officials eject players for flagrant hits, cracking down on celebrations and taking the next step in instant replay technology. The committee met last week to consider modifying rules to improve the game.  If the Competition Committee recommends any rule changes, the owners

Active offseason for NFL officiating

by Mark Schultz - 2

Embed from Getty Images   We hope you were able to survive the first weekend without football. While there won't be any games until August, there will be a lot of activity as Dean Blandino, senior vice president of officiating, prepares the zebras for 2017. The Dark Period The officials are now in the