In order to prevent the spread of covid-19 through the air, the NFL and the NCAA wants its officials to wear a mask as much as possible. This means the officials have to modify their whistle technique. So, this year many officials are using electronic whistles (you can see the whistle
Tag: safety
NFL100: When the referee had to rule on things other than football
Usually, a NFL game goes off like a well-oiled machine. The players, coaches, fans, support staff, visual effects, broadcasters and infrastructure all work together to make the game the best show in town. But, sometimes, things happen: circuits overload, pyrotechnics tip over, fans get too drunk, and tornadoes threaten the stadium.
50 Super Bowl calls, Part 4: XX to XI
When officials’ jobs are on the (goal) line
6 observations from Super Bowl XLVIII
Safety calls, roughness on QB: Roundtable reviews Week 5 calls
Football Zebras Roundtable We had a few calls this week that were borderline judgement calls. How close were they? Former NFL officiating supervisors Jim Daopoulos and Larry Upson helped us unpack three controversial calls from Week 5. Both Larry and Jim did extensive game video while working in the league office.
Week 5 “Official Review”: referee did not see ‘firm control’ on punt-block safety
After Further Review: Even Philly thinks Giants should have won challenge
Image: Dallas Cowboys photo First, our quick calls [Football Zebras] The pink penalty flags did cause some confusion with the players' pink towels, all symbolic for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, a clock operator briefly stopped the clock because one of the pink towels looked like a penalty flag. I wouldn't be