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

Father’s Day crews

  One of the fun parts of being a dad is when a child wants to join the dad in an activity or hobby, or just wants to spend time together. I'm sure NFL officials are happy when their kids want to take up officiating. That happiness and pride, I'm sure,

Umpire position incubator for future NFL crew chiefs?

[Update: Brad Allen was moved to referee without having worked at the umpire position to fill a vacancy caused by referee Mike Carey's departure. The post as it originally appeared is below.] We know the NFL officiating roster for 2014.  The names have been announced, but one position assignment caught my

NFL announces 2014 officials

This post has been updated to reflect changes in the 2014 officiating staff after the initial announcement. The NFL has announced its 2014 roster of officials (full list below after the jump).  The roster features 12 new hires.  Earlier we reported that 11 officials were not going to return to the

Shawn Hochuli promoted to NFL

Football Zebras exclusive The news is not confirmed, but a tweet by a relative of Shawn Hochuli -- son of NFL referee Ed Hochuli -- indicates that Shawn received word that he has been hired by the NFL. (Update 3/22: The tweet has since been protected. Update 3/24: Peter King of

NFL winds down advanced training program as college season opens

As Labor Day weekend approaches, the developmental officials that comprised the NFL's "taxi squad" are headed back to their college conferences for the start of the college football season. It is officially known as the advanced training program, the NFL initiative that brought 21 officials from the major college conferences to

Father-son team cover deep in preseason

Back judge Steve Freeman got a rare opportunity on Friday night, and even though it was a meaningless, forgettable preseason game, it is likely an experience he will remember as a highlight of his career. Freeman's son Brad, a field judge in the Southeastern Conference, has been actively scouted by the