NFL Week 1 officiating video: illegal kicks and more

  Senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron released the week 1 officiating video today (video below). Among the numerous items to discuss, Riveron first discussed the defenseless player rule. In this particular play from Monday night, Vikings' running back Dalvin Cook was attempting to catch a pass out of the backfield

Texans missed punt block could have been challenged by Colts?

Ultimately would be 4th down again, not automatic 1st down Week 9: Colts at Texans (video at :53) "The Texans looked to have got away with one," said NBC announcer Al Michaels, as the Texans snap the ball to eliminate the possibility of the previous play being challenged. On a 4th-and-9 punt, Colts

Offenses subject to ‘reasonable time’ rule

The conspiracy machine got some gas in preseason with the suggestion that officials are given the authority to limit offensive schemes through controlling the pace of the game. In a Wall Street Journal article, a connection was drawn between a new point of emphasis and the offense employed by incoming

Can umpire make calls for referee?

Former umpire Jim Daopoulos breaks down responsibilities There was a play in the Texans-Patriots divisional playoff game that seemed curious to me.  Late in the second quarter referee Tony Corrente flagged the Texans for roughing the kicker.  Umpire Garth DeFelice consulted with Corrente, and the referee turned on his microphone and

Microphone is ref’s friend for no-sense rules

It elicits snickers from football fans when it happens, and it sometimes trends on Twitter. Referee Ed Hochuli turns on his microphone to explain a ruling, and some fans joke that it is NFL open mic night. An example from 2009: We reviewed whether the ball was fumbled down near the

Leavy’s empty-hand ruling close. Correct?

Week 13: Falcons at Texans 1st Quarter | 8:24 remaining | no score | Texans ball | 3rd & 7 @ ATL 14 | video Well, this one is weird, to say the least. Texans quarterback T.J. Yates throws an apparent incomplete pass while he is being hit. As the ball rolls without

Quick calls: Week 4

Look for updates later in the day. If you see something, you can add a comment to this post or reduce it to 140 characters or less (@footballzebras). Giants at Cardinals Victor Cruz's catch has become its own post. Jerome Boger's crew had a simultaneous timeout call from the Giants' sideline and a

NFL fines, non-fines reveal official evals

We noted the players who were fined for on-field conduct in Week 1. Hidden in this list are some of the league's evaluations of its officials. If a fine is issued for a play where no flag was thrown, this is graded as a missed call. Also, in the case