Football Zebras

Pereira: Officials botch two penalty enforcements in Week 3

Calls
Week 3

by Mark Schultz - September 22, 2013September 22, 2013 4

Last year it was a rash of inadvertent whistles. This year the officials are having trouble enforcing penalties. Former NFL vice president for officiating and current Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira says the officials missed two penalty enforcements in two different games on Sunday. Pereira broke down the play in Minneapolis

Rule rewrite on coach’s challenge misapplied

Calls
Week 3

by Ben Austro - September 22, 2013April 8, 2015 3

Week 3: Browns at Vikings (video) Update: Bill Leavy interview with pool reporter is below, video link from Deadspin is above. Bill Leavy's crew is now two down on very costly, very visible downgrades. In both cases, it wasn't judgment calls that proved to be wrong, but it was a misapplication of

After Further Review: Bolts halt 2 games

by Ben Austro - September 17, 2013 2

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

Pereira: No recourse if helmet speaker fails

by Mark Schultz - September 10, 2013 4

Fox Sports rules analyst on what went right, wrong in Week 1 Fox Sports made an inspired move when they hired former NFL vice president for officiating Mike Pereira. For four years, Pereira has explained difficult rulings and calls to the media. Pereira was full of knowledge and expertise this past

Differences between Cruz, Megatron catches not blurred lines in rulebook

Calls
Week 1

by Ben Austro - September 9, 2013 4

The process of the catch seems to be one of those Week 1 staples, as we reported in Week 1 of 2009 and 2010. And this week, we have Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, just like in 2010, involved in a process call for a touchdown. Then, a different catch in

Quick calls: Week 1

Calls
Week 1

by Ben Austro - September 8, 2013September 11, 2013 9

Did you see a call in the kickoff weekend that needs our attention? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @footballzebras. We have the week 1 assignments and the crew lists available for your review. 7761

Kickoff 2013: The officials by the numbers

News

by Ben Austro - September 5, 2013September 5, 2013 2

Click the image to enlarge. It is time to kick off the new football season! Here are some numbers for all of the zebra watchers out there. Enjoy! Designed and researched by Ben Austro. Sources: NFL Record and Fact Book (2013, 2008, 2000); Pro-Football-Reference.com (Coleman, Freeman, McKinnely); Football Zebras, "Officiating crews for the

Ridiculous red-flag rule burden on referee

by Ben Austro - January 5, 2013July 20, 2017 1

Week 17: Packers at Vikings Fortunately, there are likely only 11 more games where the rule for prohibited coach's challenges is in effect. The Competition Committee is all but certain to modify the rule in the offseason. Basically, the rule has two aspects, which we have already explained in detail. If a

Boger backtracks on ‘bump’; do officials apply double standard to DQ a QB?

by Ben Austro - December 26, 2012December 26, 2012 2

Cam disses ref: 'disrespect,' luckily it wasn't disqualification Week 16: Raiders at Panthers Panthers quarterback Cam Newton might have revealed a double standard for ejecting quarterbacks. Although there are no official statistics kept, the most recent (and only) instance I can find of a quarterback getting an early shower was in 1995 when

Pereira, Daopoulos grade refs for Week 15

by Mark Schultz - December 17, 2012December 19, 2012 1

The officiating experts have several pass plays to break down In this pass-happy league it seems like there are always several pass plays that shine the light on the officiating. Former NFL vice president for officiating and current Fox Sports officiating analyst Mike Pereira and former NFL supervisor and NBC Sports