Football
Red Cashion: The Story Behind “First Dowwwwwnnn!
Psychologists call it word association. They say “peanut butter,” you say “jelly.” They say “mother,” you say “father.” They say “Red Cashion,” you say,...
Poor Signals Lose Time
By Gerry Grunska
Recently I witnessed a victory that was essentially accomplished through timing errors by the officials. The process went like this. Time was running out for team...
Five Holes for Crew of Five
The most frequently utilized crew size for high school varsity contests across the country consists of five people. As stated in the NFHS Football...
Official/Player Communication Influences Conduct
Trying to manage a football game would be nearly impossible without effective and pointed communication. Although managing players is primarily the responsibility of the coaching staff, officials can facilitate the...
Don’t Leave Your Coin Toss to Chance
The coin toss is the first visible and formal chance to make everyone comfortable the game will be fairly administered.
Associations and other authorities have...
Skokie to the Super Bowl: Jerry Markbreit
Walking Away
Jerry Markbreit doesn't know what he's going to do next.
He does know that when the 1998 NFL football season ends, he'll walk off...
Things No Official Has Ever Accomplished
There are a few things that no official has ever accomplished. By fully understanding the following feats cannot be accomplished, officials will gain a better understanding of how to...
Before the Booth: Dean Blandino’s Rise as Football’s Replay Authority
Dean Blandino used an understanding of technology and the NFL’s philosophy of instant replay to rise from an intern with no officiating experience in...
Anticipation Takes Hesitation Out of the Equation
Many times only the offense knows what will happen after the snap. Communication from the sidelines or a brilliant idea from a player on...
Ball Placement – The Art & Science
Because it has to be done on nearly every play, ball placement is one of the most important elements of officiating a football game.
My experience is that it’s...
Sideline Officials Cannot Just Wing It
R
eferees have a great deal on their plate. Before the opening kickoff they perform organizational duties, and conduct the pregame meeting and onfield tasks...
Seven Kinds of Hustle
Hustle means different things to different sports officials. Many think of hustle as pure speed, getting from one place to another as fast as...
Inside Look: 2025 CFP Championship Game Officiating Crew
When Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer completed his scoop-and-score after sacking Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers with a little more than two minutes remaining in...
Police the Pile
How does the runner usually react when he’s been tackled? The norm in college and pro football is that runners lay patiently after they...
Forward Fumbles Lead the Way
By Joe Jarosz
Forward fumbles ruled out of bounds between the goallines will now be brought back to the spot of the fumble due to...
Protocols for Inadvertent Whistles
Late in the fourth quarter, the home team was up, 16-14, and the visitors lined up at the 25 yardline for what would almost...
The Best Games Include These Three Elements
Safe, fair and fun.That phrase — that triangle, if you will — contains the ingredients to the best game you’ll ever have. And there...
Body Slam
By its very nature, the game of football can be rough. With 22 heavily padded players moving at full speed in a confined space,...
Goalline Extended?
By definition, progress spots are relatively simple concepts. In practice, when airborne players, striding runners, out-of-bounds status, goallines and pylons are introduced, rulings can...
3 “When In Doubt” Judgment Guidelines
According to Webster, judgment is the ability to make a decision. An official’s judgment calls will be questioned more often than his or her...
How to Handle a New Crew Member
If you’re used to working on a crew with the same people from week to week, you know that you can quickly reach a...
Aptitude Vs. Attitude
The attitude officials have when they walk onto the field will determine in part the success they may or may not enjoy in officiating...
Take a Number
What's in a number? You'd be surprised how some NFL officials wound up with their uniform numbers, and the history behind those identifying digits.
On...
6 Elements of Your Officiating Anatomy
The human anatomy is an intricate structure consisting of 11 systems and containing more than 37 trillion cells. Officiating requires the use of many...
