#TURNOVER FOOTBALL REF SERIES#

Yes, the LOS guy opposite the chains (could be the L or H, depending on crew size, and which half of the game) needs to make judgments on reasonably certain first downs, or short, and give appropriate notification to the R, verbally, via hand signals, with O2O, or a combination of any of those. Should the R determine the actual dead ball spot is behind the original LTG, he simply clarifies that spot, and when ready makes the appropriate adjustments and restarts the game clock, as appropriate. The two step process, clock stoppage by the FJ, followed by the R's visible designation of a new series, avoids subsequent clock recalculations when additional factors are discovered after the clock has been stopped.

#TURNOVER FOOTBALL REF SERIES#

Considering the R may well be 10-20+ yds behind the eventual dead ball spot, focusing on the LJ to stop the game clock (and/or L or U, depending on the situation) avoids wasted game time, as the R approaches the spot, reviewing if other factors affecting the play (flags, injured players or officials, etc.) may have occurred, and designates a new series is declared.Ĭhain crews should be advised NOT to move to relocate the chains, until the R makes the designation ( or the HL so instructs) to avoid confusion if/when the advance is cancelled. There are billions of dollars of revenue at stake.Sounds like a sensible, appropriate practice. But the NFL is different than high school, collegiate and overseas football. Sure, to be eligible to even apply, you must have 10 years of football officiating experience, including five at major college level. Is there fitness training? NFL football referees are required to be in almost constant motion in order the referee the action. It is imperative that the NFL referee not lose their composure. Are personality tests routine? The NFL game is played by millionaires. You can't have a big ego or be overly emotional, or that will cloud your decision making. Training should include critical core competencies like leadership and effective decision making.įurther, there are personality components required to be a successful ref in the NFL. Once there, refs go through training to learn new rules and rules changes, but other than that, they often don't go through extensive training because, in part, they work other jobs. The NFL says that their officials have to undergo rigorous training, but much of that is prior to coming to the league. Still, the NFL would be worse off without it. Since the introduction of the challenge system in 19xx, it seems that calls have gotten worse. The original call is still critical, however since the burden of proof is on changing the call, which means that the original call has an important bearing on the outcome of the challenge if the replays do not show sufficient visual evidence. I doubt any official would ever admit to this anyway, but if any of them are so cavalier about their calls that they take them lightly, they are doing themselves, the fans, the teams and the betting public a huge disservice.

While this may create a false sense of comfort for officials, it is a terrible excuse. In the final two minutes, the booth can demand a replay. The thinking here is that they can make the call with the knowledge that if it's the wrong call, the coach can simply get it right by throwing the red flag. There is one school of thought that claims that the ability for NFL coaches to challenge a call in the NFL has actually made officials worse at their jobs. So let's take a look at 10 possible reasons why this might be. Well, not so much in football, for in the NFL, calls are overturned in increasing numbers. How many times have you watched a close play at first base and think the call was wrong? Then, you see he replay and sure enough, they got it right. But then again, there are so many bang-bang decisions for an umpire to make and dammit if they don't often get them right. In MLB, there are calls missed to be sure. However, in the NFL, it seems that officiating has gotten worse than ever, and not necessarily just because of the improved technology. Alright, especially the goof-ups.Īll of this means that a bad call in any sport is unlikely to go unnoticed.

There are simply better camera angles, and your own home television allows you to watch a replay seven ways to Sunday if you so desire.įurther, Sportscenter has spawned more shows that focus on everything to do with sports, including the goof-ups. However, today's technology allows us to see many things that we missed in the past, so officials in every sport are under the microscope more than ever. We want our teams to do well and so we often can't see objectively. Let's face it, we're all biased, for one thing. There are many potential reasons why officiating has always been questioned in every sport, at least from a fan's standpoint.

Turnover football ref