Tag: Clete Blakeman

Referee Clete Blakeman’s crew assigned to work Chiefs-Titans game

The #Chiefs pulled referee Clete Blakeman and his crew for their Sunday night game against the #Titans.

14-year NFL referee Clete Blakeman and his crew are set to officiate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 game against the Tennessee Titans according to Football Zebras.

The last game that Blakeman officiated for Kansas City was Week 2 preseason game against the Washington Commanders. The last meaningful game he officiated was the Chiefs’ 36-35 Week 2 loss against the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, which also happened to be on “Sunday Night Football.”

You might remember Blakeman from some other close Chiefs losses like the loss to the Raiders in 2020 or the AFC title game against the Patriots. Then there was the Chiefs-Rams game in 2018 when the NFL replaced Blakeman’s normal crew with an “All-Star” officiating unit. That game was an unmitigated officiating disaster with 12 total penalties.

Since 2010, when he was promoted from field judge, Kansas City has just an 8-6 overall record in games officiated by Blakeman.

Fans should expect a lot of flags in this upcoming game. Through seven weeks of officiating, Blakeman’s crew has thrown the third-most flags with 115. Only Alex Kemp and Clay Martin have thrown more (129 each) and Martin’s crew has officiated one more game compared to Blakeman and Kemp. Right now, Blakeman’s crew is averaging the most flags per game among NFL officials. They also have just 13 dismissed penalties, tied for the fourth-fewest among officials.

The penalties this crew calls with the most frequency are false start (16) and offensive holding (16), which isn’t great news for Tennessee. The Titans are tied for the third-most offensive holding penalties in the NFL (10) and the second-most false start penalties (12). Defensive holding (9) and defensive pass interference (9) are also up there for this crew, which is bad news for Kansas City. The Chiefs are tied for the third-most defensive pass interference penalties in the NFL this season (6).

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Lions Wire and Detroit Lions Podcast interview with Dean Blandino on the Clete Blakeman controversy

Blandino is the former NFL VP of Officiating

The Clete Blakeman controversy never should happen. Every Detroit Lions fan knows that already, but it was nice to hear it from the man who used to make sure the NFL avoided such blunders.

Former NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino agreed that assigning Blakeman to officiate Sunday’s matchup between the Lions and Green Bay Packers was a terrible lapse of judgment and oversight by the NFL. Blandino discussed that issue and several other officiating topics in an interview with the Detroit Lions Podcast, co-hosted by Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon. Tony Ortiz of 97.1 The Ticket also joined in on the action.

Blandino said that when he was in charge, he would personally look over the officiating assignments each week to make sure there was no chance for fans to cry foul. He notes how poorly Blakeman handled the Week 6 meeting between the Lions and Packers last year, a game rife with lopsided calls in the Packers’ favor.

Citing logistical concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Blandino does note the NFL probably can’t avoid some situations like this one. He also talks about the “eye in the sky” review concept he helped implement with the XFL and why it’s time for the NFL to have it, too.

Risdon, Ortiz and co-host Chris also break down the Packers game, matchups to watch and final injury report.

The show is available for download from all podcast providers, as well as a video version on YouTube:

Lions-Packers game will have Clete Blakeman as the referee

Blakeman’s last Packers-Lions game was mired in major controversy

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As if the Lions needed even more adversity for the Week 2 trip to Green Bay, the planets aligned even more favorably for the Packers.

The officiating crew assignments for Week 2 are now out, and none other than Clete Blakeman will be the referee for Detroit’s visit to Lambeau Field. Yeah, that Clete Blakeman…

Flashback to Week 6 of 2019, Ford Field. The Lions lose to the Packers 23-22 after three inexplicably awful calls from Blakeman and his crew go against them. I wrote this about Blakeman and the game after rewatching this summer as part of the 2019 season review,

I’ve been covering the NFL professionally since 2004 and watching football since the mid-1970s. I have never seen a single instance of the officials deciding the outcome of a game at any level of football more than this one. The Lions absolutely got hosed by Clete Blakeman and his clueless, biased crew. Blakeman effectively admitting he didn’t know what was going on in his postgame press conference–which he abruptly stopped–only reinforces my position.

Blakeman flagged Lions DE Trey Flowers twice for illegal hands to the face that were not in fact hands to the face infractions. Tracy Walker was also called for a personal foul on a terrible throw by Aaron Rodgers that he was trying to intercept.

The NFL, under pressure from several former officials, later agreed this should not have been a penalty against Walker.

This will be the first time Blakeman has handled a Lions game since. His crew did work the Packers playoff win over Seattle in January, another game with some major officiating controversy, though his bumbling went against the Packers in that one. Blakeman was also the referee during the Browns-Steelers matchup that ended in a massive brawl last year.

Graphic courtesy NFL Officiating

Texans 100: Facts and Figures for Chiefs, No. 51-75

The facts continue as we look at Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and the Houston Texans when Clete Blakeman is the referee.

The facts continue as the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs get ready for a 7:20 p.m. CT kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium.

Next up on the way to 100 facts are Chiefs coach Andy Reid and referee Clete Blakeman.

Facts and Figures for Chiefs, No. 1-25

Facts and Figures for Chiefs, No. 26-50

Andy Reid facts

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

51. Reid is 13-8 on Opening Day with a 3-5 record at home.

52. Reid is 8-2 against the Texans with a 4-1 record at home, including playoffs.

53. Reid’s 8-2 career record against the Texans is the best he’s compiled against an AFC South opponent:

Texans: 8-2

Jaguars: 5-2

Colts: 3-6

Titans: 2-8

 

54. Reid is 7-7 in Week 1’s following a playoff season with a 2-4 record at home.

55. Reid is 47-42 in prime time, including playoffs, with a 20-20 record at home.

56. Reid is 45-26 in September with a 21-13 record at home.

57. Reid is 59/125 on challenges for his career with a 4/8 record in 2019.

58. The Chiefs scored 451 points last year, the second-highest point total of Reid’s coaching career.

59. Though no longer the longest tenured coach in the league, Andy Reid has not stopped head coaching since 1999, the longest streak amongst active coaches.

60. Among active coaches, Andy Reid has the most assistants in head coaching jobs: Ron Rivera, Doug Pederson, Sean McDermott, Matt Nagy, and John Harbaugh.

61. Among current coaches, Reid’s 11 total division titles are second to only Belichick’s 17.

62. Among current head coaches, Reid has the second-most conference title game appearances with seven behind Bill Belichick’s 12.

63. Reid and John Fox are the only coaches to have faced Belichick both in the Super Bowl and in the AFC Championship Game.

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Texans 100: Facts and Figures for Week 17 versus Titans, No. 51-75

The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans take each other on in Week 17. Next, we take a look at Titans coach Mike Vrabel and referee Clete Blakeman.

The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans finish up their season series in Week 17 at NRG Stadium. Next up, we take a look at facts surrounding Titans coach Mike Vrabel and referee Clete Blakeman.

Facts and Figures for Titans, No. 1-25

Facts and Figures for Titans, No. 26-50

mike vrabel

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

51. A win would join Vrabel with Jack Pardee as the only coaches in Titans franchise history to start off their tenures with consecutive winning seasons.

52. A win would also join Vrabel with Pardee as the only coach in Titans franchise history to continue a consecutive winning season streak started by his predecessor.

53. A win would make Vrabel the only coach from the 2018 hiring class to post consecutive winning seasons.

54. A loss would join Vrabel with Sid Gillman, Wally Lemm, and Jeff Fisher as the only coaches in Titans franchise history to post 8-8 records.

55. Vrabel has staved off a series sweep 2/3 times with a 1/1 rate on the road.

56. Vrabel, a former Texans coordinator, is 1-2 against his old team. Here is how other Texans coordinators have fared:

Kyle Shanahan: 1-0

Vic Fangio: 1-0

Mike Vrabel: 1-2

 

57. Vrabel is 1-2 against the Texans. Here is how that compares to the rest of the division:

Jaguars: 3-1

Texans: 1-2

Colts: 1-3

 

58. Vrabel is 6-3 in December with a 3-0 record on the road.

59. Vrabel is 13-7 against playoff-winning coaches with a 5-3 record at on the road.

60. Vrabel is 3/10 on challenges for his career with a 3/5 rate in 2019.

61. Vrabel has not challenged anything related to pass interference this season.

62. The Titans are the 10th-least penalized team with just 94 penalties.

63. The Titans have the highest red zone conversion rate in the league at 73.8%.

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