Tag: Dean Blandino

Dean Blandino: ‘No doubt in my mind that Taylor Decker reported’

Blandino, on the Detroit Lions Podcast, placed the blame squarely on Brad Allen making a mistake on the controversial conversion attempt in Dallas

As part of the latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast, former NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino joined us to talk about the controversial 2-pt. conversion call in Dallas. It’s an interview that the NFL and, more specifically, referee Brad Allen will probably not like.

Blandino has spent several years now working in broadcast media, including as the top NFL rules analyst for FOX Sports. He was also in charge of officiating at the XFL and introduced the “open mic” concept where fans could hear the official’s discussions.

When asked about the idea that the Lions were attempting to gain a deceptive edge with their approach of having multiple linemen head toward Allen, Blandino made it clear the Lions did nothing wrong there.

“The Lions did not do anything illegal,” Blandino said. “The Lions did nothing illegal.”

“I have no doubt in my mind that Taylor Decker reported,” Blandino said. “No doubt because the play doesn’t work if Taylor Decker doesn’t report.”

Blandino continued, with his take on how Allen made his mistake.

“Allen saw Skipper come onto the field and went into autopilot … (Allen) assumed that Skipper was reporting, and he went too fast. That’s what happened.”

He did concede, “The way the Lions presented it was unusual.” However, he continued to place the onus on Allen for “going too fast” and not performing his job properly.

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For the 2nd staight week, ex-NFL director of officiating says officials got it wrong with the Commanders

The officials got it wrong with the Commanders — again.

The Washington Commanders were involved in one of the most controversial officiating calls of Week 9. Rookie defensive end K.J. Henry sacked New England QB Mac Jones, but the sack was overturned, and Henry was flagged for a 15-yard penalty.

It was a horrendous call that gave the Patriots a free three points. Fortunately, it didn’t cost the Commanders the game.

Afterward, FOX Sports rules analyst and former NFL director of officiating Dean Blandino weighed in and said the officials got it wrong. It should not have been called a penalty.

One week later, the Commanders were again on the wrong end of a bad officiating decision.

Rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes hit Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett in the first quarter. It was quickly flagged. Replays show that while the hit wasn’t dirty, Forbes did lead with his head. That was the correct call.

However, the officials went a step further; after convening, they ejected the 170-pound Forbes from the game. It was a terrible decision.

On Monday, Blandino weighed in. He again agreed the officials got it wrong. While Blandino agreed that Forbes should have been flagged for the hit, he should not have been disqualified from the game.

“There’s no question this was a foul,” Blandino said via The 33rd Team. He then went on to explain the rule and how Lockett was a defenseless receiver.

But, Blandino believes the officials erred in removing Forbes from the game.

Blandino explained that when he worked for the NFL, ejections usually came when players fought, and punches were thrown, etc. Officials tried to stay away from punishing players for something that happened during a football play unless it was flagrant or egregious.

Blandino believes that players shouldn’t be disqualified if it’s a bang-bang play and they don’t have time to react or they are making a play on the ball. That was certainly the case with Forbes on Sunday.

Now, on Forbes, Blandino explains why it was the wrong call.

“To me, I didn’t think this was a disqualification,” Blandino stated. “Forbes was covering Kenneth Walker, and then as Lockett comes across the formation, he had to quickly shift his focus as the ball was in the air. I thought it was a bang-bang play. Lockett dropped the ball, so it’s tough to say whether he was trying to dislodge the ball, but both feet were on the ground, there was no launch, and Lockett’s level did change. So, to me, it’s not a disqualification.”

There you have it. Another terrible decision by NFL officiating. And to make matters worse, Forbes will still likely be fined, even after he was wrongly removed from the game.

 

Former head of NFL officiating: Commanders DE K.J. Henry’s ‘sack’ should not have been a penalty

Ex–director of NFL officiating: K.J. Henry’s sack was not a penalty.

Washington Commanders rookie defensive end K.J. Henry experienced the first action of his NFL career in Sunday’s 20-17 win over the New England Patriots.

After last week’s trades of starting DEs Montez Sweat and Chase Young, Henry was active for the first time this season and played nine snaps in the game.

During the third quarter, Henry took advantage of that playing time, sacking Mac Jones while also forcing the fumble, which defensive end Efe Obada recovered. Washington football around midfield.

Wait a minute, there’s a flag.

Unbelievably, the officials called Henry for roughing the passer. Not only did it negate his first career sack, but also took a turnover off the board and put the Patriots in field-goal range. The Patriots would kick the field goal a few plays later, and it would be their last points of the day.

Head coach Ron Rivera didn’t want to discuss it after the game, and Henry took a lighthearted approach to the penalty.

On Monday, former head of NFL officiating and now a rules analyst for FOX Sports and a contributor to The 33rd Team, Dean Blandino, weighed in and agreed: It should not have been a penalty.

Here’s the video:

The biggest takeaway from Blandino, in his own words:

“This is not a foul,” he said. “What K.J. Henry does is just tackle the quarterback. Because defenders, it’s really hard to get off to the side. To me, this is just a sack. I think we’ve gone too far, and I really hope the competition committee looks at these calls in the offseason and gives the officiating department and the officials some new direction.”

There you have it, folks. It was not a sack. Surprise: The NFL got it wrong. Fortunately for the Commanders, while it did cost them points, it did not cost them the game.

Former NFL Officiating Exec Dean Blandino comments on Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor

Former NFL Officiating Exec Dean Blandino comments on #Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor. | from: @EdEastonJr

Around the NFL, there continues to be plenty of talk surrounding the name Taylor, and it has nothing to do with the famous pop star Taylor Swift. The discussion regarding Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor has been loud since his debut with the team in Week 1 because of his alignment on the offensive line.

Former NFL Vice President of Officiating and current FOX Sports analyst Dean Blandino recently spoke with The 33rd Team about Taylor’s controversial start in Kansas City.

“After opening night, Lions vs. Chiefs, I really thought we would be done talking about tackles getting lined up on the line of scrimmage. And specifically Jawaan Taylor from the Chiefs. But now we’re through three weeks, and we’re still talking about Taylor.” said Blandino, “Week One doesn’t get called; we get a lot of attention on whether he was on the line of scrimmage. Look, he wasn’t, but there are a lot of tackles that aren’t on the line of scrimmage. And it’s up to the officials again to warn and then after the warning to flag so that the tackles can correct the issue.”

Taylor was tagged with two more penalties last Sunday against the Bears, leading to head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes to come to Taylor’s defense.

“Now look, he was off the ball. There’s no question that he was too far back; you got to break the belt line of the snapper. And he was too far back. Patrick Mahomes touched on the issue when he said that he watches a ton of film. And he doesn’t think that Jawaan Taylor’s lined up any further back than other tackles. I can’t say Patrick Mahomes is wrong when he says he watches a ton of film and sees other tackles because here’s the deal. We had five illegal formation calls in week three so far; three were for different violations, maybe a receiver covering up another eligible receiver. There were only two illegal formations for a tackle not lining up on the line of scrimmage. And that’s right. The only two were against our guy Jawaan Taylor, and look, you can look at a lot of film. Is this something that the league has to continue to emphasize? And it’s not just one player. It’s all tackles; they got to be up on the ball.”

The Chiefs will be back on national television this Sunday on the road against the New York Jets, with more eyes likely on Taylor.

Rules analyst Dean Blandino assured Chiefs fans Carl Cheffers will officiate Super Bowl fairly

Rules analyst Dean Blandino did his best to allay #Chiefs fans’ angst ahead of a Carl Cheffers-officiated Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs fans have been worried about the Super Bowl since news broke in January that the big game would be officiated by referee Carl Cheffers, who some perceive to have a vendetta against the team due to recent matchups he has officiated.

One of the most notable games Cheffers officiated for Kansas City was Super Bowl LV. During that game, Cheffers penalized the Chiefs 11 times for 120 yards compared to the Buccaneers’ four penalties for 39 yards. Cheffers is known to be quick to throw the penalty flag, but he was chosen to officiate the Super Bowl this season due to exceeding in metrics that the NFL has determined are indicative of successful referees.

FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former head of officiating, did his best to allay Chiefs fans’ concerns about the Super Bowl matchup during media availability this week. He told reporters that Cheffers’ crew is just as worried about their potential impact on the game as fans are.

Check out his response below:

While nothing that Blandino could say would totally negate the angst of Kansas City fans across the country, it is worth remembering that Cheffers’ legacy would be negatively affected by a bad performance on Sunday. The Super Bowl is the NFL’s biggest stage, and all parties are fully invested in making the occasion go off without a hitch.

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Former NFL head of officiating and current rules analyst didn’t agree with Terry McLaurin call

Dean Blandino weighs in on the controversial call on Commanders WR Terry McLaurin.

Dean Blandino spent over 20 years working for the NFL. In 2013, Blandino was named the NFL’s vice president of officiating, meaning he oversaw all NFL officials.

Blandino left the NFL after the 2017 season and signed with FOX Sports as a rules analyst. Essentially, anytime there is a questionable call that involves replay, the game’s announcers will bring in Blandino, or Mike Pereira, to give their opinion on the play. It adds a different perspective for the viewers.

Blandino also does a show with The 33rd Team each week called “Make the Call,” where he discusses some of the controversial calls from the previous week’s games.

By now, you’ve heard about the controversial calls at the end of Washington’s Week 15 loss to the Giants. One call that Blandino discussed was the illegal formation penalty on Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin that wiped out a Washington touchdown. McLaurin said after the game, he checked with the official if he was lined up correctly; the official told him to move up and, when he did, signaled he was good.

Video evidence supports McLaurin’s assertion.

Blandino weighed in on the call and sided with McLaurin.

“McLaurin looks at the line of scrimmage official, and this is the deal; you’ll see this throughout every level of football,” Blandino said. “Receivers are taught to look to the line of scrimmage official to establish where the line of scrimmage is.”

That’s interesting. Remember after the game how the head official said it wasn’t their job to help players line up?

“The official and McLaurin do have an exchange, and the official appears to show McLaurin where the line is, and McLaurin does move up,” Blandino states. “He gets sets, the ball is snapped, and the official throws the flag.

When you have that exchange with a player, and we always talk about in this situation, when you have two receivers that are split out wide, we just want to see a slight stagger. We call it a blade of grass philosophy. And if they’re not directly on the same line, and one is a little bit forward, and one is a little bit back, we don’t want to call that. There’s no advantage; the defense knows that both of those players are eligible players.”

Finally, Blandino ends it with this statement:

“I don’t care if it’s in the first quarter or the fourth quarter, it’s too technical. It’s not a foul for what McLaurin did.”

Washington would have scored the touchdown and gone for the two-point conversion if this had not been called. Two plays later, wide receiver Curtis Samuel was mauled in the end zone, and the officials used their judgment [insert joke here] to keep the flag in their pocket.

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NFL’s bogus ‘What is a catch?’ process cost the Saints a big gain vs. 49ers

The NFL’s bogus “What is a catch?” process cost the Saints a big gain vs. 49ers, and FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino didn’t help clarify that decision:

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Come on, man. Here’s another example of instant replay maybe being the worst thing to happen to the NFL. The New Orleans Saints lost a 30-yard pickup that would have put them in scoring position early against the San Francisco 49ers, with Taysom Hill sending a well-placed ball to rookie standout Chris Olave.

The ball bounced from Olave’s hands after he went to the ground, but the officiating crew signaled a pass completion and fresh set of downs for New Orleans deep in San Francisco territory. But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan threw a challenge flag, and the play was changed to an incomplete pass after a film review. And the broadcast crew’s explanation didn’t help.

“Yeah, we’re still wondering,” joked FOX Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino when asked what constituted a catch in the NFL. He continued, “This to me is a good overturn. Olave gets control, he gets both feet down, now he has to perform an act common to the game. He has to take another step. That left step with his foot, he almost trips over his own foot. He doesn’t take an addition step. He goes to the ground, he loses the football, he doesn’t complete the process.”

But Olave did take that third step — it’s what sent him to the ground, with his toes striking the turf as the 49ers defender clinging to his leg drug him down from behind. But as Blandino and apparently referee Shawn Hochuli interpreted it, he didn’t make a classic heel-arch-toe sequence before falling down, so that didn’t count as “an act common to the game.” Never mind that he moved his whole leg after taking two steps with the ball in his hands.

Look, this is ridiculous. The NFL has boxed itself into a corner by litigating and relitigating the specifics to defining a catch, and the game is worse off for it. And nobody seems to understand what should actually happen there. This season we’ve seen referees cite rules that were publicly abolished years ago like the “surviving the ground” rule. If nothing else, we’ll toss this incident on top of the pile of evidence that the NFL needs to stop cutting corners and pinching pennies and only employ full-time rules officials, not part-time lawyers and middle school principals.

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Watch: Interview with Dean Blandino on the officiating controversy in Lions’ loss to Ravens

The Detroit Lions Podcast interview with FOX’s Dean Blandino on the officiating controversy in Lions’ loss to Ravens

The officiating controversy that marred the ending of the Detroit Lions Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens remains a hot topic. To help get some more informed insight on how such a gaffe might occur and what can be done to prevent it from happening again, we invited Dean Blandino to break it down on the Detroit Lions Podcast.

Blandino is the former NFL VP of officiating and a current rules analyst for FOX Sports. He graciously answered questions about the mechanics of calling the delay of game and what possible solutions could help prevent a repeat of the inexplicably missed call. Blandino also discussed what recourse there is against officials who make such egregious mistakes and some other officiating-based topics.

Outside of the Blandino interview, we also talk about Jared Goff’s unwillingness to attack defenses, the growing pains of the young defenders, Dan Campbell’s coaching progress, why the Lions should beat the Bears in Week 4 and much more.

The show streams live on YouTube and is also available for audio download from your favorite podcast provider.

Mike Pereira, Dean Blandino break down what it’s like being a TV rules analyst

Mike Pereira was the first of many football rules analysts to be on television and featured in a broadcast.

Every football fan remembers where they were for this moment. 

It’s Week 1 of the 2010 season. The first wave of games are about to come to a close as the NFL kicks off another year and the Detroit Lions are driving down the field, trying to finish off a last-second comeback win over the Chicago Bears. On a second down, with about 30 seconds left in the game, Lions quarterback Shaun Hill heaved a pass to Calvin Johnson in the end zone.

Johnson soared over a Bears defensive back, snatched the ball out of the sky, and landed for a game-winning touchdown. Or so he — and the rest of the NFL watching world — thought.

As Johnson landed on the ground and began his celebration for the first win of the season, the ground knocked the ball out of his right hand. The ruling on the field was an incompletion. Lions lose. 

For Lions fans, this is a painful memory. A controversial play burned into the DNA of their fandom. For Mike Pereira, Dean Blandino and NFL broadcasts, though, this was a moment that would change the landscape of how football is viewed and consumed. 

Pereira, a former referee in the NFL, was ready to walk into the sunset and retire after the 2009 season when an executive at FOX told him that he would not be retiring and that he had an idea for a job for him.

“He said, ‘We’ll have something for you.’ And then he said goodbye,” Pereira said with a laugh. “That was really the first inclination I had that I would be doing anything in relationship to the networks.”

In Week 1 of the 2010 season, just hours before that fateful play, Pereira didn’t know that he was going to be featured in a broadcast that day.

“Week 1, I was down there and they said, ‘Let’s put you in the studio just in case something happens,’” Pereira said. “We’ll set it up to where the television crews can go to you. Lo and behold, Calvin Johnson caught a pass, didn’t catch a pass, Detroit wins, didn’t win.”

https://youtu.be/NRQqN6UsRys?t=165

Periera said that when Brian Billick and the rest of the FOX crew called on him to explain the rule, he told them it wasn’t a catch because Johnson did not complete the process of holding onto the ball. At the time, Pereira didn’t realize that he was talking NFL viewers through a moment in NFL history that would never be forgotten.

“I just know that I was nervous,” Pereira said. “It was my first time on and I look back and I go, ‘God I looked so terrible.’ I didn’t realize it at the time, but when Steratore said that the ruling on the field stands so I was right in what I said. There was just such a relief, but then Jay Glazer came running into the studio and said, ‘You just hit an F-ing grand slam!’”

Before this, rules analysts weren’t really on television. Pereira was the first. Prior to him, broadcasts would mainly lean on the knowledge of the play-by-play announcers and analysts, many of them former NFL players without a strong handle on the rule book. This was the first time someone’s main job within an NFL broadcast was to break down what was happening from the perspective of a ref. 

Pereira got the job in 2010 but his training for the gig started even earlier than that when Pereira spent time as the Director of Officiating for the NFL and the Vice President of Officiating. 

At first, Pereira was the only rules analyst that FOX had. In June of 2017, FOX hired Dean Blandino to go with Pereira on the broadcasts. Prior to his work with FOX, Blandino spent time as the Vice President of Officiating for the NFL, but he was never actually a referee like Pereira. He spent time organizing instant replay when it was brought to the NFL in 1999 and served as a replay official for two Super Bowls.

“The opportunity with FOX Sports to branch out and see a different side of the game was very appealing to me,” Blandino said. “The ability really just to have more time. I love the NFL but it was all-encompassing, it was a 24/7 job. While I loved it, I thought that there were some other things out there.”

Blandino gets on television and explains the call to the viewing audience, but also does some behind the scenes work, as well. Blandino will explain the rules to the on-air talent so that they can convey what’s happening on any given play to the people watching the game. 

Blandino says the hardest part of his transition to doing on-air work was how concise and brief he had to be with his statements. There are really only a few seconds to get a point across about what should or should not happen on the field.

“I just realized, I’m not going to have five minutes to go through this,” Blandino said. “I have a short window and I’ve got to get my points across clearly.” 

Blandino said one of the first games he did was a college game and Pereira was on the air with him. His first NFL game was a preseason game in Nashville with Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis. 

Other people like Gene Steratore and Mike Carey have been able to follow in the footsteps that Pereira set, but he was the first to ever do it – and it couldn’t have started on a more memorable play.

Younger NFL fans don’t even remember a time when broadcasts featured a rules expert. Even older fans might have a hard time remembering the pre-rules expert era. But that Johnson ruling, and all of its complexities, proved that bringing on Pereira to explain what the refs were thinking through was more than just a television gimmick. It was a necessity, even if we all didn’t realize it at the time.

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: