Hardwood and Gridiron Similarities
I officiated basketball for 4 years starting in 2011. It’s a different ball and a different surface—but I’ve found a lot of basketball officiating principles apply to football. There are numerous examples;…
Ready For Play
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Train Your Brain for Chaos
NFL sideline official Jeff Hutcheon recently shared a powerful insight during an interview with the South Denver Fellowship of Christian Athletes (posted on YouTube on May 26, 2025). He was talking about…
Words to Avoid
In the previous Ready for Play article, we discussed using descriptive words to provide clarity when communicating with coaches. In this article, we’ll look at words officials sometimes use that don’t really…
Descriptive Words
When communicating with coaches, we need to be clear, concise, and correct. Get into the habit of repeating Rules Book verbiage as much as possible. Additionally, we can use descriptive words that,…
Get Exposed
I’ve confessed my love for cooking-related television shows and social media videos. On an episode of Hell’s Kitchen, a young chef was lamenting the fact that she did not know how to…
Wings, Watch Your Gunners!
Note: This mechanics discussion is for a 5-person crew. As I’ve mentioned in previous Ready for Play articles, I watch a lot of Hudl film. One error I commonly observe is poor…
We’re on the Same Crew – Not in Competition
In high school football officiating, as with multiple performance-based activities, there’s a problem that doesn’t show up on the Friday night game film—but it shows up in locker rooms, pregame meetings, and…
Gumbo
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from October 1, 2008 (Edited for clarity) FOCUS ON MECHANICS…Continue officiating Keep players in view after ruling on a score. Too many times, you…