NFL Network Super Bowl Replays

[JRutledge]

Have any of you watched these games? I have been watching Super Bowl XIII between Dallas and Pittsburgh. You know the game where Jackie Smith dropped the ball.

Well I am watching these mechanics and they are horrible. Well at least compared to today’s officials. I am wondering if anyone can answer a basic question. Where there any set mechanics or expectations as there are today? Or have in the last 20 years or so there was more of a structure? It seems like officials are just running around at the spots with no rhyme or reason. I know there was some positioning, but I am wondering was there any specifics on how to spot the ball or keep space from players like there are today. It seems like in today’s officiating has more structure as to how to move and when looking at these old games, they are just running around with like a chicken with their head cut off.

Peace

[NewGuy]

I was watching the same game earlier tonight and was thinking the same thing. The officials seemed to have certain places to start, but no particular mechanics after that. The high school players that help officiate youth ball around here have better mechanics than used back then. Being a young guy myself (22), I'd never seen an old game like this, I guess as an officiating group we have made hugs leaps in looking professional over a couple of decades.

[Texas Aggie]

I've noticed this about as long as there have been replays of older games, but mostly from the college level. Its amazing that the little things, like the stopping the clock signal done while running full speed when not necessarily, by these guys doesn't look good even though they've done it for 20+ years.

Things seem to look better from the mid-80s on, so your 20 year assessment is about right.

[Jim D]

The same basic coverage was there but the mechanics were much less choreographed than they are today. The current practices of sidestepping, squaring off and moves like that developed over the years, possibly in response to the video reviews by officials showing that certain moves looked better on film.

[HLin NC]

I watched it last night and noticed that they seemed real herky -jerky in their movements. In fact in older films I've noticed a lot of jumping over players to get the ball or spot.

It almost looked to me once that a side judge ran in and got a spot on a relatively short running play

I noticed the chains on the sideline and the HL working in some too.

Things have definitely changed.

[Jim D]

The chains worked on the sideline until the sometime in the 80's. Later they moved back about 6 " or so then finally they started the white marking around the field and they moved back to there. Ed Marrion was the HL who championed moving the chains off the sideline because he had a chain crew guy get hurt in a game he was working.