Umpire Quirk
 

After reading up on his grabbing and wrestling a Packer to the ground and losing a game check, I note he's in the Steeler-Jaguar game tonite.

He certainly is very active as an umpire-he jumps into every situation and he was still using his hands a lot. He's also very animated, much more so than any other NFL official I've observed.

I guess its ok with his bosses.

If he's working a playoff game, it makes me wonder if they really did fine him or if they just said they did. Or, if his playoff game check will be more than everyone else's!!

I've observed Quirk throughout the year and noticed that he's on his whistle more in one series of downs than most other umpires do in half a season. game. He appears to have happy feet and he picks his own spot, ignoring his sidemen, more often than any other umpire.

I'm amazed he's thought of so highly that he gets playoff games.

He get's his plays right. Whistles/happyfeet/etc. is insignificant.

More so on the downside of a career than at the beginning of a career.

I see the same thing in baseball. Some of the older MLB umpires have the worst mechanics in the game, but they get their calls right.

If the young bucks in the minors adopted what we see in the majors, they'd be released.

Can't help but think this is the model for umpires at all levels, of course, minus the takedowns.

Quirk is constantly moving toward the play with dispatch. He got knocked over in the playoff game and was immediately up and on the ball. He talks to the players. He is just in the game.

I have always thought the umpire should be the best athlete on the crew.

Maybe he gave up his last regular-season game check and that was the only punishment.

I'm sorry to disagree.

I've seen other NFL umpires who are in the game, move to the play and perform their duties without having to constantly command the viewers attention. There is such as thing as "over hustle" and Quirk does it. He is constantly moving, all right, even when he doesn't have to be. Much of his talking with the players isn't pleasant or necessary.

I think it is telling pf his attitude that he thinks he did nothing wrong when he got fined.

From the officials I know, I hear that he is neither a player favorite nor a crew favorite.

And yet he's 66 and still working. He must be a Pereira favorite.

Not necessarily. He was inherited.

That was the impression I came away with- overly aggressive, always in the view of the t.v camera too. Used his whistle more than any U I've ever seen.
In the game following, that U was unobtrusive.

Overly aggressive? He's the pit boss of 300 lb behemoths!

Quirk sets the tempo of the game, out hustles most wing guys, DEMANDS the respect of the guys in the trenches and contrary to other postings is highly regarded, at least in the NCAA circles as a model umpire and teacher of the position.

When discussing where the area of responsibility for the umpire ended (e.g. to the numbers, to the hash ) he responded, "at the track".

REPLY: TimGav...where have you been? It's been a long time.

I guess the point some of us make is that others do as fine a job as Quirk without the hoopla.

I haven't seen too much of Qurks" mechanics. I like watching Chad Brown work the Umpire position. I like to go by what my base ball association President tells us "NEVER, NEVER CRITICIZE ANOTHER OFFICIAL , NEVER!"