Hey,
I was recently watching an NFL game and I started to think, how many officials are there actually in an NFL game? I was surprised to find out that there are actually seven people who officiate games as part of a crew.
When I asked around, the first thing my friends said was that they couldn’t believe how many refs there were in a single game. Most thought it was only the referee and the line judge.
But in fact, there are actually seven officials in a game: the referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, back judge, and the side judge. That’s why the NFL describes the refs in the game as the “officiating crew” instead of just “ref”.
The referee is the leader of the crew, and he is responsible for making the final decision on any game play that the other refs don’t agree on. It is also his job to announce penalties, challenges, timeouts, and other game play information.
The Umpire is responsible for monitoring the line of scrimmage and spotting the ball on scrimmage plays. He is also responsible for watching out for holding and illegal blocks.
The Down Judge is responsible for watching for false starts, illegal grounding, and number of players on the line of scrimmage. He also helps the line judge keep the game moving when there are arguments on the field.
The Line Judge is responsible for watching the offensive and defensive lines and monitoring the clock between plays. He also ensures that the line of scrimmage is correct and that the players are set before each play.
The Field Judge is positioned on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage from the line judge. His main duty is to watch the defensive backfield as well as ensuring the team possession of the ball during the play.
The Back Judge is responsible for watching the deep part of the field and ensuring each team is following the rules of the back line. He also watches for offensive pass interference and unsportsmanlike conduct.
Finally, the Side Judge is positioned on the sideline and is responsible for making rulings on out-of-bounds plays, watching for encroachment, and helping the line judge to ensure the play clock is properly used.
Now I understand why they have so many refs in each game – they each play an important role in making sure the game is fair and follows the rules. It’s a good thing that the NFL takes the game so seriously and makes sure they have enough refs for everything to be in order!