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KHammarling's avatar

I could do a minute-by-minute breakdown of that refereeing video, because it's really good! [Hey You! Yes you, the SSJ community member who's reading this comment saying "i don't wanna click a link, i'll pass on that video". No! Stop! Go to youtube, type 'NFL steve smith' and hit what is probably the first result. Now! Go, do it. I'll wait for you to finish and come back to read the rest of my comment]

~1:54 Carl gives Steve the marker beanbag and penalty flag, and he says about the flag "Be careful with this... make sure when you put this down it's a clean solid foul". This is Intro To Ref 101 stuff but really really good advice for any ref in any sport doing it early on. Only call when you know, really know, it's a foul. "Use with cuation", applies to the flag but you can expand to everything you do as a ref. The more you flag, shout, whistle, the less people pay attention to what you are doing.

~2:55 Steve says "I was scared of you, but not now" and they hug. Refs are humans too! Just doing their best, and fundamentally are good nice honest people. [Also, steve looks good in stripes]

~3:55 Putting the emphasis on communication. Establishing "you do this, look for this". Getting Steve to focus in on his area and assignments, just like a player would do. But making clear, you do that because the other Refs are doing their jobs. Every NFL game has three teams on the field!

~4:10 That 'Hawks fan is all of us deep down right now going into Wk 1 :p

~5:00 Just chatting about DB's, NFL Refs love football as much as anyone. But also, just talking through what's happening, running their own little internal commentary. It really highlights how much each ref is trying to cover on each play. So when something gets missed there's just that context. Watching Steve then going through the progression and trying to manage all the info I think is a great demonstration of the skill involved in being a ref. It's hard, really hard mentally.

~6:50 Flag on the play! Steve sticks to his call which is good, but i also like the hesitancy in his voice - to be expected from a rookie. All fun and games, but then it rolls through to Steve talking about what i just said - it's a lot of process and is really tough mentally. "ADD on steroids" is pretty apt, I remember doing my first Ref work (not American Football, but honestly the translation to Soccer & Rugby are real) and feeling so overwhelmed by it all. Such a great depiction of what it takes to be a Ref, and this was just practice!

Luckily i'm not going to minute-by-minute the rest here :p Just to say it's a great video, and take it and also apply it to other sports your follow - being a referee in other sports is incredibly similar. So, be kind to your Refs, as without them we wouldn't have sports.

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Parallax's avatar

Penix looked phenomenal in his first game. Seemed to pick up right where he left off. If he's not the best QB in the draft class, he appears to be one of the best. Decent mobility. Rifle of an arm with excellent touch. Of course has things to improve upon, such as the consistency of his footwork, as mentioned in the video. Really solid decision making skills too.

Finally had a chance to see Grayson McCall. His decision making skills are superb. I see why you like him so much. That is, after all, the most important skill for any signal caller. He does not appear to have the arm talent of the guys at the top of the class. A bit of mobility but really he's built more like a linebacker. I can see why he tends to be thought of as a guy who might get drafted but is unlikely to start at the next level. Of course, the same was said of Russell Wilson and Tom Brady. Would never root against any kid. I'm rooting for Richardson even though I have a primitive shadow that feels otherwise.

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