RayClay
Hall of Fame Poster
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2005
- Messages
- 26,958
- Reaction score
- 9,712
You can't make this stuff up. I know it's been reported and I condensed for clarity, but tell me if these two paragraphs, surrounding one about his intern duties, don't say that it is essential for a ref to have experience, but for the head of refs, only experience playing pick up basketball with Jets players is necessary.
Blandino emphasizes the importance of experience for all officiating positions.
Dean Blandino, NFL's officiating chief
The 42-year-old Blandino has never officiated a game. A 1994 graduate of Hofstra University on Long Island, he used to play pickup basketball with Jets players whose training base was at the school. He joined the NFL's officiating department in 1994 as an intern, working under Jerry Seeman, the longtime head of officials...
Blandino emphasizes the importance of experience for all officiating positions.
"You need a certain level of experience before you can officiate in the NFL," he says. "Nothing replaces it, starting at an entry point and moving through the ranks."
Those entry points often are at the high school level, then on to college before being placed in the NFL's officiating pool.
"We look at a combination of experience, ability and presence," he says. "We think that is a good mix."
Dean Blandino, NFL's officiating chief