The "trailblazer" will be on Sunday's officiating crew

Link: Sarah Thomas To Be First Woman To Officiate NFL Playoff Game

I recall when this woman started officiating NFL games she made some notably bad calls drawing BB's wrath. Apparently she has grown beyond being a Goodell PR stunt and working a playoff game is a landmark for her. Like any good official, her legacy should be defined by not being unduly noticed in the course of doing her job.



Which brings to mind that a primer on officials' individual responsibilities is a good thing to revisit now and then. Link: Interactive: NFL Officials' Roles and Responsibilities | NFL Football Operations

 

She's pretty good looking, IMO.

 

Don't care what she looks like just want her to not make a bad call or bad non call.
She can be a transgender that looks like a mix of Rosie O Donnell and clay Matthews and I could care a less.
Just don't want to lose based on refs not doing their job properly.

 

I am as progressive and liberal as they come. Great! but I am more focused on the actual game, I just hope she calls a fair game.

 

I’m pretty sure we have a thread on this...

 

It got deleted because it quickly, and predictably, went off the rails.

 

She will throw a flag over something Bill said to her weeks ago.

 

Announcers: "Flag on the play."
Head official: "What happened?"
Her: "Nothing. It's fine."

 

Per footballzebras.com, Ron Torbert is the referee and link to the the rest of the crew.
Hussey, Parry, Torbert, and Cheffers are Divisional Playoff referees

 

You mean like this? This is the most outrageous missed call in NYFL history, and there's been a lot of them.

 

When a woman combines 2 of the 5 deadliest terms known to the species...

 

Just like that

 

I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a playoff game over a total screw up like that. And I don't want to find out.

 

Can she do the job?

 

She didn't make the call here that Belichick was discussing. She was a line judge and Belichick was discussing the bad call with her because she was the one that happened to be nearby. A backjudge threw the flag for that ridiculous defensive holding call on the down lineman, and Belichick was arguing that the DL was using proper technique.

 

The photo was for illustration only. I recall one specific instance where BB really lit into her but can't tell you what game it was or the situation.

 

The last 1:05 of that video went in a direction I wasn't expecting for a football highlight.

I tried to come up with some defense of her decision, like maybe she saw a Redskins player get possession of the ball on the ground and determined he was down by contact when Duke Johnson took it back, but I think everything happened too quickly to come that decision. Plus, when you watch the football portion of that video, the officials are all looking at the players still on the ground while Johnson is standing up with the ball. They didn't know where the ball was.

 

It's better than looking at Walt Anderson. He doesn't have a great a$$ like her. Sorry if I offended anyone (ladies especially) but I remember BB chewing her out and saw her run away. First time I noticed an official running away and wanted the producers to follow a little more. Would have been too obvious though. Ok, I'll stop now.

 

I don't know why the video switched over at the halfway point to a Mrs Obama speech. I know I didn't go there.

I also noticed that the announcers also went right to a Redskins recovery even though the Browns player was standing up with the ball.

It was also kind of funny seeing her tapping on helmets to get players up while the ball was in the players hand.

 

Don't be haters or catcallers or whatever because she is a woman. I think it's great that she's out there, as long as she makes good calls. Lots of NFL officials of the male persuasion get calls wrong every week. She IS a trailblazer and believe me, even though I don't know her, I know she has faced a lot of bullshyt to get where she is. You go sista.

Now, let's have the Pats win a good game!