New VP

It wasn't exactly headline news when the NFL announced Dean Blandino as the Vice President of Officiating. He takes over for Carl Johnson, who will become the NFL's first full-time game official. You never hear from the Vice President of Officiating if everything is going beautifully. Johnson might have been front and center a little more than he would have liked last season due to the replacement officials. I like what I've seen of Blandino in his first months on the job. He's popped up some this past week to to help explain some of the recent rule changes. He's done a good job with those explanations. He seems much more comfortable in the role than Carl Johnson ever did.

Blandino has spent his entire professional career in football officiating. After graduating in 1993 from Hofstra University, he joined the NFL for the 1994 season as an officiating intern. Following the 1994 season he was hired full-time as an officiating video assistant and then was promoted to special projects coordinator. From 1999-2009, Blandino has worked with video replay in various capacities. The last two years of that period he was the #2 man to VP Mike Pereira.

Blandino formed his own company in 2009 called "Under the Hood," which provided training and evaluation for replay officials. His clients included the NFL plus the Big 10, Mid-American, Pac-12, Big 12, and Mid-West college football conferences. He directed instant replay clinics for the NFL and NCAA and served as liaison to the NFL Competition Committee. He returned to the NFL in 2012. Perhaps to get ready for his current role.

As VP of Officiating Dean Blandino reports to Executive VP of Football Operations Ray Anderson. That guy is everywhere. Almost as everywhere as Roger Goodell is everywhere.

I really like the little bit that I've seen and heard from Blandino. The one curious aspect of his career and promotion is that he has not spent a day as an on field official. This is an observation much more than a criticism. I feel better about the VP of Officiating than I have since the days of Jerry Seeman and Art McNally.