Super Bowl Officiating Crew

The NFL officially announced the crew that will officiate Super Bowl LV. Referee Carl Cheffers will lead the seven-person crew of on-field officials to work the big game on February 7, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Cheffers may lead the crew but Sarah Thomas highlights it. She’ll become the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl. 

From NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent, Sr.:

“Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official. Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honor.”

Super Bowl LV Officiating Crew

Referee: Carl Cheffers 

21st NFL season/17 career playoff games (including Super Bowl LI)

Umpire: Fred Bryan

12th NFL season/9 career playoff games (including Super Bowl LIII)

Down Judge: Sarah Thomas

6th NFL season/4 career playoff games

Line Judge: Rusty Baynes

11th NFL season/13 playoff games (including Super Bowl L)

Field Judge: James Coleman

16th NFL season/9 career playoff games

Side Judge: Eugene Hall

7th NFL season/10 playoff games (including Super Bowl LIII)

Back Judge: Dino Paganelli

15th NFL season/15 career playoff games (including Super Bowl XLVII)

***

NFL playoff officiating crews are all-star groups. Congratulations to those that earn this extra work. The officiating crews that work regular season games are a team. They work together each week. They come to know each other over as many as 17 weeks. They are familiar and coordinated. Again, they are a team. I’ve never understood the NFL’s practice of putting together these all-star crews to officiate the most important games of the season. Especially, the Biggest game of the season. I’ve always thought it a terrific idea to use the best graded crews for the playoff games and the very best graded crew for the Super Bowl. But that’s just me. Despite that, congratulations to the seven officials that have been selected for Super Bowl LV. I’m thrilled that Sarah Thomas is one of them. 

Throwback Thursday: History of the Super Bowl Coin Toss

This Flicker was originally published on 2/6/20. 

The only excitement over the opening coin toss of the Super Bowl probably comes from the people that have a bet riding on it. It's always important to get a fast start in a game but a fast start has to be made on offense and defense. It doesn't really matter much which comes first. More significant than getting the ball first in the first half is getting the ball first in the second half. If played right, a team can get consecutive possessions. If a team can score at the end of the first half and at the start of the second half while stealing a possession from their opponent they can blow the game open. The opening coin toss is more pageantry than important. The most important coin toss in Super Bowl history didn't come at the start of the game. Here's the history of the Super Bowl Coin Toss. 

Super Bowl	Teams, Score	Coin Toss Winner
I	Packers 35,  Chiefs 10	Packers
II	Packers 33, Raiders 14	Raiders
III	Jets 16, Colts 7	Jets
IV	Chiefs 23, Vikings 7	Vikings
V	Colts 16, Cowboys 13	Cowboys
VI	Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3	Dolphins
VII	Dolphins 14, Redskins 7	Dolphins
VIII	Dolphins 24, Vikings 7	Dolphins
IX	Steelers 16, Vikings 6	Steelers
X	Steelers 21, Cowboys 17	Cowboys
XI	Raiders 32, Vikings 14	Raiders
XII	Cowboys 27, Broncos 10	Cowboys
XIII	Steelers 35, Cowboys 31	Cowboys
XIV	Steelers 31, Rams 19	Rams
XV	Raiders 27, Eagles 10	Eagles
XVI	49ers 26, Bengals 21	49ers
XVII	Redskins 27, Dolphins 17	Dolphins
XVIII	Raiders 38, Redskins 9	Raiders
XIX	49ers 38, Dolphins 16	49ers
XX	Bears 46, Patriots 10	Bears
XXI	Giants 39, Broncos 20	Broncos
XXII	Redskins 42, Broncos 10	Redskins
XXIII	49ers 20, Bengals 16	49ers
XXIV	49ers 55, Broncos 10	Broncos
XXV	Giants 20, Bills 19	Bills
XXVI	Redskins 37, Bills 24	Redskins
XXVII	Cowboys 52, Bills 17	Bills
XXVIII	Cowboys 30, Bills 13	Cowboys
XXIX	49ers 49, Chargers 26	49ers
XXX	Cowboys 27, Steelers 17	Cowboys
XXXI	Packers 35, Patriots 21	Patriots
XXXII	Broncos 31, Packers 24	Packers
XXXIII	Broncos 34, Falcons 19	Falcons
XXXIV	Rams 23, Titans 16	Rams
XXXV	Ravens 34, Giants 7	Giants
XXXVI	Patriots 20, Rams 17	Rams
XXXVII	Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21	Buccaneers
XXXVIII	Patriots 32, Panthers 29	Panthers
XXXIX	Patriots 24, Eagles 21	Eagles
XL	Steelers 21, Seahawks 10	Seahawks
XLI	Colts 29, Bears 17	Bears
XLII	Giants 17, Patriots 14	Giants
XLIII	Steelers 27, Cardinals 23	Cardinals
XLIV	Saints 31, Colts 17	Saints
XLV	Packers 31, Steelers 25	Packers
XLVI	Giants 21, Patriots 17	Patriots
XLVII	Ravens 34. 49ers 31	Ravens
XLVIII	Seahawks 43, Broncos 8	Seahawks
XLIX	Patriots 28, Seahawks 24	Seahawks
50	Broncos 24, Panthers 10	Panthers
LI	Patriots 34, Falcons 28	Falcons-opening/Patriots-OT
LII	Eagles 41, Patriots 33	Patriots
LIII	Patriots 13, Rams 3	Rams
LIV	Cheifs 31, 49ers 20	49ers

The most important coin toss in Super Bowl history was the one that the New England Patriots won to start overtime in Super Bowl LI. 

The New Orleans Saints winning the coin toss in Super Bowl XLIV turned out to be pretty significant. Kicking off to start the second half allowed the Saints the opportunity to stun the Colts with an onside kick.

The Rams have won the coin toss in all four of their Super Bowls. They are 1-3 in those four Super Bowls.

Teams winning the opening coin toss of the Super Bowl are 24-30.

Draft Darlings

It’s early in the draft evaluation process. So early. It’s never early for the people at the Draft Network. Evaluating draft talent is a year-round thing for them. The Draft Network has become my go-to site for rankings, mocks, and all things draft. I respect all of their scout’s views. Jordan Reid is a personal favorite. It probably helps that he’s a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Speaking of the Minnesota Vikings, the team’s primary draft needs are along the offensive and defensive lines. Offensive line has been an annual draft need for far too long. The talent level is getting closer to NFL quality but there’s still work to be done. Defensive line, a strength as recently as a year ago, popped up as a serious need this year. There was simply no pass rush in too many games. Little to no pass rush in all 16 games is probably more accurate. Losing defensive end Danielle Hunter to a neck “tweak” in August and defensive tackle Michael Pierce to a COVID opt-out didn’t help. Hunter and Pierce will be back but upgrades along the defensive line, three-technique in particular, are needed. The respective lines aren’t the only needs. The Vikings could use a boost at receiver. The top of the depth chart is terrific with Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Chad Beebe and Olabisi Johnson are sound options but they don’t put much stress on a defense. Right now, the top third option for Kirk Cousins more often comes from a tight end or a running back.  Besides the receiver depth concerns, Thielen is on the wrong side of 30. Safety is a need. Linebacker might be. And a Mike Zimmer defense can never have enough corners. 

As it stands now, I only see offensive and defensive linemen among the Vikings’ early picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Here are the current Draft Network rankings of the offensive and defensive linemen. 

Rankings:

Offensive Tackle

Penei Sewell, Oregon, 6-5 325

Christian Darriswaw, Virginia Tech, 6-5 314

Rashawn Slater, Northwestern, 6-4 315

Jalen Mayfield, Michigan, 6-5 319

Alex Leatherwood, Alabama 6-6 310

Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame, 6-6 305

Samuel Cosmi, Texas, 6-7 300

Jackson Carman, Clemson, 6-5 345

Daniel Faallele, Minnesota, 6-8 400

6-8, 400!!!

Interior Offensive Line

Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC, 6-4 300

Wyatt Davis, Ohio State, 6-4 310

Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma, 6-5 316

Josh Myers, Ohio State, 6-5 312

Landon Dickerson, 6-6 325

Trey Smith, Tennessee, 6-6 325

Deonte Brown, Alabama, 6-4 338

Ben Cleveland, Georgia, 6-6 341

Drake Jackson, Kentucky, 6-2 310

Edge

Kwity Paye, Michigan, 6-4 277

Joseph Ossai, Texas, 6-3 245

Gregory Rousseau, Miami, 6-5 260

Jaelan Phillips, Miami, 6-5 258

Azeez Ojulari, Georgia, 6-3 240

Jayson Owei, Penn State, 6-5 257

Joe Tyron, Washington, 6-4 251

Interior Defensive Line

Christian Barmore, Alabama, 6-5 310

Jay Tufele, USC, 6-3 315

Tommy Togiai, Ohio State, 6-2 300

Levi Onwuzurike, Washington, 6-3 288

Daviyon Nixon, Iowa, 6-3 305

Tyler Shelvin, LSU, 6-3 362

Marlon, Tuipulotu, USC, 6-3 295

Alim McNeil, North Carolina State, 6-2 315

Marvin Wilson, Florida State, 6-5 311

Darius Stills, West Virginia, 6-1 281

Jaylen Twyman, Pittsburgh, 6-2 290

I took the Draft Network rankings of the defensive tackles down to 11 just to include Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman. His seemingly depressed ranking could be due to his opting out on the season. Personally, I think that Twyman is somewhere between Christian Barmore and Daviyon Nixon. Barmore, Twyman, and Nixon are easily my three favorite defensive tackles. 

It’s the middle of January and I’ve just scratched across the surface of the draft evaluation process. It’s early and I don’t know near enough to form any opinions. Despite that ignorance, I’ve formed opinions. I already have some favorites. My Draft Darlings. Here are the offensive and defensive linemen that flood all of the my current draft thoughts. 

My most dreamy draft darling is Penei Sewell. It would take a miracle for him to fall to #14 and I don’t think that the Vikings can afford the price it’d cost to move up far enough to get him. 

Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami (FL)

Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

Christian Darrrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State

Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC

Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa

Jaylen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh

Currently, the Vikings don’t have a second round pick. I don’t see Rick Spielman sitting out the second round. He’ll either trade back in the first and add a second round pick or trade into the second with their extra picks in the third and fourth rounds. 

Right now, my first round preference for the Vikings bounces between Gregory Rousseau, Rashawn Slater, and Christian Barmore. If the pick is Barmore, I currently think that the Vikings could trade back and still select him. However, I only see his draft stock rising. Come draft time, the Vikings might be lucky to find him on the board at #14. 

My current favorite three-round scenario for the Vikings probably looks something like this:

Gregory Rousseau 

Trey Smith

Jaylen Twyman

or

Rashawn Slater

Jayson Owei

Jaylen Twyman

For some reason, I’ve really latched onto Jaylen Twyman. 

Head Coach and General Manager Search

The NFL’s head coach and general manager search is in it’s third week. This year’s churn had seven head coach and seven general manager vacancies. Here’s a look at how those 14 searches are going. 

Coach

Jacksonville Jaguars-Urban Meyer

New York Jets-Robert Saleh

Atlanta Falcons-Arthur Smith

Houston Texans-

Detroit Lions-

Los Angeles Chargers-Brandon Staley

Philadelphia Eagles-

Dan Campbell is reportedly the favorite to land the Lions job. 

Interviews for open head coach jobs:

Houston Texans

Eric Bieniemy

Joe Brady

Jim Caldwell

David Culley

Matt Eberflus 

Leslie Frazier

Marvin Lewis

Tim Kelly-planned

Barandon Staley-hired by Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

Joe Brady

Eric Bieniemy-requested

Todd Bowles-requested

Kellen Moore-requested

Jerod Mayo-planned

Josh McDaniels-planned

Robert Saleh-hired by Jets

Arthur Smith-hired by Falcons

Brandon Staley-hired by Chargers

I’m not sure how a team can have a planned interview without actually having requested it. It just feels like a step is being skipped. 

Is Eric Bieniemy going through another hiring cycle without being offered a job? He interviewed for the four vacancies that have been filled and the vacancy that has been reportedly filled. I would like him for the Texans job if it weren’t for the fact that he doesn’t deserve the shitshow that’s going on there. That leaves the Eagles. I can see that. I can easily see a Bieniemy-Eagles pairing. If he doesn’t get a job this cycle something is seriously wrong. There’s no need for further proof of that. There is something wrong. For a few years now, simply breathing the same air as Sean McVay or working for Andy Reid was enough for a coach to get hired. The Chiefs offensive coordinator position was a stepping stone to a head coach job. That came to a stop when it was Bieniemy’s turn.

General Manager

Jacksonville Jaguars-

Atlanta Falcons-Terry Fonenot

Carolina Panthers-Scott Fitterer

Houston Texans-Nick Caserio

Detroit Lions-Brad Holmes

Denver Broncos-George Paton

Washington Football Team-

Marty Hurney is reportedly the favorite for the Washington job. 

Interviews for open jobs:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Ray Farmer

Jerry Reese

Louis Riddick

Rick Smith

The loss of George Paton leaves a giant hole in the front office of the Minnesota Vikings. He’s an excellent talent evaluator and vital #2 to Rick Spielman. He’s had several opportunities to run his own team but decided to stay in Minnesota. His departure was more a matter of when than if. He’s earned and deserves this shot to run a team but he’ll be missed. The Broncos are fortunate to have him. 

Divisional Thoughts

After the season that the Minnesota Vikings just had, it’s difficult to believe that they were playing in the Divisional round last season. Here are some thoughts on the games that took place this season. 

Rams-Packers

1. This game felt like all Packers throughout. It felt like a blowout. Until Aaron Rodgers’ 58-yard touchdown toss to Alan Lazard with about seven minutes to play the Rams were right there. 

2. If the A.J. Dillon fumble hadn’t bounced as if on a string right to Rodgers maybe it’s a different game. The Rams could’ve had the ball, down seven, at about the Packers’ 30-yard line. Instead, the ball only had eyes for Rodgers. Three plays later Rodgers is throwing deep to Lazard for the game-sealing score. 

3. Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff leading their teams in this game had me thinking about the Cal quarterback presence in Super Bowls. Five Golden Bear quarterbacks have started in a Super Bowl.

Joe Kapp

Craig Morton

Vince Ferragamo

Aaron Rodgers

Jared Goff

That’s two more quarterbacks than the schools with the next most. 

Alabama-Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler

Notre Dame-Daryle Lamonica, Joe Montana, Joe Theisman

Purdue-Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Drew Brees

Cal might have the most Super Bowl starters but they haven’t had much Super Bowl success. Only Rodgers has led his team to a win in the big game. All three Alabama quarterbacks won. Two of the three Notre Dame quarterbacks won. All three Purdue quarterbacks won. 

Not only does Cal have five quarterbacks that started in the Super Bowl, they have one quarterback that went to five straight. Gale Gilbert was a backup for the Buffalo Bills when they went to four straight Super Bowls. Then he moved to the San Diego Chargers for their lone Super Bowl season. Gilbert saw as much success as the other Cal quarterbacks not named Rodgers. His teams lost all five. 

Ravens-Bills

1. This game turned on a single play. The Ravens were on the doorstep of tying the game at 10-10 late in the third quarter. Instead of a touchdown, Lamar Jackson threw an interception in the end zone. Taron Johnson returned that interception 101 yards for a Bills touchdown. In a blink what could’ve been 10-10 was 17-3. 

2. It sure would’ve been fun to see Lamar Jackson play in the fourth quarter. A concussion took him out of the game with five seconds to play in the third quarter. 

3. Tyler Huntley did an admirable job in Jackson’s place. He even had a real shot at getting the two touchdowns that the Ravens needed. On his first full possession, he overthrew Marquise Brown on what would’ve been a 71-yard touchdown. On his second full possession, he drove the Ravens to the Bills 8-yard line. He couldn’t get any further on the Ravens’ final four plays of the season. 

4. I miss Stefon Diggs. He’s such a fun football player. It’d be a lot harder watching him play for Buffalo if Justin Jefferson wasn’t playing in Minnesota. 

Browns-Chiefs

1. Chad Henne leads the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game! 

2. Andy Reid’s play call on 4th and inches with the game in the balance was brilliant. 

3. I was on the Browns side of things after they were robbed late in the first half by the worst rule in football. A fumble through the end zone should not go to the defense. Possession of the ball is a foundation of the game. It’s as fundamental as blocking and tackling. The defense never possessed the ball so they shouldn’t be gifted the ball. 

4. I was on the Browns side until Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game with a concussion. The Browns winning because Mahomes was taken away didn’t feel right. 

5. Chiefs safety/nickel/linebacker/whatever Tyrann Matthieu was great. There were times when it looked like four of him were on the field. 

Buccaneers-Saints

1. Saints turnovers served up a Buccaneers win. 

2. The Saints gave the ball away four times. Three of those giveaways gave the Buccaneers the ball in the shadow of the Saints goal posts. The fourth was at midfield and sealed the win. With that sort of field position the Buccaneers didn’t have to move the ball very far to score points. Good thing as they struggled to move the ball. 

3. Everything that the Buccaneers have done this season has been about Tom Brady. No surprise there. This win wasn’t much about him. 

Championship Sunday

AFC Championship

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs

NFC Championship

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings 2021 Free Agents

The Minnesota Vikings have 16 players with contracts set to expire when the NFL flips their calendar on March 17. While the salary cap has yet to be set it’s expected that the Vikings will be several million dollars over it. If 2020 had been a normal sort of year, they would probably be fine with cap. 2020 wasn’t anything close to normal. Many things have been impacted. The NFL salary cap is one of those things. It’ll drop. The Vikings will be forced to do some contract manipulation just to get in compliance with the salary cap. They will also have to be very selective in the players that they re-sign and sign. All of that starts with decisions on their own free agents. 

Unrestricted Free Agents

Anthony Harris, S

Eric Wilson, LB

Todd Davis, LB

George Iloka, S

Rashod Hill, OT

Ameer Abdullah, RB

Sean Mannion, QB

Dakota Dozier, OG

Brett Jones, IOL

Jaleel Johnson, DT

Hardy Nickerson, LB

Restricted Free Agents

Ifeadi Odenigbo, DE

Chad Beebe, WR

Mike Boone, RB

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Kyle Hinton, OG

Chris Jones, CB

The most significant unrestricted free agents are Anthony Harris and Eric Wilson. The guess here is that it would take a minor miracle for the Vikings to be able to sign one, let alone both. 

Most years, it’s easy to look at the Vikings’ list of free agents and see multiple players that they will likely re-sign. It’s tough to do that this year since their salary cap restraints are such an unknown. If the Vikings re-sign any of their unrestricted free agents, I think that it starts with the following:

Rashod Hill

Brett Jones

Ameer Abdullah

Rashod Hill’s ability to step in at either tackle spot has been valuable. Often game-saving. He might’ve priced himself out of the swing tackle job. It might be time for that job to go to Oli Udoh. 

Dakota Dozier starting over Brett Jones at left guard was a season-long mystery. It feels like the Vikings value Jones. They traded for him in 2018 and have brought him back each season since. Yet, they kept him on the bench despite Dozier’s season-long struggles. He’s a solid, valuable offensive lineman. His would be a good re-signing if the Vikings can afford him. 

Ameer Abdullah is a nice change of pace back, a good kick returner, and a valuable contributor on other special teams units. The Vikings must get more from their return game. If Abdullah’s the kick returner it’s not a terrible thing. That’s not a ringing endorsement. He’s had some big plays out of the backfield on scattered snaps. The pro for bringing him back is that he gives the Vikings quick, shifty, versatile option out of the backfield. He’s also a strong team leader and voice. The con for bringing him back is that the Vikings have nice depth at running back. Especially if restricted free agent Mike Boone returns. Quick, shifty backs with return ability can be found in the later rounds of the draft. 

The next free agent decisions may or may not involve the following:

Sean Mannion

Jaleel Johnson

Todd Davis

Sean Mannion, by all reports, is like an extra coach for Kirk Cousins on the sideline, practice field, and quarterback room. Fine. Hire him as the quarterbacks coach or co-coach. I’d rather see a quarterback with potential backing up Cousins. Whether that’s Jake Browning, Nate Stanley, or a draft pick. The Vikings are fortunate that Cousins has been so durable.

Jaleel Johnson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft to perhaps become the three-technique that the Vikings have so desperately needed. He’s had flashes of being that player. Those flashes haven’t come often enough. Perhaps that’s from a lack of consistent playing time. Personally, I felt better this season when Johnson and Armon Watts were in the middle of the defensive line. The decision of nose tackle Michael Pierce to opt-out due to COVID concerns altered many of the plans for the line. It would’ve been fun to see Johnson lined up next to a space-taker and block-eater like Pierce. The Vikings must get better play from the interior of the defensive line and the decision-makers have to decide whether Johnson can do more often what they’ve only seen him do on occasion. 

Todd Davis was an emergency signing after Anthony Barr was injured and lost for the season. Davis provided a veteran presence and experienced play. The Vikings really needed him when Eric Kendricks was lost later in the season. Davis is a solid veteran linebacker. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings signed him to a light contract and bring him to camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. 

I expect that the Vikings will bring back all of their restricted free agents.

There’s an initial, brief look at the 2021 free agents of the Minnesota Vikings. For a variety of reasons, it doesn’t look like the pursuit of their own free agents will be as suspense-filled as previous years. 

Flea Flicker Divisional Picks

It’s on to the Divisional Round. Here are some guesses at the games.

Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers

Pick: Packers

The Rams defense was great last week. They have to be even better this week. 

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills

Pick: Ravens

The Bills fun ride ends. They’ll be back. They’re set up to challenge for a while. 

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Chiefs

The Chiefs appeared to cruise to a 14-2 regular season record. If they can effortlessly switch to playoff mode they should cruise to the AFC Championship. The Chiefs have the weapons on offense to wipe out any team but they don’t always do so. They could’ve easily lost each of their playoffs games last season. They can’t look past any team. Especially this Browns team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Pick: Buccaneers

The Saints won the two games during the season by two scores and a lot. This game still feels like a toss-up. The Buccaneers got all they could handle from a plucky Washington team last week. The Saints mostly had their way with a Bears team with little offensive punch. I guess that I’ll go with the narrative that it’s tough to beat a good team three times in a season.