6 things I’m looking for in the 2024 NFL season – Football Zebras

The NFL regular season kicks off their 106th regular season this week and there are many things I am keeping my eyes on when it comes to the officiating crews.

1. Many happy returns

Brett Bergman returns to the NFL for his second season. Bergman, the son of retired NFL official Jeff, and the nephew of retired NFL official Jerry, continues an amazing family streak. There has been a Bergman officiating in the NFL every year since 1966. Family patriarch Jerry Bergman, Brett’s grandfather, was a NFL head linesman from 1966 to 1995.

Brett Bergman was able to call only one regular season game last year as he missed time due to an off-field injury. He is 100% recovered and is ready to go.

Additionally, down judge Derrick Bowers was injured during the first quarter of Week 1 and missed the rest of the season. He is also returning to the field in 2024.

2. Hip-drop tackle will be fined more than flagged

For 2024, the NFL banned the swivel-style hip-drop tackle. An illegal hip-drop tackle contains the following actions by a defender:

1. Wraps up the runner.
2. Swivels his hips or rotates into the ball carrier
3. “Unweights” himself, or in other word, leaves his feet so he is completely off the ground
4. Lands on the runner’s feet or legs.

The above four elements have to present in order, and will happen in quick succession. A hip-drop tackle happens quickly and is difficult to officiate. During training camp referee rules-talks, the teams were notified that the officials will call the glaringly obvious fouls. NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson acknowledged that if officials do not see the four signature elements, “they’ve really been instructed, we don’t want you guessing at this.”

But, this now-illegal tackle will most likely be enforced through the NFL issuing fines the following week.

A few sources have indicated that the expected number of hip-drop fouls called on the field will be zero. The first year of the rules against using the crown of the helmet also was zero.

3. New kickoff rules: solving a problem or not?

For years, the NFL has tried to balance the rules to make kickoffs safer, yet generate more returns. So this season the NFL came up with the “dynamic kickoff rule.”

This is a XFL rule and you can see more about it in this video.

Special teams coaches are trying to find that one legal “cheat code” to hack the new kickoff rules. While there will be a focus on a team’s returns, some coaches are going to look to prevent opponent’s run backs. One hack centers around the touchback rules. Any kicked ball that hits the ground or is muffed in the landing zone and goes into the end zone must either be returned or downed by the receiving team. If the ball is downed, it will be a touchback for the receiving team, with the ball spotted on the 20-yard line. Any kicked ball that reaches the end zone on the fly and is downed or kicked out of the back of the end zone will be a touchback to the 30-yard line.

Coaches may be more inclined to surrender 10 yards and have their opponents start on the 30-yard line instead of risk a touchdown return.

4. New leadership, new transparency?

This off-season, Ramon George retired as an on field official to be come vice president of officiating, under a new management structure. George replaced Walt Anderson, who was reassigned in the officiating office. Anderson will be the liaison between the officiating office and network TV on game day. Mark Butterworth was hired as vice president of replay. George Stewart retained his role as vice president of officiating training and development. Those three will report to Perry Fewell, senior vice president of officiating administration. Shortly after the NFL announced the new leadership, reports quickly surfaced that he and his colleagues’ first item business was having to clean up a toxic atmosphere left behind by the departed Walt Anderson.

One of the many things that the George and the new leadership are charged with is to improve transparency in the officiating office. Gone are the days of “never complain, never explain.” How will that transparency look? Will the officiating office tweet out calls, replay explanations, and rules interpretations during the game? Will George and others do more television appearance to explain rules and calls (both good and bad)?

We most likely won’t get explanations about why an official leaves the league or get a look at an official’s grades, and that’s fine. But, I will be very interested to see if George and company will start to break down the stone barriers, some from the previous administration and some that have been there since the Art McNally administration.

5. More training resources

As part of the previously mentioned Officiating Improvement Plan, the NFL has promised to give more training resources to the officials — especially the new officials finding their way in the pros. This could come in the form of more hands-on coaching, more video reviews, or a mentor program.

Many say it takes five years for an official to adapt to the NFL and feel like they’ve “arrived.” Professional development is a must and I look forward to seeing what the NFL has in store.

George and company are also pledging to give clear, timely and consistent rule interpretations so the officials all know what calls are expected of them.

All these are needed to make all NFL officials excellent officials.

6. And finally a Super Bowl prediction

I rarely get these predictions correct, so the officials may not like my predictions, but here are my pre-season picks for the crew that will call Super Bowl LIX.

And now, as the late Red Cashion used to say after every coin toss, “Gentlemen, let’s play football.”