there ain't no place a man can hide

Week 18!

Jan 07, 2023

Art McNally, the first on-field National Football League official to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died on Sunday in Yardley, Pa. He was 97.

At 96, McNally was the oldest person to be inducted during his lifetime.

Mr. McNally worked the gridiron as a referee, or crew chief, starting in 1960.

In 1968 he left his field duties for an office in the league’s New York headquarters.

As football was blossoming into what many fans saw as the ultimate television sport, Mr. McNally championed the use of technology. He oversaw the adoption of video review on close calls, which earned him the unofficial title “Father of Instant Replay” in league circles.

He got his first experience as a referee during the war, when his fellow Marines chose him to call a pickup football game because they considered him the member of the unit best suited to the role.

“One of the guys said, ‘Let’s get Art, he’s honest,’” Thomas McNally said. “He was always a straight shooter.”

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue created the Art McNally Award to annually honor an NFL game official who exhibits exemplary professionalism, leadership and commitment to sportsmanship on and off the field.

NFL Officiating @NFLOfficiating

Many things go into an @NFL game day, both on and off the field. Take a look inside Art McNally GameDay Central, the league’s officiating room in New York:

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Numbers

1.1: Daniel Jones ranks 1st in the NFL in INT rate at just 1.1% and 1st in the NFL with the highest percentage of passes on target at 81%.

55: Justin Fields ends up with 55 sacks on just 373 drop backs for an astronomical sack rate of 14.7%.

This sets the new record for a QB who has started at least 14 games, surpassing David Carr in his rookie season where his rate was 14.6% with 76 total sacks!

5: Mike White reveals he’s been dealing with five broken ribs.

3: Seattle is the first metro area in MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL history to have rookies in 3 sports all begin their seasons in the same year and all earn selections to the All-Star Game/Pro Bowl later that season:

Julio Rodriguez: Mariners,
Tariq Woolen: Seahawks,
Matty Beniers: Kraken

500: If no one passes for 500+ yards in the final week of the 2022-2023 season, it will be the first time in 12 years that no QB has surpassed that margin

8: Which team has never lost when playing at home in the final week of the season (8-0)?

Quotes

“Personally, I feel like we’ve never respected them as much as they deserve. I’ve always felt like we owe them everything.”

Pete Carroll on how the NFL should take better care of players after retirement

“It seems like there’s positives for a lot of teams and negatives for us.”

Bengals coach Zac Taylor on the proposed playoff changes

"Slipping is not an excuse this week."

Dan Campbell said he showed the team clips at the beginning of the week of players slipping on the Lambeau Field turf. They've been practicing last two days in the cleats they're going to wear Sunday night.

“The way he carries himself, I don’t like none of that shit.”