Blandino: ‘Got to do better job in this area’

Vice president of officiating Dean Blandino released an officiating tape to the media regarding calls made this week (230 MB download).

• A couple of crown-of-the-helmet calls that were missed: one that was erroneously called and one that was not called.
• The Vikings muffed punt review had two elements under discussion:
  • A muffed punt play cannot be challenged by the coach (and should be a charged timeout to the Vikings)
  • The loose ball recovery is not reviewable, not even by the replay official
• The fourth-down- and two-minute-fumble rules are explained very well on a Bengals fumble-fumble-touchdown play.
• The play that Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III called a “sucky rule.” When a player slides forward, he is not considered giving himself up, and is vulnerable for a fumble until he is touched down by contact.

In the tape, Blandino said this about the incorrect enforcement on the Vikings muffed-punt challenge:

We incorrectly enforced a 15-yard penalty against Minnesota. The only time we would enforce a 15-yard penalty is if the team that threw the challenge flag is out of timeouts. So the penalty is a charged timeout; that is what we should have done. We made a mistake — got to do a better job in this area. That’s my job, that’s my challenge. It’s on me.