2023 Divisional Playoffs
Some big achievements for Divisional Playoff officiating crews this weekend
Let’s preview the officials for this weekend’s divisional playoffs.
This weekend’s divisional playoff officiating crews are a ready to call the games and there are some interesting nuggets of information in these assignments.
Many officials working a divisional playoff for the first time
The following officials are working their first divisional playoff assignment this weekend, including down judge Patrick Holt, pictured above.
| Yrs | 2023 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 55 | Alex Kemp | 10 | Central Michigan | insurance agent | |
| U | 49 | Alex Moore | 2 | Vinovich | St. Petersburg | compliance manager |
| U | 89 | Mike Morton | 2 | Kemp | North Carolina | dentist FORMER NFL PLAYER |
| DJ | 44 | Frank LeBlanc | 4 | Hussey | Lamar Institute of Technology | neighborhood services manager |
| DJ | 106 | Patrick Holt | 5 | Hochuli | North Carolina State | IT manager |
| LJ | 85 | Daniel Gallagher | 4 | Blake | Kent State | athletic programs manager |
| FJ | 57 | Joe Blubaugh | 4 | Vinovich | Pittsburg State | regional sales manager |
| FJ | 90 | Anthony Flemming | 4 | Hussey | Texas A&M-Commerce | senior auditor |
| BJ | 96 | Matt Edwards | 6 | Hussey | Western Michigan | healthcare sales |
- What’s an even more impressive is that Moore and Morton are officiating a divisional playoff in their first year of eligibility. Any playoff game is a feather in the cap, but the first assignment in the second round might be worth two feathers in the cap.
Weather will again play a role
The games in Buffalo and Baltimore promise cold and blustery weather and hopefully little to no precipitation. But it will be cold. In these games both the players and the officials (who don’t get to come out of the game and warm up under a parka), have to push the cold out of their minds, bear down and concentrate on every play.
Nice mix of experience and newcomers this weekend
The crews this weekend are a nice blend of veteran and younger officials. In some leagues it seems like playoff assignments are based on longevity. But it is nice to see the NFL mixing in younger officials.
You will see the Super Bowl officials on the field this weekend
Traditionally, the NFL assigns the Super Bowl officials to the Divisional Playoffs. The Super Bowl crew is not all assigned to one game. In the past, the NFL assigned Super Bowl officials to the divisional playoffs in the pairs they will work with during the Super Bowl: referee/umpire and sideline pairs of down judge/side judge and line judge/field judge. In looking over the Divisional Playoff crews and cross-checking Super Bowl eligibility, some things aren’t adding up. Could Walt Anderson be assigning Super Bowl officials differently in this round? Or are we in for a bigger surprise when the Super Bowl crew is announced?
This weekend many times features some of the most exciting playoff games of the year. We’re looking forward to some good games and some great officiating this weekend!
