Awful Announcing Podcast: Dean Blandino on NFL officiating, Brotherly Shove, Jerry Jones, and more

Host Brandon Contes interviews Fox NFL rules analyst Dean Blandino. Brandon and Dean discuss a wide range of topics including Dean’s thoughts on the Brotherly Shove, being on Jerry Jones’ party bus, being Fox’s rules analyst, and more.

Here’s the full breakdown:

• :42: What Dean misses most about Long Island
• 1:39: What Dean misses most about being NFL VP of Officiating
• 2:35: Is refereeing a “thankless job?”
• 4:00: Being a replay official
• 4:51: Goals from having internship in NFL officiating department
• 5:25: How do referees get to the NFL?
• 6:29: Officials looking down on Dean because Dean wasn’t an on-field ref
• 7:31: Could Dean have been an on-field ref?
• 7:51: Calls from coaches as VP of Officiating
• 8:25: Coaches Dean dreaded talking to?
• 9:26: Players who were more difficult to deal with?
• 10:20: Going from VP of Officiating to an on-air rules analyst for Fox
• 11:35: Communicating with Mike Pereira
• 12:00: Does Dean have issues with saying something was a bad call on air?
• 13:42: Working with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
• 14:20: Does Dean prefer the booth or the command center?
• 15:06: Does Dean have more to offer as an analyst?
• 16:33: Working with Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen
• 17:16: Prospect of working with Tom Brady
• 17:50: Has Brady reached out about anything rules or broadcasting related?
• 18:13: Aaron Rodgers’ comments about networks stealing the best referees to be rules analysts
• 19:18: Should NFL referees be full-time?
• 21:06: What does an official do during the week?
• 22:21: What does Dean do during the week?
• 23:04: Sports betting and refereeing
• 24:23: NFL officials being approached to manipulate games for betting reasons?
• 25:28: NFL impacting scores in terms of adjusting how many flags are thrown from week to week?
• 27:05: Favorite rule change
• 27:41: Should there be more reviewable plays?
• 28:55: Working with the XFL
• 29:43: Brotherly Shove
• 31:43: Future of the NFL in terms of player safety
• 33:06: Rules protecting the quarterback
• 34:05: Does Dean receive more complaints when working at the league office or as a rules analyst?
• 34:50: Working the Super Bowl
• 35:51: Dean’s most controversial decision as a replay official
• 36:44: Being on Jerry Jones’ party bus
• 38:16: Was the NFL bothered by that?
• 39:13: Stand up comedy

Thanks for listening, and if you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe and leave us a positive review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you get our podcasts.