While the majority of the focus lies on the teams themselves, under just as much pressure, if not more, in each game are the officials. No one ever hears about the officials who make the right calls, but when something goes wrong, taking the criticism as a professional is possibly the most important tool an official can have.
"The first thing I tell upstart officials is to 'kill them with kindness,'" said Tony Michalek, NFL umpire and USA Football Director of Officiating. "Always be professional. We always want to be polite and courteous and to the point, and we always want to acknowledge them. If you don't know the answer, tell them 'We will get the answer when we can.'"
Michalek continued that when a coach who is upset with a call gets personal, he asks that coach to "please repeat that." By using this strategy, the upset coach will have a chance to rethink his approach, but of course, a second offense will result in a penalty.
"The one thing that we need to do is we need to be professional," Michalek said. "We also never blame another official. We ignore the fans and the parents. We don't engage with them. And if it's a controversial call that I made, all I tell the coach is 'This is what I saw; this is what I ruled.'"
Standing by your call is one of the most important things a credible official can do, especially at a level that does not have the option of an instant replay. The official who changes his call without the firm reassurance of a replay is one who looks indecisive and unprofessional.
Michalek also stressed the importance of an official keeping their cool during the game. In a sport that is as emotional as football is, it's very important that somebody remain calm and composed - and that has to be the officials.
"I learned my biggest lesson in keeping my composure working lower level football from USA Football's own Bill Lemonnier," Michalek said, a Chicago-area native who officiated in Super Bowl XLII. "When I was young and immature, I would violate all these rules and engage with fans and coaches and lose my cool. Bill was the one who told me that if I wanted to continue and to be a good official, I needed to learn to control myself."
Tony Michalek has now been an NFL umpire for six seasons and continues to give back to America's favorite sport by leading the development of programs for officiating members and officiating clinics for USA Football.
