Most football fans know Dean Blandino first and foremost as the omnipresent rules analyst on Fox's pro and college football coverage.
Blandino, however, has a different role in the offseason. The former NFL vice president of officiating serves as the head of officiating for the XFL, helping shape a rules package quite different from the NFL’s in some respects.
Because the XFL is so TV-friendly, Blandino is often forced to blend his two roles. Most of the time, this is a fruitful formula. Sometimes, however, giving a live mic to the league's president of officiating goes sideways.
On Saturday, with the Orlando Guardians nursing a 10–6 lead against the Seattle Sea Dragons just before halftime, Blandino was brought on to explain a neutral zone infraction. However, he appeared to change his mind after giving his perspective, muttering into a hot mic, “We actually screwed that up.”
The officiating snafu helped deny the Guardians one final scoring opportunity before the half, and the Sea Dragons went on to claim a 26–19 win.
