Coaches, players and fans are allowed to panic when a play goes awry. Officials, on the other hand, must react to broken plays as if they’re routine and they saw it coming all along. However, the crew must be especially vigilant for fouls during those broken plays. Here are some examples of what to do when the play is executed in a manner …
Hey everyone, As promised, wanted to provide an update as early as possible related to trainings and camps for the year. I know folks are working on plans for the summer and fall, want to give you what we have so far. That said – THIS INFORMATION IS ALL TENTATIVE! Once these items are finalized, …
Two huge mistakes that officials can make are ball-watching and officiating air. The former means watching the runner to the exclusion of what’s happening around him. The latter means focusing on areas where nothing is going on instead of shifting our eyes to where something is happening. Both prevent us from seeing things we need to see. That problem, moreover, afflicts veterans and newer officials. At times, …
Ball-Watching Afflicts Veterans and Newer Officials Alike Read More »
By Jon Bible Iremember sitting at the breakfast table on the morning of a late-season game between two cellar-dwellers. One official, a garrulous person whose normal speaking voice could be heard in the next block, exclaimed, “How the hell did we end up with this piece of (deleted) game?” We all laughed because it pretty …
Safe, fair and fun. That phrase — that triangle, if you will — contains the ingredients to the best game you’ll ever have. And there is no reason why almost all your games cannot be like that. You have complete control over the first two items. Only you can allow an unsafe or biased game …
In a game that featured number one against number two — Notre Dame vs. Michigan State — college football fans were highly anticipating which team would come out on top. But there was no winner or loser at the end of the day. The 1966 match-up between football’s titans ended in a tie. With intense …
The Game Of The Century – Notre Dame vs. Michigan State 1966 Read More »
In most seasons, false starts are the most frequently occurring fouls and arguably the foul that requires the second least amount of judgment (calling 12 players in the formation doesn’t require much judgment). But every foul requires some degree of discretion before the flag is thrown. For various reasons there are three fouls that seem …
The umpire is in charge of the line of scrimmage and all the action that takes place in and around it. There are some rules that are of particular importance to the official working that position. Snap infractions. Restrictions on the snapper begin when the ball is ready. The snapper may adjust the ball, but …
When I was a deep official, I would catch flak from my linesman and line judge crewmates. They told me they do most of the work in a game and that I only pay attention when there is a pass or kick. It is true that wing officials are involved in the vast majority of …
I t’s a question all officials hear at some point in their careers. Unfortunately, fans yelling it from the stands are usually unaware the game they are watching isn’t played by the same set of rules they are used to seeing on TV. There are myriad examples of that sort of rules ignorance, but we’ve …
