For the officials reading this, please feel free to share this with other officials (if you consider it useful). Of course, you should also feel free to raise issues or questions, as well. For the non-officials, would you like to be able to look at some little, often unnoticed, things that will tip you off about the proficiency of the officiating crew you’re watching without having to wait for a “big call” to let you know?
If your crew gets observed, you can be sure your observer will make notes respecting the “big deal” items on the checklist: rules knowledge, penalty enforcement, general scrimmage and kick mechanics, etc. But you can’t control what happens in the game, so you can’t control whether the observer will get a good read on how proficient your crew is. There may not be a “big” play, like a tricky rules issue, an important catch/fumble call, overtime, or the like. But there are things you can do to showcase the crew, even if your game is plain vanilla, or a Mercy Rule blowout filled with JV players. Here are 10 “little things” you can do to impress an observer, even if the game doesn’t provide opportunities to “test” the crew:
1. Uniform/equipment
Are the crew’s uniforms really “uniform?” Everyone wearing the same style shirt, pants, hat? Everyone have the same color beanbags (except for your contrasting color bag, see below)? If you choose to wear position plackets, are they accurate? If one crew member has a flag patch, does everyone have the same patch in the same location? In cold weather, if you wear jackets for the pregame, are they the same jacket for the whole crew? The more uniform your uniform, the better.
2. Pregame
Do you clean up uniform/equipment issues during the pregame inspection: wristbands, face paint, exposed pads, etc.? Make note of whether the QB is right or left-handed? Ditto for kickers. Did you watch to see how the kickers and punters are? Speak with the clock operators? Inspect the line to gain equipment? Did you spend noticeably more time with one coach vs. the other (coaches notice this!)?
3.Clock
Does a crew member always remind R of the clock status after any administrative stoppage, e.g, penalty enforcement, injury timeout, measurement, etc.? Did the crew let a couple seconds run off on a false start or encroachment, and not order the clock reset? Does the crew communicate on 4th down, that the clock will stop after the play regardless of the result of the play?
4. Measurements
The proliferation of turf fields, with their clear markings, has reduced the frequency of measurements. When one arises, do it right. Was the ball handled correctly prior to the measurement? The clock? During the measurement, did B hold the ball from the nose, so as not to block the view of the front stake from either sideline. Following the measurement, if the ball needs to be moved in to the hash and re-spotted, was that done correctly?
5. Quarter change
Did all crew members mark the down, distance, clip and ball position on their game cards before doing anything else? Did L move immediately to the succeeding spot on his sideline? Did B do the same in the field of play? Did R and U bring the ball to the succeeding spot together? Did all crew members jog to their positions, as opposed to a leisurely saunter? Did the crew communicate to make sure everyone has the same # of timeouts remaining for each team?
6. Timeouts
Do all crew members note timeout information on their game cards? Does B time the length of the timeouts and signal R at the appropriate time? During the timeout, do crew members attend to their duties, or do they get together in a group and shoot the breeze?
7.Sidelines
Do the wings communicate effectively with their sidelines? Is the coach allowed to step on the field to call plays? Is the restricted area kept clear while the ball is alive? Do the wing officials use the sideline warning procedure when appropriate?
8.Signaling/communication
Does the crew have a method of communicating important information, by signaling or otherwise? Double stakes, clock status, “5 is a 1st down,” inbounds or out of bounds, players on or off the line of scrimmage, pass forward or backward, etc.?
9. Reverse goal line
Doesn’t happen all that often, but is a telltale indicator that a crew has really talked about and honed their mechanics. Does the crew communicate every down to confirm who has goal line responsibilities? Do the wing officials “cheat” toward the goal line at the snap when they have goal line responsibility? Does R modify his normal initial position to protect the goal line when that is his responsibility?
10. Beanbag mechanics
Do B, L, and R have a beanbag in hand on all free kicks? When using the bag to mark the spot of a fumble or backward pass, is the bag dropped (good) or thrown (not so good)? Is the bag used to mark a fumble behind the neutral zone? It shouldn’t be. Is the bag B carries to mark the end of the kick a contrasting color? Do the wing officials use the bag to mark an out of bounds spot (bad)? Do crew members use the bag any time they see a loose ball, or do they only use it when they actually see the ball come out of the runner’s possession?
Officiating excellence is not always about making the big call in the big game. More often, it is an accumulation of many, many little things done correctly every single time over a long period. I could probably list 20 more if I gave it a moment’s thought.
Question
Bobref
For the officials reading this, please feel free to share this with other officials (if you consider it useful). Of course, you should also feel free to raise issues or questions, as well. For the non-officials, would you like to be able to look at some little, often unnoticed, things that will tip you off about the proficiency of the officiating crew you’re watching without having to wait for a “big call” to let you know?
If your crew gets observed, you can be sure your observer will make notes respecting the “big deal” items on the checklist: rules knowledge, penalty enforcement, general scrimmage and kick mechanics, etc. But you can’t control what happens in the game, so you can’t control whether the observer will get a good read on how proficient your crew is. There may not be a “big” play, like a tricky rules issue, an important catch/fumble call, overtime, or the like. But there are things you can do to showcase the crew, even if your game is plain vanilla, or a Mercy Rule blowout filled with JV players. Here are 10 “little things” you can do to impress an observer, even if the game doesn’t provide opportunities to “test” the crew:
1. Uniform/equipment
Are the crew’s uniforms really “uniform?” Everyone wearing the same style shirt, pants, hat? Everyone have the same color beanbags (except for your contrasting color bag, see below)? If you choose to wear position plackets, are they accurate? If one crew member has a flag patch, does everyone have the same patch in the same location? In cold weather, if you wear jackets for the pregame, are they the same jacket for the whole crew? The more uniform your uniform, the better.
2. Pregame
Do you clean up uniform/equipment issues during the pregame inspection: wristbands, face paint, exposed pads, etc.? Make note of whether the QB is right or left-handed? Ditto for kickers. Did you watch to see how the kickers and punters are? Speak with the clock operators? Inspect the line to gain equipment? Did you spend noticeably more time with one coach vs. the other (coaches notice this!)?
3. Clock
Does a crew member always remind R of the clock status after any administrative stoppage, e.g, penalty enforcement, injury timeout, measurement, etc.? Did the crew let a couple seconds run off on a false start or encroachment, and not order the clock reset? Does the crew communicate on 4th down, that the clock will stop after the play regardless of the result of the play?
4. Measurements
The proliferation of turf fields, with their clear markings, has reduced the frequency of measurements. When one arises, do it right. Was the ball handled correctly prior to the measurement? The clock? During the measurement, did B hold the ball from the nose, so as not to block the view of the front stake from either sideline. Following the measurement, if the ball needs to be moved in to the hash and re-spotted, was that done correctly?
5. Quarter change
Did all crew members mark the down, distance, clip and ball position on their game cards before doing anything else? Did L move immediately to the succeeding spot on his sideline? Did B do the same in the field of play? Did R and U bring the ball to the succeeding spot together? Did all crew members jog to their positions, as opposed to a leisurely saunter? Did the crew communicate to make sure everyone has the same # of timeouts remaining for each team?
6. Timeouts
Do all crew members note timeout information on their game cards? Does B time the length of the timeouts and signal R at the appropriate time? During the timeout, do crew members attend to their duties, or do they get together in a group and shoot the breeze?
7. Sidelines
Do the wings communicate effectively with their sidelines? Is the coach allowed to step on the field to call plays? Is the restricted area kept clear while the ball is alive? Do the wing officials use the sideline warning procedure when appropriate?
8. Signaling/communication
Does the crew have a method of communicating important information, by signaling or otherwise? Double stakes, clock status, “5 is a 1st down,” inbounds or out of bounds, players on or off the line of scrimmage, pass forward or backward, etc.?
9. Reverse goal line
Doesn’t happen all that often, but is a telltale indicator that a crew has really talked about and honed their mechanics. Does the crew communicate every down to confirm who has goal line responsibilities? Do the wing officials “cheat” toward the goal line at the snap when they have goal line responsibility? Does R modify his normal initial position to protect the goal line when that is his responsibility?
10. Beanbag mechanics
Do B, L, and R have a beanbag in hand on all free kicks? When using the bag to mark the spot of a fumble or backward pass, is the bag dropped (good) or thrown (not so good)? Is the bag used to mark a fumble behind the neutral zone? It shouldn’t be. Is the bag B carries to mark the end of the kick a contrasting color? Do the wing officials use the bag to mark an out of bounds spot (bad)? Do crew members use the bag any time they see a loose ball, or do they only use it when they actually see the ball come out of the runner’s possession?
Officiating excellence is not always about making the big call in the big game. More often, it is an accumulation of many, many little things done correctly every single time over a long period. I could probably list 20 more if I gave it a moment’s thought.
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