New Manual Review (corrections?) / talking points

[Junior11]

As part of my pre-season training I have been reviewing the new Mechanics and best Practices crew of 5 manual.   Below are some observations and possible corrections.  Let me know your thoughts

 

1. bean bag mechanics - p 11.  number 10a.  H should use a beanbag in following circumstances "In a time-sensitive situation, when the down box is tardy getting to the spot of a 1st down and the players are ready for the next play, use a beanbag to mark the spot where the down box will be placed on 1st down"     The clock stops for 1st down.  Why would we run the next play without chains ready?  

 

2. p 13 number 10 " in time critical situation, when the offense is in a hurry up mode, U will need to go from sideline to sideline in order to retrieve and spot the ball"   I have always thought this slowed things down when a U went outside the hashes to get the ball.  If B and R are doing there job to help retrieve ball it should be faster if U stayed on the hash.  Thoughts?

 

3.  p 20 chart.   Double change of possession team A snaps - chart says play clock starts at 25 - it should be 40 sec play clock

4.  same chart . Touchdown -  official signal is signal 5 (TD signal) and not signal 3 (stop the clock)

 

overall I love the new manual.  I'm glad it provides more objective measures to be used to rate officials

[JustRules]

1 hour ago, Junior11 said:

As part of my pre-season training I have been reviewing the new Mechanics and best Practices crew of 5 manual.   Below are some observations and possible corrections.  Let me know your thoughts

1. bean bag mechanics - p 11.  number 10a.  H should use a beanbag in following circumstances "In a time-sensitive situation, when the down box is tardy getting to the spot of a 1st down and the players are ready for the next play, use a beanbag to mark the spot where the down box will be placed on 1st down"     The clock stops for 1st down.  Why would we run the next play without chains ready?  

This should be very rare. In general I agree with you to wait for the box or chains to be set. If there is a significant delay it would likely be related to a physical issue with the box or chains. If your U steps away too soon though you could use this as a backup if the team is in a hurry as well.

2. p 13 number 10 " in time critical situation, when the offense is in a hurry up mode, U will need to go from sideline to sideline in order to retrieve and spot the ball"   I have always thought this slowed things down when a U went outside the hashes to get the ball.  If B and R are doing there job to help retrieve ball it should be faster if U stayed on the hash.  Thoughts?

I haven't read the book yet, but does it state the B/R should help with ball rotation at all times? Unless the U is really slow (and we have a lot of them), I find it much quicker to have the U go outside the hash and return the ball. But having the R or B can help if they are already there. The drawbacks to getting them involved is you have one extra pass and you lose another official to mind the store for dead ball officiating. Tossing the ball around and hitting the ground can cause the crew to look very bad and lose credibility. Your goal should always be to never have a ball on the ground. For our crew this instruction is no different than what we always do. The U may be hustle a little more when time is critical (especially when the clock is running), but we've found it's usually more efficient for the U to move outside the hash.

3.  p 20 chart.   Double change of possession team A snaps - chart says play clock starts at 25 - it should be 40 sec play clock

4.  same chart . Touchdown -  official signal is signal 5 (TD signal) and not signal 3 (stop the clock)

overall I love the new manual.  I'm glad it provides more objective measures to be used to rate officials

Comments above in red. Great observations and feedback.

[Bobref]

2 hours ago, JustRules said:

Comments above in red. Great observations and feedback.

 

2 hours ago, JustRules said:

As part of my pre-season training I have been reviewing the new Mechanics and best Practices crew of 5 manual.   Below are some observations and possible corrections.  Let me know your thoughts

1. bean bag mechanics - p 11.  number 10a.  H should use a beanbag in following circumstances "In a time-sensitive situation, when the down box is tardy getting to the spot of a 1st down and the players are ready for the next play, use a beanbag to mark the spot where the down box will be placed on 1st down"     The clock stops for 1st down.  Why would we run the next play without chains ready?  

This should be very rare. In general I agree with you to wait for the box or chains to be set. If there is a significant delay it would likely be related to a physical issue with the box or chains. If your U steps away too soon though you could use this as a backup if the team is in a hurry as well.

Agreed that this will be very rare. Only time I’ve seen it used is when the chain crew was suspected of intentionally dragging its feet to favor the home team.

2. p 13 number 10 " in time critical situation, when the offense is in a hurry up mode, U will need to go from sideline to sideline in order to retrieve and spot the ball"   I have always thought this slowed things down when a U went outside the hashes to get the ball.  If B and R are doing there job to help retrieve ball it should be faster if U stayed on the hash.  Thoughts?

I haven't read the book yet, but does it state the B/R should help with ball rotation at all times? Unless the U is really slow (and we have a lot of them), I find it much quicker to have the U go outside the hash and return the ball. But having the R or B can help if they are already there. The drawbacks to getting them involved is you have one extra pass and you lose another official to mind the store for dead ball officiating. Tossing the ball around and hitting the ground can cause the crew to look very bad and lose credibility. Your goal should always be to never have a ball on the ground. For our crew this instruction is no different than what we always do. The U may be hustle a little more when time is critical (especially when the clock is running), but we've found it's usually more efficient for the U to move outside the hash.

Again, I think @JustRules explained it well. When things get crazy at the end of a close game, an errant relay toss can be a disaster. Unless the play is well downfield, it is actually quicker to have U go sideline to sideline, if necessary. Of course, if your U is not up to the task, you have to make adjustments.

3.  p 20 chart.   Double change of possession team A snaps - chart says play clock starts at 25 - it should be 40 sec play clock

What about a punt, fielded by R, but fumbled and recovered by K? Isn’t that a 25 sec. clock? I would agree for all plays not involving a legal kick.

4.  same chart . Touchdown -  official signal is signal 5 (TD signal) and not signal 3 (stop the clock)

 

My comments in green.

Edited July 27, 2021 by Bobref

[Impartial_Observer]

One observation so far with the new manual, I have attended two meetings where the manual has been discussed, and both times as clinicians discussed the manual, have contradicted what the manual said and how we should do it. I'm left to scratch my head. 

[Bobref]

45 minutes ago, Impartial_Observer said:

One observation so far with the new manual, I have attended two meetings where the manual has been discussed, and both times as clinicians discussed the manual, have contradicted what the manual said and how we should do it. I'm left to scratch my head. 

Not cool. What aspect of the manual did these clinicians get wrong?

[Moshiner1345]

2 minor things and one more significant thing that just seems really awkward with the mechanics. We did two games this past week and had the opportunity to follow the mechanics to the letter and I'd like to provide feedback on these 3 things:

The 2 minor:

1) The opening mock coin toss mechanics. It says for the Umpire to have his back to the press box while facing R. Yet the U brings in the visiting team. Which means he has to walk by the R who is standing in the middle of the field waiting for the teams to arrive. Then when the R is doing his re-enactment, he is on the opposite side of the home stands. This most likely will make it difficult for the press box to see the R.

From the way I'm reading it, it looks like this:

| Press                                       #12 #15 #25 #64 R                                 Visitor   |

| Box                                   U      <  <  <  <  <  <  <  <  <  <  <  <  <      Sideline   |                                                         

| Sideline                                   #22 #56 #67 #88                                                 |

 

Why not have R on the Home side of the captains and the U stop on the opposite side facing the pressbox? This means the U wouldn't have to walk past the R and awkwardly have his back to the press box during the re-enactment. It would also allow the pressbox to see the R better. This is how we did it in prior years to my knowledge. Something minor, but felt super awkward when we did it.

2) The pre-game script for 2021 has the Umpire checking the game balls and the manual has the Referee checking the balls. Again not a huge to do, but when being observed we want to ensure the "correct" person is doing their job.

The more significant (in my opinion):

1) When the ball is snapped from the 11 yard line, the manual says for the Back Judge to be on the goal line. This makes it very very difficult to cover the end line on quick throws to the back of the endzone. Corner fly routes where the QB takes one step and releases. If the B could split the difference (5 yds from the EL and 5 from the GL) then they would have a better chance to be in position to rule on an end line play and still have enough time to come up and rule on a goal line play (since it's 5 yards either way). Maybe when the ball is snapped anywhere from the 15 to outside the 10, the BJ could line up in the middle of the EZ.

 

Just wanted to provide some feedback after experiencing the mechanics.

 

 

[JustRules]

Anywhere between the 10 and 20 I think the BJ should have some flexibility in their starting position. From the 15-20 I would normally default to goal line but be ready to retreat quickly if you see a receiver heading to the end zone. If you read run or all routes are short stay put. If the ball is snapped 10-15 start on the end line (I'm OK with mid-way but prefer end line). If you read run move immediately to the goal line. You'll have time if you have a mobile BJ. If you read pass read the routes. If they run a screen pass you'll have time to move up to the goal line as if it was a run read.

This is a little more complex mechanic and some crews won't be able to handle it, but it provides much better coverage for good crews. With a 5-man crew you will often have gaps in these plays but do your best to cover it. The BJ standing directly behind the U is not good.

Had the same experience on the other 2 points you made. We weren't sure which mechanic to use on checking the ball so we went with U based on past experience.

[Bobref]

All suggestions for improvement in the manual are welcome, and will be addressed during the off-season. We anticipate annual revisions. So, for now …