[James Neil]

Originally posted by Schultj
Last game I did, the QB handed the ball off on the first play of the game and the DE tackled him when I thought that it was obvious that he was out of the play. I had my flag out, but I didn't throw it because I thought that that should be the refs call not the wings, and I looked at him and he saw the hit but didn't throw the flag. Plus, I am relatively new, and the ref has been around for quite a while. Needless to say, this went on the whole game and the QB's coach was irrate. I asked the ref about it, and he said to let it go because the QB could potentially have the ball so the defense can tackle him. After this, the QB and his coach both got UC calls (the QB for swearing, the coach for his tyrade). Looking back on it, if I would have thrown that first flag, that could have prevented the whole situation. Any ideas on how to handle this in the future?

Good question Schultj. And great answers from everyone else. Especially the advice about “fishing in your own pond”. I’ve also had problems with reaching for my flag and then not tossing it. I got over this by first saying to myself “hey that's a foul, now that's a foul, oh yah that's a foul” and then going for my flag. And don't forget to continue to officiate.