[stevesmith]

Good question.....

I think I would take the one that has the best knowledge of the rules and put him at either referee or umpire. You have to have someone in the middle who can get the enforcements right. I had a third year man as an umpire two years ago. He did very good job, but I know it was up to me to make sure he marked off the penalties correctly. This past year, I had an umpire who has been around since the dark ages, like myself. It was a very comfortable feeling on my part knowing that when a flag was thrown, he knew what to do and I could focus on giving signals without having to worry about the ball being spotted in the wrong place. Your umpire is also the one that will set the tone with the players. Every play, he is in the pile talking to the players. He can acknowledge a good play while at the same time letting the players know he is right there watching and not going to let them get away with anything.

I think I would take the new guy who is both agile and who you trust his judgement beyond a shadow of a doubt to be your backjudge. A good backjudge will work his butt off for you 95% of the night. The other 5% is going to be in the final minutes of each half when the offense is trying to move the ball down the field in a hurry. At those times, your backjudge better be quick, and when he finally gets to make a call, everyone in the stands is going to see it so it better be right!

I tend to agree that a new guy on the wing isn't a bad thing. For the most part, they are making the easiest, most common calls. But they also better be able to communicate with the coaches. If they can't communicate with coaches, your night will be miserable before the first quarter ends.

I think being able to get a feel for the coaches and talking to them when necessary, as well as knowing when to ignore them, is the most important key to having a smooth night. I'm am not saying that you have to kiss up to them because that will make things even worse in the long run. But if the coach has a legitimate question, it should be anwsered politely and respectfully. When the coach starts to get upset, thats when you have to be able to talk to him. He still may not like what you have to say, but at least he'll feel like you're listening to him. Most of the time, even when a coach is unhappy, he'll be satisfied with you just acknowledging his complaint.

The key to the crew being successful is trust. Every member of the crew has to have 100% trust and respect for the other crew members. If any one of them begins to have doubts about another, the crew will quickly crumble. It is up to the crew chief to rectify the situation immediately, otherwise, there will be dissent for the rest of the season. I made the mistake once of hoping a problem would take care of itself. That was the worst mistake I've made in my officiating career. The longer I waited, the worse it made things. Any problems that arise during a game should be addressed IMMEDIATELY after the game. Make sure everyone leaves the locker room to go home still functioning as one team!

Good luck to you.