This is what is meant by intent. Ed Hochuli in the 4th qtr of the Monday night game killed the play before it began, got on the microphone and said this. There was no play. When I blew the whistle to start the clock, some of the players thought I was blowing the play dead, and took a knee. Therefore we had no play and it is still 4th down.
This is not in the rules, but he knew it was a misunderstanding due to the circumstances and he took appropriate action. This is common sense that needs to be addressed sometimes in all of our games. It is similar to the referee not letting some high school kid who does not understand how the foul will be enforced say the wrong thing and then making him stick to it. Another situation is at the coin toss when one captain does not fully understand the options and wishes to kick both halves. I know they may want to, in some odd cases, but to make him stick to his first choice and not make sure he understands how everything works is correct by rule, but not by intent. Rules knowledge is important, but understanding how to imply them, and the intent in which they were written is what makes for the best officials.
Great piece of officiating by a great NFL referee!
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