Quote:
Originally posted by ljudge
Case 1) Team B jumps into the neutral zone and one of the wing officials goes up with a rag. Team A scores a TD on the play. The LJ comes up and says "I have team B OFFSIDES."
Case 2) On a free kick team K goes beyond the free-kick line. Team R returns the kick to team K's 5. BJ comes to you and says K was in the neutral zone prior to the kick being made.
Case 3) On a try the wings don't notice there's only 10 men in the game and screw up the fact that there's only 6 men on the line until after the play. The try is good.
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I will deal with #3 first as it is the "easiest." This is a foul at the snap, and the play would happen anyways. It may not look good, but after the play, discuss the foul, mark it off, explain it to the coach (who will not be too happy), and go from there.
I think in 1 (and 2) we all know that the play is dead before it happens, and no time would futher go off the clock (yadda yadda yadda). The real issue is how do we deal with it.
Specifically for 1, it sounds good to say adavantage, disadvantage, but using that we would have to let all such plays go. Even though it was B who ganied an advantage with the foul (though I think that can be debated in many instances), we could argue in all the other "offsides" (yes, I know the 'inaccuracy' of my vocabulary) situations that no advantage is gained (or A has the chance to "wipe away" that advantage) if they are allowed to run the "free play" (and the can always take the 5 yards later). However as NF officials, we are not going to allow that to happen, and we will blow this play dead. Also, as previously mentioned, the B coach may have seen the foul, and there will be a heck of job explaining why the play happened anyway. Yes, I know you will have a heck of a job explaining the situation to the A coach, but at least you will have the support of the rules in that situation. Either way you have to give bad news, and explain you "screwed up," I suppose I'm inclined to say have the rules on your side when you do it.
With 2, because it could be a much less "visible" foul, I am inclined to wave it off, but again, I don't think you would be wrong calling it back (but, again, obviously you have to be prepared for quite a fun discussion).