Quote:
Originally posted by BulldogMcC
I would rather have officials take a moment to put it together but get it right as a crew than to have someone blow a whistle while a loose ball is on the ground. Remember, not everyone is watching the QB, or at least they are not supposed to. The Wing may very well have been watching the blocking and/or down field receivers and then out of the corner of his eye observed the ball become loose. He may not know how so his safest bet is to cover it like a fumble. The official responsible for the ball carrier is the one that must rule on fumble or forward pass.
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I agree 1000%. There should only be one or two sets of eyes on the ball. In underclass games many times you have inexperienced officials working and they don't have the background or mental quickness to process these types of plays immediately. Not a dig on those guys, just saying that over time, they will become faster once their rules knowledge improves and they see plays like this more. I would much rather have an official sit on his whistle than blow it dead when we have a guy running downfield for a touchdown.
Hurry up and wait is some of the best advice for new officials. Hustle so you put yourself in position, but wait on the whistle. The whistle doesn't kill the play....