[waltjp]

Penalizing a team because a player was not inside the 9-yard marks after the RFP seems a bit ticky-tac but so is penalizing a team when they only have 6 on the line of scrimmage or they cover a tight end who goes out for a pass.

I assume you ask the coaches if their teams are legally equipt before each game. I'd be willing to bet that both coaches put some thought into the answer before saying 'yes' next week. I'll check the players as best I can before the game during warm-ups.

Know fully the rules and accept officiating procedures for each sport in which one serves as arbiter. An officia's person opinion about the value of a rule is not to have an effect on the enforcement of the rule. - Points of Emphasis