Quote:
|
Originally Posted by parepat
I did not say any rule was too "militant". WHat I said was that certain officials are militant about the enforcement of some rules.
And, I doubt you call the backside hold thirty yards behind the play in an eighth grade game. Instead, I'd bet that you use your judgment, hold the flag and use the opportunity to talk to the player. Likewise, I use my judgment in controlling my sideline.
|
OK, fair point. Although on your analagous point, I belive 99.9% of the officials out there would not call a backside hold 30 yards from the play. However, on keeping the sidelines clear, it seems to me that this rule is important (and not militant) to enforce, and that enforcement is made more difficult by the apathy of some linesmen. I believe it's a safety issue (for me, the unsuspecting coach, and potentially for players, both playing and not playing), and is important to enforce. There are polite ways and non-polite ways to handle it, but it must be handled, not ignored. Once you let the line of coaches creep up, the kiddos creep into the coaches box. And once a couple creep in, more and more do. If you don't enforce this rule, you are bound to have problems (or if you play so far into the field that YOU don't have problems, your successor will).