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Old Thu Oct 05, 2006, 10:54am
DJ_NV DJ_NV is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 170
I agree with Roy, however I also understand that there are some officials who are religious about the "only fish in your own pond" mechanic. While I can agree for the most part because the philosophy of not calling out of your area has probably improved officiating on the whole because officials aren't trying to call the entire game themselves, in truth it has let some teams get away with a foul on occasion.

In my opinion, the key is this. While we as officials obviously try to get the call right and sometimes this mechanic is a hard one to overcome....never, never, never, ever tell the coach that you saw the foul and didn't call it because it's not your responsibility. Ever.....
Instead, tell him that you didn't see it because you were looking at your keys or that you didn't see the entire play so you can't call something that you think was there, etc. At worst, just tell him you flat missed it. He may be pissed, but there's only so much he can do before he has no choice but to let it go. Swallow your pride, take one for the team and let him momentarily take it out on you. Personally, I have quite a bit of confidence in my officiating skills, as we all should if we're out there. Therefore, I would much rather have the coach think that I'm incompetent (at least temporarily) than to compromise the integrity of my crew. Anyday.....

In his mind (and rightfully so most of the time) there is simply no excuse whatsoever for you seeing a obvious foul and not calling it. Take one for the crew so that the integrity and intentions of your crew aren't second-guessed.

That being said, these sorts of things are worthy of private crew discussions regarding how you all want to work together moving forward. Not only that, but just remember that you can always pick up a flag if someone got a better look, just make sure the crew doesn't get into the habit of it.
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