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You will rarely have to blow your whistle. Probably only for dead-ball false starts and those types of fouls or if B requests a time-out before the ball is snapped.
A common mistake that I see with umpires that just makes me cringe is when the runner is running, let's say, an off tackle play and he gets tackled with his back to the middle of the field and the umpire blows the whistle. If I'm on the wing and can see the ball and hear the whistle before I see the ball dead, we have a major problem because if the runner does fumble you have a sideline full of coaches and bleachers full of fans that can see a clear fumble after the whistle.
Free kicks...line up opposite the chains about the 20-30 yard line depending on what you've seen from the kicker. Be sure to watch initial blocks from BOTH teams...especially the contact at the "wedge." Only take the runner when he comes into your territory but you should still be watching the blocks in front of him at this point.
Scrimmage kicks...watch for roughing the snapper and after the ball is away, pivot and move slightly toward the LJ side of the field (he should release immediately with the snap). Be sure to watch the blocks on both teams as the players move down the field and then when the return is taking shape.
We have our umpire "punch" his fist across the goal-line to signal to the wings that we have a TD.
Bottom line is listen to your R's mechanics suggestions in the pre-game and just have fun.
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