[ChickenOfNC]

Someone in another thread commented about the NFL's preseason experiment of putting the umpire in the offensive backfield with R, except for after the two minute warning. The reason given was so they could be quicker spotting the ball for the two minute offense.

This brought up something that has bugged me since I've been officiating (5 years):

Why should we (officials) deviate from our normal pace, just because we're at the end of the half? I've seen it time after time, officials rushing around to spot the football, giving the offense the opportunity to run one or two extra plays.

Why would we all of a sudden decide to give one team an advantage, when we work so hard the rest of the game to make sure we DON'T?

If my thinking is flawed, please let me know. I welcome all opinions.