[stripes]

Originally posted by Mike Burns
Tony said it better than I can, but...

The first three years of officiating I have focused on learning the rules. Now I have to learn how to apply those rules to make the game better. Part of this is understanding game management as well as game flow. (Quote) "The best call of the game may be the one you didn't make." That comment has not set well with me in the past, because I thought "the rules are there to be enforced". And yes they are, but not to the extent that you have game interupters. Obviously I am not saying to throw the book out, but rather to know how and when to apply the intent of the rules, so we can call the best game for the players, coaches and fans.

I believe that this is one of the hardest things to learn as a newer official. I think we all go through the "cop" phase where we try to "get" every little thing because it is in the rule book. A good working knowledge of the rules is very important, but knowing how and when to apply them is even more important. This concept is hard to explain to younger officials so that they will get it and understand. I think you said that officiating is an art rather than a science and that is a great analogy. It is not an exact thing in most cases (if it were, reffing would be much easier) and we have to know how and when to pick our spots.