Quote:
Originally Posted by JasonTX
Thankfully we us NCAA rules and counting line players is no longer required. But last year we counted the players on our side of the snapper.
If I had 3 players I would touch the bill of my cap. If both wings gave the same signal all was good.
If I had 4 players on my side of the snapper I would place my hand on my cheek.
If I only had 2 players I would just hold up 2 fingers.
So basically, both wings would add the numbers up and both would have a flag. I only work R now, but when I worked on the wing I had my own responsibilities and waiting to see the R or U signal they had 11 to me away from my area. Also I am at the huddle counting and myself and the U signal pretty quickly so that we can move on to other things so it would be possible that the wings would miss the signal.
This is just the way we did it and whatever works best for you is great.
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Just curious, why do you need to have separate signals for 2 or 4 in an unbalanced line? I have found it to be sufficient to use the same signal. I cannot think of a situation where it would be confusing. As long as one official knows if the line is light, you are good.
I have never used the mechanic of counting the men in the backfield as the primary determination of legal formation. For NF, it removes one of your checks in that if the wing officials miss the R (or U) signal for Team A being light, you could miss an illegal formation. It requires R to hold the signal for 10 or less until the ball is snapped (or acknowledging with 3 officials).
I personally prefer counting from the center out as my primary responsibility (after counting Team B). I still usually count the backfield as a check for myself, but only after I count the line.