Quote:
Originally Posted by jTheUmp
My crew goes over this with the head coach in our pre-game meeting. We inform them that the punch into the backfield means "off the line" and anything else means "on the line" for the nearest receiver. We also explicitly mention that if a receiver asks "am I good?" we can't answer that question, because we don't know where they're supposed to be lined up.
When I was a wing (I'm an umpire now), I would respond with "yes" or "no" if the receiver explicitly asked "am I on/off?". If they just point or look at me, I don't say anything.
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If the kid looks at me like he wants to know I tell him if he's off (with a punch) or on (with nothing). I've found those officials who are the most secretive end up with the most flags (game interrupters, IMO) for illegal formation.
If the kid doesn't look, I can't help it and will just throw a flag if needed.