Quote:
Originally Posted by whitehat
Lesson 1: If progress not stopped, don't move in towards the pile as if it has.
Lesson 2. work as a team and don't use language that will cause a crew member to become defensive. This LJ is a good official and now he will be even better with this mechanics tweak.
lesson 3: we all make mistakes and becoming "territorial" like the comment in the OP is counterproductive to good crew relations and mechanics. there is a proper time and place to maybe have a stronger discussion, but on the field in the middle of a game does no one any good IMO.  peace. |
I agree wholheartedly with lessons 2 and 3. When there is an apparent difference of conclusion between field officials, the appropriate way to deal with it is for those officials to get together, share each other's perspectives and agree on a single conclusion.
That discussion should be immediate and as private as possible and absent any gestures or signals until a conclusion is agreed upon. Priority should be given to the official who saw something as opposed to the officials whose conclusion is based on something not seen (i.e. a forward pass SEEN to touch the ground before being caught versus a pass NOT SEEN to touch the ground before being caught, would be ruled incomplete).
I didn't understand the suggested lesson 1. Had the LJ believed progress was stopped, I believe he would have signalled so with his whistle as he was converging. Moving towards the ball and NOT sounding a whistle would suggest to me that he was still observing a live ball.
Any subsequent explanations you choose to make can be easily handled by simply informing "He (the other official) had the better view and saw something I didn't". If, or to what extent, you choose to amplify that information is up to you, but usually, the less said the better.