[WestCoaster]

Originally Posted by jchamp

For our NFHS games, my crew (and some others in our association) use the mechanic that as soon as the kick is up on the try, the BJ blows the whistle. The logic is that, 4-2-2i states that the ball is dead when the kick scores, or when the kick cannot score (blocked, short, wide, etc.). Since it can prevent injuries or altercations to have a whistle sooner than later, we blow it as soon as it's kicked--it won't change the path of the ball but it could end some other extracurricular action.
Another crew member stated that this is technically an IW (partially true, it's not inadvertent), and should cause the down to be replayed. This likely won't change the mechanic that we use, but I was wondering if other crews or associations use this mechanic, or have even considered it.
This is also the only situation that I can think of where we choose to whistle quickly. Any other case, it's "hold it unless you're completely sure, and even then pause a moment".

We have one referee in our association who takes the whistle on extra points. As soon as the foot hits the ball, he blows the whistle. Hard for someone under the uprights to always tell whether the ball has been kicked or muffed, and since muffs can be advanced for two, he doesn't want anyone blowing the whistle but himself. I kind of like this mechanic. We had an umpire once blow his whistle before the ball was actually contacted by the foot. He missed the extra point, but we had to award a re-kick for the IW. Of course he made the next one.