It is that time of year....I have a question for everyone

[twocentsworth]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

My question is for those of any level, what does it mean to be better than another official in your mind?

1) Calling plays correctly
2) Mechanics
3) Calling plays correctly
4) Managing the game properly
5) Calling plays correctly
6) Calling plays correctly

Let's be honest...if you can't get plays right, absolutely NOTHING else matters.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by twocentsworth

1) Calling plays correctly
2) Mechanics
3) Calling plays correctly
4) Managing the game properly
5) Calling plays correctly
6) Calling plays correctly

Let's be honest...if you can't get plays right, absolutely NOTHING else matters.

I rarely agree with you, but I do here.

Getting plays right makes game management and all the other stuff easier.

I was having a chat with a fellow officiating geek last weekend and we were talking about some stuff. And I said, "Playcalling is underrated." And to me, it is.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by twocentsworth

Let's be honest...if you can't get plays right, absolutely NOTHING else matters.

I do not totally disagree, but there are plays we make that are considered subjective by the participants. If we call a T on someone, it is subjective. We do not always give those out because we missed a call, but what a coach or player thinks. We can get all the calls right that does not mean we will not have to deal with some BS. And even more, the video tape might be the be the only way those participating knows we got it right. It does not work all the time at the time and we all know this.

Peace

[jTheUmp]

I've always tried to just control what I can control, and whatever happens from that happens.

I can control:
My rules knowledge
My judgement and understanding of philosophies of playcalls
My weight
My mechanics
My court appearance, demeanor, and attitude
My promptness in accepting assignments
Limiting my turnbacks, keeping my schedule up-to-date, and if I have to turn back an assignment, I do so with as much advance notice as possible.

Pretty much everything else with respect to playoff assignments/state tournaments/etc is out of my hands... so I'm not going to worry about it. If I get playoff games, great. If not, so be it... I'll watch them on TV and see if I can pick out things that those officials are doing that I need to add into my game.

[twocentsworth]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I do not totally disagree, but there are plays we make that are considered subjective by the participants. If we call a T on someone, it is subjective. We do not always give those out because we missed a call, but what a coach or player thinks. We can get all the calls right that does not mean we will not have to deal with some BS. And even more, the video tape might be the be the only way those participating knows we got it right. It does not work all the time at the time and we all know this.

Peace

I agree. Too many officials (and typically ones that are not as strong/good as others...) cause more of their own problems vs problems that normally present themselves during the game. The BS that you speak of is oftentimes CAUSED by the official.

I've worked w/ several officials this season that cause friction between themselves and others (coaches, players, partners, etc.) simply by the way the act/talk/behave. It boggles my mind...and these are guys that have worked state final games!

I, along with my crew, strive to be the calmest person in the arena. That's the goal anyway...

(I'll probably need to be "calm" in a few minutes as anything other than face/face verbal communication tends not to be very effective...I'm sure plenty of others will come along shortly and misinterpret my comments above.)

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by twocentsworth

I agree. Too many officials (and typically ones that are not as strong/good as others...) cause more of their own problems vs problems that normally present themselves during the game. The BS that you speak of is oftentimes CAUSED by the official.

I've worked w/ several officials this season that cause friction between themselves and others (coaches, players, partners, etc.) simply by the way the act/talk/behave. It boggles my mind...and these are guys that have worked state final games!

I, along with my crew, strive to be the calmest person in the arena. That's the goal anyway...

(I'll probably need to be "calm" in a few minutes as anything other than face/face verbal communication tends not to be very effective...I'm sure plenty of others will come along shortly and misinterpret my comments above.)

I agree for the most part.

Peace

[packersowner]

There are post-season games where I think to myself, how in the hell did that guy get that game?m And I can say that there are nights where others are probably thinking the same thing about me.

[Dad]

Originally Posted by packersowner

There are post-season games where I think to myself, how in the hell did that guy get that game?m And I can say that there are nights where others are probably thinking the same thing about me.

This is the assigners job. Why even worry about it? I've never worried about it and it paid off.

Unless I'm critiquing officials, because they asked for it, I'll just look for what things they do really well. Then decide if I want to steal it or not.

I'm going to attribute my success to not giving a s*** about anyone else and only worrying about how I can get better. Even if it's minuscule.

[Kansas Ref]

It is natural human emotion and curiosity to question why you did not get selected to ref any district level or state play off games--especially when you thought you've done all that was required during the regular season and/or season prior to qualify for such assignments (i.e., punctuality, getting calls correct, resolving conflictual issues, managing the game well, and decline no turnbacks. Thus, you may be at a severe loss for a rational explanation--especially when / if you discover that some other ref who [in your judgment] seems inferior or is lacking in certain above-cited qualities. This is why tentative explanations such as: "good ole boy network" persist in the domain of officials, causing some refs to feel as though regardless of how good they are they will never be selected for such assignments.