Wrong Way to Start the 4th

[Rich]

Originally Posted by johnny d

MTD, I would not advocate this philosophy in HS or college games. In a middle school game, I don't care if team A has a designed play or not. Team B will be well aware of which direction each team is supposed to go in before I allow the ball to be inbounded. Second, the coach would not be getting a tech for setting up a play to confuse the opposition, they would be getting a tech for not accepting the explanation I give them and refusing to move on. At any level game, the coach can be upset about a play, and may even be given an explanation. However, once that explanation is given it doesn't matter whether he agrees with it or not, or even if the explanation follows the rules, he isn't going to continue to complain about the call without consequence. If he doesn't like the explanation or it isn't correct by rule, he can take it up with the assignor after the game is over. Finally, in the OP, it is pretty clear neither team has any idea as to which direction they are supposed to be going, so your whole designed play theory doesn't apply to this situation.

I had a coach once ask me not to point the direction in order to help him run this play. I was amazed that a coach would even think to ask such a thing.

I made sure I emphasized and re-emphasized the direction we were going to start the quarter. B didn't fall for it - they would've had to have been completely brain dead at that point to fall for it.

Coach was unhappy, like I cared.