New Football Official-Call?

[EddieLopez]

I have worked 2 JV HS games and some Pop. I called my first flag football tonight. BTW thanks for all of the advice last year in basketball to those that do both.

Here is the play, DB intercepts the ball in the end zone-his obviously, he comes to a stop on the catch and makes no intent to down or come out of the end zone. I blew my whistle(Felt weird after I blew it), I felt his forward progress came to a stop, he showed no intent on running it out, and my instinct was to blow it dead. After I did this he started to run and made it to midfield, they started hollering that th eplay was not dead, and why I blew my whistle. At that point it is mute, whistle causes the play to become dead-right or wrong.

I loooked in the Florida High School Rules book, and did not find that to be correct as far as my reasoning, not sure, but I did not find that as one of the reasons the ball becomes dead.

Was I right or wrong in flag, or does it not matter at any level.

[BktBallRef]

If you blew it dead, it's dead.

It's the DB's team's ball, 1st and 10 on their own 20.

[Warrenkicker]

You did what seemed right to you at the time but you had an inadvertant whistle. I can admit it, and I think most everybody else who posts here can too, that I have had a couple before. Some of us just get whistle happy. Normally it is because we are new to this. Others come from trying, too hard at times, to get the play stopped as quickly as possible to avoid the late hits.

One thing that really helped me was to get my whistle out of my mouth during the play. I hold it in my mouth until the ball is legally snapped. This way I can get the dead-ball fouls and stop the play. Then I take it out and hold it in my left hand. I flag and bag with my right. Then when the ball becomes dead I put it back into my mouth. If it is never in your mouth while the ball is live then you are less likely to blow it inadvertantly. I never liked just dropping it from my mouth during the play as it was hard to find later, I like to hold it.

When you blew your whistle the ball became dead. The team in possession of the ball at the time had the option of taking the results of the play or replaying the down as if it had never happened. I'll give you three guesses which the defensive coach would have picked.

Just keep at it and don't get discouraged. We all make mistakes. It is just how we learn from them that is the important thing.

[STEVED21]

Eddie,

How long was it between the time the pass was intercepted and you blew the whistle. You may have had an inadvertant whistle, but not because the whistle in your mouth, but you may not have given B enough time to figure out he could run.

I work with the whistle in my mouth most of the time. I will tell you that any inadvertant whistle I have blown is not because the whistle in my mouth but because my head was in my a**.

Good luck and keep learning.

[Bob M.]

Eddie,

Like the others have said...don't worry about it. You've learned something. Many times an IW occurs when something unusual happens, or where there's a moment or two of indecision--like when the B defender just stood still.

One comment though on your thought process. Forward progress is not something that the runner stops. It must be stopped by contact from a tackler. A runner who voluntarily stops his forward movement is still a runner and the ball is still alive. Don't mistake this situation for forward progress being stopped.

[AlabamaBlue]

Steved21, the extra time it would have taken you to put the whistle in your mouth may have been enough for you to remove your head...

[MD Longhorn]

In a play last year, the ball was picked off in the end zone. No whistle. Interceptor immediately dropped the ball, and jogged off the field along with his teammates. Offense also ran off the field. Still no whistle. No one ever came back for the ball. Took us a while to decide exactly what to rule, and even longer between games to find the rule to verify we'd done it right.

So, without looking, what's the call. And the rule? (We're NCAA, so I'm interested to see how this is covered in NF as well).

[PSU213]

Originally posted by mbcrowder
In a play last year, the ball was picked off in the end zone. No whistle. Interceptor immediately dropped the ball, and jogged off the field along with his teammates. Offense also ran off the field. Still no whistle. No one ever came back for the ball. Took us a while to decide exactly what to rule, and even longer between games to find the rule to verify we'd done it right.

So, without looking, what's the call. And the rule? (We're NCAA, so I'm interested to see how this is covered in NF as well).

Here is the NF ruling. The ball is dead when it is apparent no one is trying to secure possession (4-2-2e2), and it sounds like in your situation it was very apparent that no one was trying to secure possession. A's pass is the force that put the ball in the EZ...touchback (8-5-2b).

[JMN]

Why do I think that there's some weird NF rule that a ball declared dead in B's end zone with no one in possession is awarded to A? TOUCHDOWN?

Am I nuts or is this in the rule book?

[PSU213]

Originally posted by JMN
Why do I think that there's some weird NF rule that a ball declared dead in B's end zone with no one in possession is awarded to A? TOUCHDOWN?

Am I nuts or is this in the rule book?

Rule 8-2-1c: "It is a touchdown when a backward pass or fumble is declared dead in the end zone of the opponent of the player who threw the backward pass or fumble while no player is in possession (other than because of an inadvertant whistle)."

Force is never a factor in such situations.

This wording in the rule here is pretty awkward. It could happen if A had the ball at the 5. They fumble and in an attempt to gain possession A1 accidentally kicks the ball into the EZ. All players stop and begin to walk off the field (for whatever reason; I can't really imagine why they would). Blow the play dead once its clear no one is going for the ball; TD for A. Has anyone ever actually seen something like this happen?

[Edited by PSU213 on Sep 25th, 2003 at 06:08 PM]

[EddieLopez]

Thanks for the responses guys. Actually i am glad this was a flag football game and not a Pop or HS game, every time you can work a game its great cause you always can get something out of it.

Back to the situation though, 1-3 sec. from interception and whistle.

My question is what rule if any exists in that situation. Smilar to kickoffs when in the end zone. Does the player have to down in or go out of bounds. In that moment I felt he showed no sign of returning it and after that I blew it dead.

[jack015]

Originally posted by JMN
Why do I think that there's some weird NF rule that a ball declared dead in B's end zone with no one in possession is awarded to A? TOUCHDOWN?

Am I nuts or is this in the rule book?

No, you are not crazy. You are correct.