6 Man Crews?

[Mike Simonds]

Our local association has been using CCA 6 man for over 10 seasons now. It does give you good coverage on forward passes near the sidelines because you always have 2 pairs of eyes: one to cover the feet and the other to cover the ball (and thats why they call it "foot-ball"). Also, the extra guy on the sideline can help dead-ball officiate and get the extra ball into the umpire faster. Fade mechanics allows the deep officials to get down to the goal-line and remain ahead of the players on long plays from scrimmage.

Next year all the local associations will be reformed under a state organization. They are going to mandate that 5 man mechanics be used, with 7 for the play-offs.

I believe that a good 5 man crew can get great coverage if everyone follows their keys and works together. The main issues are that the wings have total coverage of the sidelines and the back judge has to run a lot more. But it can be done, even when you have a lot of passing.