Clock Management
 

This was a recent film review we had on a 6-man crew 2 weeks ago that seem to have some issues with end of quarter play. This play was even on local news and had a pretty good replay. Give me your thoughts:

5 seconds left to go in the 1st quarter and a 6-man crew. Play had been stopped for a foul and will start on the ready. Ref starts clock, Offence is line-up and horn sounds but no one stops the play. It appears (most all agree) that ball is snapped “AFTER” horn and offence runs 40 yards for a TD. Head coach for defense team is going nuts on the field (rightly so it appears).
Referee, Field Judge and Line Judge have a conference. According to some crew members on this crew, the Ref blamed the LJ for not killing the play and play stands. Now keep in mind that there was clocks on BOTH ends of the field. Some have stated it should have been blow dead by the FJ. FJ stated play clock was irrelevant at this point and watching his wide-out key. Most others said either the Ref, Umpire or BOTH of them should have stopped the play. I tend to go with the latter group.
So who do you guys think has the main responsibility to stop this play since clock ran out?

Your question is who has the 'main' responsibility, that would be the LJ, because as by mechanics it is his job. But as with all clock errors, it is the crews responsibility! They all messed it up. In this situation, even LOS should know as the horn went off.

"because as by mechanics it is his job." Reference the Mechanics?

1) the horn has nothing to do with it, this isn't basketball.
2) Potentially 1-3 officials are facing the/a clock- the WH and the U and BJ. In a six man crew, there would even be an extra set of eyes.
3) the FJ response about the play clock makes no sense if we are talking about the game clock.
4) there were :05 sec remaining and 6 guys out there and NOBODY thinks its important to watch the clock.
5) In a tight clock situation such as that, if I am the WH, I am communicating with my U before the play as to who has the eyes on the clock- me or him.

This situation arises from poor/no communication prior to the play; a play that everyone should acknowledge was in a tight time window. All six screwed up but the WH should be the leader and take primary responsibility for the lack of communciation. Blaming the LJ is rediculous- the LJ may be the primary timer by mechanic but I don't know a single LJ at the HS level that is worrying about time when there is a visible clock on the field and he has a LOS to monitor at the snap.

Haven't talked to a single official that hasn't laughed at the Ref telling the LJ it was his call???? Bottomline is the Ref lost control of the game and the crew. So he blamed everyone else is what most have stated.

That's really an incorrect premise to draw.

The white hat is first among equals and should show leadership and insure that communication was made before the play but the whole crew f'd this up.

That being said, I'd have no problem with the LJ telling the R to do something anatomically impossible.

Learn from it, don't repeat it.

Send him this.

https://www.referee.com/what-it-real...-a-crew-chief/

A basic principle is, and always has been, either a team "get's a play of in time...or it doesn't. Although sound advice remains, "When a scoreboard clock horn is operational, figure out how to shut it off if at all possible" to avoid the potential of difference between a mechanical shut-down and a manual (whistle)shut down.

When there's no horn, and a game official sees "00" and then blows his whistle, if the play somehow starts between the mili-second seeing "00" and actually sounding the whistle, the play NEVER started, and any advancement is with a "dead ball".

Either/both the LJ/BJ and R, should be concentrating on the clock(they're facing), to ensure the play got off on time (or not. ) If the play didn't start before the "0-0"showed, any/all should kill any action that may have started (to avoid the EXACT problem that ensued )