Sideline Management & Control

[JMN]

This is a great time in the season for us to pool our knowledge and share techniques while we can still take an idea and try it on the field.

Please share one of your gems of tried and true techniques, skills, or phrases that have helped you to manage a coach, sideline, or diffuse a volatile situation.

We all can learn from the vast years of experience on this board and hopefully be better prepared the next time that we're provided with the awesome opportunity to work the "Sideline from Hell!" (Since Friday night is Halloween, it may confront you more quickly than you thought!)

[chris s]

My crew is well known for not calling BS penaltys, but sometimes at the sub-V level, we got this guy that tosses some bad ones!!! When I have the offending sideline and we got a cheesy penalty, first words from me are, "don't kill the messenger, but we got a hold(or whatever)...."

I do have a knack for humor, do my best to keep the coaches "loose"

One I had a few weeks ago, A gains bout 20, I had a block in the back bout 11 yards past line to gain, we march it back and A still had first down. B coach is crying that flag shoulda been 2 yards back, I had nailed spot with flag, no neeed to adjust it. He keeps crying, I finally got a bit PO'd and grabbed my flag and asked him, "you wanna see yellow again?"........he was quiet

[Simbio]

Before the game, I like to personally talk to the head coach of whose sideline I'll be working (I normally work LJ.) I try to establish a good professional relationship before the game. I'll ask him to help me keep his players in their team box or ask him if he has any "get back" coaches. I'll say something like "If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to talk, not yell, with me. If there are any penalties against your team, I'll do my best to get the number and what happened and report it back to you." And I've found one thing that helps greatly is throughout the game, whether I mean it or not, I'll usually tell the coach thanks for helping me keep his team back and how much I appreciate it. I almost always have good sidelines and I think it's partly because of this ritual. I find when I don't go through with all of this is when I usually have the most problems with the sidelines.

[JMN]

Simbio.

Couldn't agree more and I commend you on empasizing the positive on the sideline. Complimenting the team on the sideline that is trying to stay in their box is a great technique and works well for me, too.

How about working the chains back 3-4 ft from the line? Success with that? It's worked well for me this year. Others in our assoc fall into the "they'll never do it" mantra. I've insisted on it this year and this has also helped keep the team off the sideline.

I combine this with moving the portable yard markers back to the same distance as the team box. That way I can just tell them to get behind the numbers to clean up and it makes it easier for the players to understand where the box is. (Of course, you get some of those sly dogs that try to move the numbers forward when I'm not looking )

[Snake~eyes]

I agree, complimenting teams effors to keep their team inside the box is a great thing to do.

I was doing little league playof game last night and a lot of the fans were inside the fence(not on the field but on the track). So we asked everyone to go behind the fence. In the third quarter coach asked people who had come onto the track to go behind the fence and I told him it was greatly appreciated.

[Forksref]

I agree with JMN. After the clip is set, move the chains back. When I work the wing positions, I work a lot of the game OOB and I need the room. It's a safety issue. Address it before the game with the chain crew and with the coaches.

[parepat]

Started to move the chains off the line after this incident. I was running downfield on a pass play. The next thing I knew I was face first in the turf. I later found out that my chain guy had allowed the far stick to cross onto the field. In the meantime, the pass resulted in an interception in the end zone, with a close play to the sideline. I barely saw the play and was in horrible position to make the call. From that moment on, I've moved the chains back.