Wings, need your opinion

[BigGref]

I am putting out a philosophy question for wings. For games what do you tell players on the end (Offense and Defense) do you; say nothing, tell them you are end or back, tell them when you are 95% sure they need to scoot up to be an end, tell them to back out of NZ so you don't flag 'em? What are your opinions for Varsity (completely quiet v. help at times), 9th and JV, and JH. Thanks ahead of time and good luck!!

[Texoma_LJ]

I will ask before the game who the receivers coach is. I will then explain to him that when the ends are coming out tward me, I will hold my arm up to indicate that they are off the line. It is their responsibility if they are to be on the line to move up until I lower my arm. This prevents any verbal communication and the responsibility is on them to make sure they are where they are supposed to be. I will do this for V, JV, and freshman levels.

JH levels I try to help out by punching back ends that are off and saying "off". If they tell me they are on, I will nod my head or give them a thumb in one direction to get them on.



[Edited by Texoma_LJ on Sep 25th, 2005 at 12:46 AM]

[l3will]

See the thread "How far do you go"....

[Texas Aggie]

I'm in Texas, and most of us stick a foot out. I find the center's waist, and put my foot there, telling the (lower level) kids, "here's the line" followed by a "move up" or "scoot back" when needed. In JV and Varsity, basically, we just put a foot out and they get it. Usually, the receiver will point at me and either say he's on (i.e. tell me where he is positioned), or ask if he's on. I'll tell them, and we'll play.

At the lower levels, if I'm having a problem with a receiver, I'll tell the coach something like, "I'll have a foot out, and tell your player to put his front foot even with mine, and listen to whether I tell him to scoot up or back off." They always say, "OK," and much of the time the problem is solved. In Jr. High, we have to work harder with them.

[referee20]

At varsity level I'll use an extended foot for the line if an end is looking for help. I never tell someone to move up or back, because if they're moving at the snap and your telling them to move, your gonna have problems . I feel at the varsity level players and coaches should know better. At lower levels I'll help them out more.

[kentref]

I straddle the neutral zone and will extend my upfield (on A's side of the neutral zone)leg slightly forward. If A sends a receiver out to the numbers or wider I will verbalize "here's your line" while tapping on the front of my upfield leg. Once the receiver stops I will tell him "you're on" (if he's on the line), or "you're off" if he is positioned as a back.
At the lower levels I will sometimes verbalize "here's your line" more than once if he lines up in no man's land.
I never tell a receiver to move up or back.

[Snake~eyes]

You're on or You're off.

[mcrowder]

Aggie... that you, Jon P?

I explain my mechanics (arm out - OFF, arm over chest - ON) to the coach. Then, I give the foot, and that's all to varsity players. Anything below that, if the kid comes out yelling, "I'm on!" or "I'm off!", I'll help him. And below JV, I'll help ANYONE get out of the neutral zone on my side of the center.

[BulldogMcC]

At the Varsity level we have been instructed, I believe it came from the State, to answer yes or no questions on the wing regarding the position of the widest player. Players are instructed to come up to the line, get set then ask "Am I on the line?" or "Am I off the line?" We tell the players about the arm position, but some still need to ask. The smarter kids pick up on the arm position and stop asking after a while. Below Varsity I am more helpful and lienent. If a player below varsity level is having a problem and I cannot seem to get through to the player how to verify his position I will not tell them to move up or back, I will ask his coach to come down to the line, yes even outside the team box, to see what I am seeing so he can take the necessary coaching steps to get the players to learn how to line up where he wants them. If it is the team on the opposite sideline, I will get the message to him through the R and other Wing (if we are not playing 3 man mechanics).

[Bob M.]

REPLY: Most of the teams around these parts have become used to indicating where they're supposed to be by either pointing to the line or pointing backwards. I will just confirm with them ("#26 is on the line" or "#10 is a back"). I also extend my upfield foot and tap my thigh saying "This is your line" the first time a receiver comes out toward me. After the first two or three series, everything seems to be fine.

I agree...don't ever tell a player to move up or move back. That practice is a disaster waiting to happen.

[BigGref]

So am I catching the general idea that if you have an Offensive guy come up, line up a good 2-3 feet past the NZ that you are going to flag it there (Varsity) even before the Center comes to the ball, without even a word. I have only done 1 V game on the wing but in lower levels I say "your in the NZ, back up" I just believe that if it has little to no influence on the actual play (like the ball not even being touched yet) then you can help out a little, like saying "look at the ball" Opines?

[grantsrc]

Originally posted by Bob M.
I agree...don't ever tell a player to move up or move back. That practice is a disaster waiting to happen.

This is a nasty habit that I have gotten in to. Happened on Friday. Had a WO come up, lined up in no-man's land, told him to move up (because it was obvious that was where he was suppose to be), as he was moving forward, his team hits an 80 yard slant pass for a TD. Luckily, he was on the opposite side of the field from the defense. I didn't hear anything but I was expecting the entire time I was following the play.

At half, I pulled him aside and told him he needs to get out earlier.

I have come to the realization that I need to stop moving these guys. It is easier to tell them to move back or forward, true. But as my example above illustrates, it can be a disastrous situation if he is moving while the ball is snapped. I think telling them "on" or "off" is the best way to go.

[Suudy]

We get inconsistent direction on this one. When attending the state clinic each fall, we are directed by the clinician that silence is prefereable. But if you do say something, say "This is your line" while pointing to your foot that is on the line. Other than that we are to point back if they are off the line, or do nothing if on the line.

But of course, each WH has his own preference. One WH I work with says there should never be an illegal formation call since we should be working with the kids. Another WH I work with does everything by the book. So if there is an illegal formation, flag it and tell the coach what happened. Leave it up to the coach to fix the problem he says. So after a couple of illegal formations (I don't usually flag the kid the first time, I warn him and the coach), they finally get it.

Coaches attend the clinic as well, and are told that we are to be silent. Yet the kids come out asking "Am I ok?" How do I know where they are supposed to lineup? So if A gets flagged for an illegal formation, the coach tells the kid to ask the wing. I explain to the coach and the kid that I will not tell them if they are ok. I explain that if I point back they are off the line, and if I do nothing, they are on the line. I always get quizzed looks and remind the coach of the clinic.

For varsity, I usually follow the state instructions (unless I'm working with the one anomalous WH). For JV, I say "On" or "Off" and warn about 5 or 6 times before throwing a flag. Below I do the same, but I never throw the flag. The way I see it, varsity kids should know where to line-up. JV is to help them get to the next level, so I give a little help. Below JV, they are mostly clueless.