Surprised at the vehemence of the responses. I did say I don't do Fed. I guess it can be harder in FED than NCAA on this, since in NCAA, the referee only has to worry about 2 things - where was the QB when he released, and where was the ball when the pass ended. I see what you're saying, though, when your trigger is the INITIAL direction of the ball (as in FED), and not the EVENTUAL direction of the ball (as in NCAA).

AMEN!

Agree with Suudy. On our crew the wings take it. Not really a need to punch back. If the play is to my side I'll either have a whistle or not, if there's no whistle, we're playing.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bob M.
[B]Excellent point Bob M. It may be a difficult sell for the opposite wing guy but if he clearly sees it's backwards then he is in great position to help out the R on the call. I personally like the idea of the wings punching back on a backwards pass but the majority of white hats that I've talked to don't seem to like that mechanic.

First of all, I never woulda thought this could turn into a 2 page thread, but I'll take it.

For the record, our association has always said for the wings (where i was working) to punch back on a backward pass. I thought it was forward, so I never punched back, and as the ball hit the turf, I IMMEDIATELY hit the whistle and signaled incomplete pass.