Moron that I am, I had my second inadvertent whistle yesterday.

Between the same two high school teams that I had my first a year ago.

And this time I hosed the other team, so at least I'm Even Steven.

Saw the face mask, threw the flag, and blew the fricking whistle. Kid spun out of it and went for a touchdown. You know the ignosecond? That split-second where you realize you've made a dreadful mistake? I wanted to pull the sound back out of the air and back into the whistle.

Happened in the first half, and the kid's team wasn't going to win anyway (they lost 42-20, they were outclassed), and it hosed the team on my sideline, but I didn't hear about it the rest of the game, so they were cool about it (one nice thing about freshman ball), but I'm so fricking stupid. Still bugs me.

Veteran guys on the crew were good about it, too. Ref said if you're going to have an inadvertent, blow the hell out of it so everybody knows.

I try not to keep the whistle in my mouth anymore. I'm not comfortable with the finger whistle. I don't know any other options other than not being a moron (which may not be an option at all for me).

Any suggestions?

I agree with your crew. When I had mine (I've had one since 1993 and it was this season), I didn't try to swallow it, I kept blowing the whistle until everyone stopped. Then, being the white hat, I got to explain the options to the coach while listening to a bunch of crap :)

My suggestion is to stop counting your IWs and put them in the past. Be vigilant in dropping the whistle from your mouth after the snap. Remember that you're human and you've only worked 18 games IN YOUR LIFE.

Hey, it's Friday. Time to pack the bag. Good games, everyone.

My suggestion: Spit the whistle out at the snap, you can't have an IW if its not in your mouth. This allows you to gain another second while you bring it to your mouth. This will give you the time you need to realize that you shouldn't blow the whistle or maybe that the ball comes lose.

OK, this is a coach question:

So what are the "options" here...we had a similiar sitch in our game last Friday...LJ on our side blows his whistle just as running back pops out of the pile on the far side and is headed for an easy TD...they didn't give us any "options", the WH just put the ball back at the original LOS and said we had to replay the down - didn't even give us the first down we would have had had they given us the progress to the spot where the whistle blew...

My first game as a white hat, 1992. I had an IW on the opening kickoff. Fortunately, it was so whimpy that no one heard it and we played on. Never had one since so I don't feel the need for a finger whistle.


I tell my crew: "Let the play kill itself."

I believe options are A can take the ball at the spot it was at when the IW happened, or replay the down.

WM

That is correct.

REPLY: rockyroad...here's the complete scoop on how the Federation handles inadvertent whistles:
1. If it occurs during a free or scrimmage kick (i.e. before the kick ends) or during a legal forward pass, you must replay the down
2. If it occurs while the ball is in player possession, the team in possession can choose to either (a) count the down and have the ball wherever it was when the whistle sounded, or (b) replay the down
3. If the ball is loose following a fumble, backward pass, illegal kick, or illegal forward pass, team last in possession can choose to (a) accept the play at the spot where player possession was lost, or (b) replay the down.

However, if there is a foul during the down and the penalty is accepted, these three choices are trumped by the enforcement of the penalty

On the initial sitch, I would stress about it less than you seem to be, because it's very likely that the kid who ran for a TD only did so because the defense stopped when they heard your whistle. In fact, after ANY IW, the runner should be able to run for a TD - because the defense better not be tackling him after a whistle.

Thanks guys...that was what I understood the rule to be, but the WH was pretty adamant that we didn't get to take the first down and he made us replay the down from original LOS...just wanted to check with the experts!

Over? What's the discomfort with the finger whistle? If you don't like how it feels on your finger I'd suggest a wrist lanyard. I've used one for years. I never liked how the finger whistle fit me.

We had a similar thing in a game two weeks ago. Scrimmage kick, kick catching interference and the ball was loose, no one had touched it. The whistle was blown (not by me) while the ball is rolling around. Effectively, it killed the play and the less-learned assumed it had been 'downed'
by someone. We dealt with the KI and moved on. Cleared it up for the next time. Move on is right. Stuff happens.

If you do have an IW or even hear one you had better get your bean bag down because that spot is important. The whistle may not have been from one of the officials in that game but if it did affect the play then it is an IW. I quit keeping the whistle in my mouth a few years ago and while it can be harder to run while holding it in one hand I like it better than holding in my mouth were if I just breathe wrong I can blow it. There aren't that many situations where a quick whistle is important. The play always kills itself and your whistle only reflects that. This season we have at least 1 or 2 plays every Friday where nobody blows a whistle because those of us who do (U doesn't ever) blow them couldn't see the ball when it became dead. The players know that the play is over. Now on a lower level game it is common to hear 2 or 3 guys blowing plays dead.

One thing I have done, and it helped so far, is I keep my tounge over the whistle hole. I have not had an IW in 3+ seasons since I went to it. What helps now is I am mainly WH and I usually drop the whistle from my mouth.

However, thanks for bringing it up here to keep us all on our toes at avoiding them.

One of the more senior guys in our organization tells of one of his very first games when he had an IW, in perhaps the second quarter. His referee was supportive, so that he would not get down on himself and reminded him that it happens to all of us. The same guy had an IW on the very next play. The referee very calmly told him to put the whistle in his pocket and that if he saw it out of his pocket, "I'll cram it up your..."

The guy jokes, "I haven't had an IW since. Of course its still in my pocket."

I usually work HL and I never have the whistle in my mouth, even at the snap. I work with a long lanyard that allows me to hold the whistle in my left hand even when I'm running.
In football you don't have to blow the whistle immediately like in basketball so why have it in your mouth?

Nah, it's just I haven't gotten comfortable with the mechanics of the whole thing. I work a lot of two-man, and stopping the clock, finding the whistle, signaling to stop the clock, I haven't figured out how to do everything gracefully yet.

I see other guys with the whistle in their mouths and they manage. I guess I just can't do that, but I feel like I'm always trying to find the thing when I need it.

I wish they made a whistle where your first blow activates it and your second blow makes the sound. That would solve a lot of my problems. :)

Any other suggestions, I'm all ears.

Over the 25 years I have worked at HS and D1 level I have worked at every position. At umpire I only use a whistle on a neck lanyard. It is in my mouth from the RFP until the snap, when I let it drop from my mouth. I rarely blow a whistle to end a play from the umpire's position. At referee I used to use a finger whistle, but I didn't like blowing a whistle and attempting to give hand signals at the same time, you know, like when a fumble is returned for a TD and I am standing with my left arm curved to my mouth and my right arm held erect to signal a TD. I tried wrist lanyards and had the same effect. One day in a college game I noticed that the FJ was carrying his whistle in his hand. I asked him about it and he said it allowd him to put the whistle in his mouth when it was time to blow it and still have free use of his hands. I paid attention to him throughout the game and he would run around with it in his hand and then blow it as needed. As soon as he finished blowing the whistle and had no need to continue blowing it he would take it out and place it in one of his front pockets. This allowed him to change out balls, write up penalties or do whatever other duties he had to do prior to the next play. When the RFP was blown he would take it out of his pocket and hold it in his hand.

Over time I developed a modification to this. I took a spring clip like the one used by climbers and wrapped it with black athletic tape and attached my whistle to it. I hold the clip in my clasped hand with the whistle protruding out between my index finger and thumb. The time it takes to raise the whistle to my mouth keeps me from making that quick whistle we call an IW. I am able to clench the whistle in my teeth and blow and signal simultaneously as needed. I then drop the whistle in my pocket until I need to mark the ball RFP. This has work for me for about the last 15 years and I have not had an IW during that time. I have found that this set-up works well for any position, but I still prefer the neck lanyard when at umpire.