This is a great idea! I already note the approximate line, but always having your bb at or near a hash mark is brilliant!

I wish I knew myself. While I don't see it on a regular basis, it has been occurring. If it were inside the 5 yard line (i.e. a possible momentum situation) I'd not have a problem with it. Problem is for the times I've seen it, we're talking mid-field.

Once again, they just don't understand the reason for using a bag. Is it a training problem or a learning problem? Got a feeling it's a little of both.

I whitehatted for a crew from a different region for some youth football association championships today and they used the blue bags as well. The field we were on was the site of a state playoff high school game, and their logo is a huge blue circle with red letters in the middle that was 20 yards in diameter. Let's just say I had a hard time finding the unfamiliar colored bag a couple of times today on fumbles.

that's the only bad part about using the blue bags

T, you are 100% correct about this one!

I like the Blue bean bag on the turf fields. I lose the white one on the lines....

Why not just go to your local restaurant and steal 5 of those flasher/buzzer things that page you when your table's ready.

I too have lost a white bag on a line. Took me a long time to find it. I now use the blue one. Most officials in Canada who use one are going to blue. (However, most of our officials in Canada do not use them, sigh.)

why wouldn't they use them?

The bean bag is not a mandatory piece of equipment in our amateur game. In the past few years, more and more officials are using it. They are mostly the younger officials that only need a second to see it's value. I've actually written a document that outlines it's use.

As for blue/white, if your bag is on a line, shouldn't you have quite the idea of where your bag is? When I'm covering a kicking play, I always know (within 2-3 yards) of where the bag ended up. Here's how: I know the yard line I'm standing on. When I toss the bag, it's usually about 3 yards, and I can do the math. 40 yard line - 4 yard toss = bag on 36 yard line.

The R's know I use it and are not shy to ask me when they need it. And for some, I remind them that it's being used. There's one official in my local association who knows he can count on me to help manage the game with that extra step of a bean bag. I guess we're in a transition state right now.

That's awesome. Hope it keeps going that way.