any truth to the rumors of NF going to blue bean bags next season?

I brought this up at the beginning of the season and was almost laughed off of another board. I felt that I heard if from a fairly reliable source. He gets his info from a guy that works hand-in-hand with the Fed.

Where you getting your info? Be curious to compare notes! :)

Here in IL some crews have taken it upon themselves to
use the blue bean bags. As far as I can find it has not
been authorized by the IHSA.

In Germany, my first year (3 years ago) they were using them, but the highest league - and I think the European league has decided that they don't like them and have switched back.

I think it has something to do with being harder to find them on tape.
And there are very rarely snow games here, so it isn't that big an issue.

James

Just FYI, EFAF has never used nor authorised the use of blue bean bags in EFAF games. And with the quality of tape we get, it IS harder to find them on tape.

Never heard that mentioned as a reason though.

More college conferences are going to them (I suspect due to influence of NFL in their supervisor ranks) and one conference even went to an orange one this year. Looks like we are most all headed that direction (blue). I think this is a Honig's Conspiracy, sort of like the change mandating we toss our caps when players go out of bounds. Someone is bound and determined to make us buy new stuff.

If the NF does allow other color bags, I hope they word it similar to the CCA manual which only specifies "like colored" bags.
I say that because that dark blue bag does not stand out on the field like a white bag. Sure maybe in the snow it does providing it's not more than an inch.

I really like the look of the orange bag on the field. It's stands out like a beacon. I'd go with orange over blue should it be permitted. Otherwise, it's a white bag to the end.

The orange looks too much like a penalty flag from a distance. I say WHITE IS RIGHT (in bean bags anyway).

White is the best color.

In our area there are so many different sports that use the same field until you have a proliferation of colors. So oten when you get to the goal line you have to ask yourself which color line is it.

Going with blue bean bags just complicates a complicated situation.

I'm the back judge on my crew, and this year I started wearing three white bean bags. The two in front are traditional, but the one I keep in the middle of my back is a large folded square and is the one I use for PSK drops. In the past, I've lost too many of the smaller bags during the game, so when came across this one, it was perfect. So far, no lost bags.

Color has not been decided, but the concensus at the equipment meeting last week that round (disc shaped) bags will be mandated.
Thre are a variety of reasons. One is safety: with no corners the problem of hitting someone in the eye is greatly reduced.
Secondly, a round bag is found to lay on the ground flatter, especially with the new turf fields. Therefore it is more easily seen by not only the crew on the field but also the sorebooth and the tape/film.
Third is accuracy. It has been found that with just a bit of practice almost any official can learn to sail these round bags ala a frisbee with very good aim to the wanted spot if neccessary to actually throw the bag rather than just drop.
Lastly one of the stff has come up with a new way to attach the bag to the uniform without having to tuck it in the belt or pants thereby making it much easier to get the bag in play.
Haven't seen it, but I heard it's done by having a small metal plate on the underside of the bag, and attaching a flat rare earth magnet to the belt in the appropriate place. If this works, can flying disc flags be far behind?

"rare earth magnet"

. . .i would assume that it will be available exculsively through honigs. for a premium price. i am just glad we were not made to buy the honig pants this year with the state association patch in georgia.

Blue on grass is stupid. We will stay with white. They will have to tear the white bean bag "from my cold dead hands."

Magnets are fun but I'm not sure I see them being used to hold bean bags to your belt. I am an engineer and worked with magnets. We built equipment that would separate material. These products were used for things such as recycling to making sure there was no steel in the raw materials for plastic injection molding. Rare earth magnets are not that expensive. They are terribly strong though and if the magnet has any size it can be quite dangerous. I worked with magnet assemblies that could pick up a railroad spike from 2 feet away. I knew of guys getting their hands stuck between a magnet and something else and had to be pryed free with a crowbar. I have magnets at home that will attract themselves to each other through your arm. Strong magnets are not something to play around with.

One thing in their favor is that magnets will not damage a digital watch. The LCD may have a distortion in the color but the watch will continue to work. A watch with hands will be destroyed in a few minutes around strong magnets because the magnet stops the workings and the motor burns out.

wonder how this would affect my ready ref. i don't know what kind of workings it has on the inside.

A magnet small enough to hold the washer in a bean bag probably wouldn't have enough "reach" to affect the workings in the Ready Ref. The Ready Ref is solid state except for the vibrator so that would be the only thing which could be affected. If they were to make a magnet to hold the bean bag then it would have very good holding strength to keep the bag attached but after that the field strength would drop off very quickly. You probably wouldn't be able to feel it after about 2 inches.

what's next?

pyrotechnic flags. . .

electronic whistles . . .

I'm afraid that if I wear the "magnet bag" the wrong way, my umpire and I could truely be joined at the hip
GH

Round (disc shaped) bags mandated? Don't these people have anything better to do. How about mandating learning how and when to use a bag.

I've never heard of anyone being hit in the eye with a bean bag. Secondly, if officials are tossing bags into players facemask area they are the ones who need to have the bag taken away from. Drop the darn thing and stop throwing it.

I drives me up the goal post every time I see the Umpire or the Referee toss a bag into the line because the QB/snapper exchange was mishandled.
Why! there is no need to bag this spot. It's not a fumble. Learn when to drop a bag and when not too. It's like learning any rule.. you have to study them.

Accuracy is moot, all one needs is the approximate yard line for situations where a bag is needed?
Flying discs, er I mean bean bags are not needed.

.

looks like I fell for it hook, line, sinker, rod and reel. :D

I second that.

the Royal Blue bean bag works great on natural grass just as long as the field does not have a logo on it the same color

We talking daylight games or nightlight games? <y experience was blue was harder to locate at night games.

i have worked on some bad fields with bad lighting and dropped my psk beanbag (i usually use my newest one for that), got busy and tried to come back to get it, and spend half of a quarter looking around for it. i really don't need any colors that may blend more with the crappy grass.

of course, i am an official, so i can't see very well..

A BJ once told me that he always drops his beanbag on the hashes and he makes sure to note the approximate yardline he is standing on before the play. Sounds like a very good tip, its almost fullproof, unless a player picks it up and takes it to the sideline.

I'm thinking about installing a beeping device that would be activated by a remote control. Just click the button, and a loud beeping noise would start coming from your bean bag. Or program it with a computerized voice saying, "Hey! Pick me up! I'm over here!"

Megadittos!!! Putting the bag down at the wrong time demonstartes either you do not know exactly what you are doing or else you "saw" something inaccurately. Some guys argue it away by saying, "Well there is nothing wrong with just being sure" BS. You don't know what you are doing.

While we are on this..why do Fed guys bag the spot where a pass is intercepted?

michaelpr,

Someone is WAY ahead of you! Check this out:

http://www.davidsteele.com/electronic_whistle.html

i looked at this and thought about buying one, but it just looks like an inadvertant whistle waiting to happen.

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.