coaches box
 

What do L and LJ do to keep coaches/players back on the sidelines other than the continuous warning? I guess I've never paid too much attention to where they are unless they get in my way, but with the chains being back 6 ft this year they are more obvious to me and a hinderance to the chain crew. I've always told them before the game that if I run into them or they are in my line of vision to the field its a flag. Any other suggestions?

When I was the Referee on my crew last year, I would in the coaches meetings tell the coaches that we enforced sideline decorum as instructed through the State Association. That was their first warning and then after that if we threw a sideline warning, they believed we were serious. Now it helped us because our state took a very low tolerance for coaches being on the field.

If you do not have that kind of support, tell the coach one or two times then start throwing yellow. Throwing yellow seems to work and send the right message.

Peace

Ask the head coach for a "get back coach" during the pre-game conference. Use him when you get too many folks in the box.

Get back coaches are "the man" the head coach says is in charge of sideline management, so know him by name and have him help you. If he does not do his job, you could tell the HC he is going to get a flag if things are not cleaned up and you have talked to the GBCoach with no success. It will get cleaned up pretty quick I'd think.

JRut has the only thing that really works, coaches will abuse us on this until we hit them with a flag. "Get back" coaches are really good until the game starts; they are good for one or two "get backs." We need to enforce this before one of our wings officials gets hurt, not after they blow their knee out. When that flag goes up for the warning they think they are getting a yardage penalty and when they see it is only a warning they seem to be a bit thankful and now they are willing to cooperate with us.

I agree with Ron. You can usually rely on the "get back" coach once or twice at the beginning of the game. If he can't keep your sideline clean on his own after a couple of reminders, the Sideline Warning is your tool. Use it. I've RARELY had to actually penalize this problem - normally the SW is plenty.

Here's what I do in NF (I've never had much of a problem in NCAA though the fields are marked much better). Anyhow, if I'm HL or LJ, I'll introduce myself to the head coach before the game and tell him that I'll be on his sideline and I'll communicate with him as much as I can and get as much information to him as I can. This way I start the relationship off on a cordial note and I set the tone that I'm not Type A or out to be overly-officious and just out to do my job.
Just before the first kickoff, I will ask the players very nicely (but loud enough for all of the coaching staff to hear) to please be behind the coaching box. This usually gets the coaches fired up at their players and they do the job for me. It also subconsciously conveys that I've given them a 'warning' or that I'm at least trying to work with them in a cordial manner. Throughout the first quarter--and it has to be the first quarter so that you're not calling something later in the game that you let go during the first half or so--I'll verbally ask coaches and players to get back, even when the ball is live if they're in my way (though anything egregious is enough for a sideline warning flag). However it's usually the assisstant coaches wearing headphones that I bump into when they're basically standing on the sideline. If it happens more than once, I'll start to change my tone and be more abrupt but still professional. At this point I'll ask the head coach for help (not the get-back coach--I don't even care who the get-back coach is. If the head coach is having to be bothered by me for something as trivial (in his mind) as sideline control, then usually he goes ballistic on his assistants which saves me the trouble.)
Now here's the fun part. If it's the head coach that's giving me the trouble, usually by being way out to call plays after I've told him to stay on the sideline, or the assistants still in my way, I'll wait for a big play that benefits them like an interception return if they're on defense or a long run that results in a TD or is close. Then if I even brush sleeves with a coach, I'll toss the flag when I run by. They'll usually know that it's something that has to do with the sideline because I threw it right when I bumped them. Then I let the coach have the pucker factor that it's all coming back because he got in my way. I'll also go out and talk to the Referee first to let him know that it's just a non-player sideline warning foul with no yardage. Then after what seems like an eternity on the sideline, I come back to the head coach and explain that the penalty is on him or one of his coaches, players, etc. and that while there will be no yardage assessed 'this time', there will be a yardage penalty if it happens again. I conviently leave out that all yardage will always be assessed as a non-player, succeeding spot and therefore the play will always stand (unless of course it's bad enough to be Illegal Part. but I have yet to see anything close to that). So therefore I'm the good guy, not the jerk and then his pent up adrenaline is subsequently released on his coaching staff for such a 'close call' and not me. works great....
And the bonus is that the off official gets to go to his coach and explain what's happening and to urge it not to happen over there. That coach is happy as all hell that 'the other guy' is getting in trouble and not him. It really is a great psychological tool.

Get back coaches are useless. I stopped asking for these guys a few years ago to help me out. Now with the new rule about the chains, you can address this in the pre-game with the coaches. You would be surprised how many times coaches tried to resist or talk about what the crew did the week before, but for some reason that first flag stopped a lot of stuff.

Peace

Some are, some aren't. Sometimes, with a good one, all you need to do is look at him and say, "Coach!" and he'll take care of it. Other times, with a good one, you NEVER have to say anything, as they have the sideline clean all game.

But yeah, some are worthless until they get that SW, and then all of a sudden they are paying attention.

Hey guys...not sure if I'm understanding everyone. If the team is in the team box and the coaches are in the coaches box....and the wing official is working off the field, feet touching SL, are you going to issue a warning/flag for brushing/bumping into a coach who is in the coaches box?

Let me put it this way, many more are so worthless I do not bother trying to concern myself with a get back coach. If something only works 5% of the time on a good day, I would just rather not worry about them. Coaches do understand yellow and if they are warned before the game, then tend to comply a lot quicker.

If it works for you, use it. All things we individually use might not work for other people.

Peace

If a coach is in his coaching box but basically standing with his toes on the sideline, then yes, along with many other factors that have already been stated, there is a potential for a SW. Another thing is that how many teams really have only 3 coaches in the box if I can't effectively do my job, though I'm more inclined to issue a SW when there are 6 or 7. Personally, I really don't care how many they have if 1) they're not constantly in my way, and 2) aren't *****ing all the time. When either of those start to occur, then I start to tighten up the rule a bit. The main thing in my opinion is that once the ball is live, there's not much they can do but watch so they need to be out of my way and field of vision, then during the dead-ball period, I'll stay out of there way within reason.

This wouldn't be a foul. We are talking about having coaches and player where they aren't supposed to be. Where I live they can only have 3 coaches in the first box, they always have more. Most coaches like to move farther and farther out on the field to talk to their players and then they don't return to the boxs.

Hey Mick, you need to incorporate a song lyric in all of your posts. :)

I would NEVER pick this nit. Not if I wanted to work again. Seriously - would this help or harm your ability to work with your sideline? Fix the egregious, and fix the things that prevent you from doing your job. Leave the rest alone. (One exception I can remember. Had a coach chirp in my ear for 3 quarters that the OTHER team was too far out on the field - he would not listen to me saying it was not my issue, it was the issue of the other side. He kept on and on. So I went in, mentioned it to R, who forwarded it to the other side. And you can be damn sure I was strict as possible on his side the rest of the game. I think he got the point, as he apologized as the game was winding down.)

I agree with Rut
 

The "get back" coach in HS football is as useless a thing as there is. Invariably they stand around and watch the game like everyone else instead of doing the "assigned" job.

Our older fields here are pretty narrow. I try to work with the staff's as best I can and will flag the sideline warning if I feel its the only way to start getting someone's attention.

What tickles me is when you start telling people to get back, the coaches start yelling immedately at the players. I love it when I get to say "Coach your players are fine, its your staff and support personnel I want out of the way."

The biggest problem I have now is the fact that our assigner told us last year to arrive earlier so the R& U can go track down the coaches and have the pre-game conference. The rest of us stay behind in our room and have to wait. Supposedly the assigner has developed the theory that the coaches don't want to talk to us 30 min. on the field before game time since they're "busy".

We've argued unsuccessfully so far that they don't want to talk to us period at any time except when they're *****ing during the game so who cares. The R & U can't find the coaches an hour before game time anyway. I end up never getting a chance to speak to the HC on my side until right before kick-off now.