Bean bag. blue or white?
 

In HS, is there a reason why some crews use blue bean bags and others use white?Does the NFHS care which color is used?

Seems like white shows up better on grass than blue, but I've yet to hear a good reason why crews use the blue bags.

I wonder the same. I just moved to a new region here in AZ and they use Blue, as do many metro Phoenix crews that I have seen.

Rolling downhill...NFL uses them, more and more college conferences start using them, now apparently more and more HS guys are using them. Only thing I have ever heard that makes any sense is that blue is easier to find in the snow than white. (Have heard that some back judges use one color for spot of illegal touch and another for spot where kick ends) Apparently they can't recall which is which when they have 2 white bags down on a kick play.

The NF allows the usage of blue or white bean bags. This was a change this year to allow blue bean bags. Now your state might take a position that allows for one color or the other.

Peace

Assuming the word was properly passed down from the top to the troops, NY said WHITE only.

Worked with a guy who lives in PA last night and if I head him correctly he said that in PA they are to carry two bags (different colors) for the purpose that TXMike pointed out.

Some people I know from CENTRAL JERSEY (Not mentioning names, TPaul) have been using blue for a while. Our chapter has just allowed the use of blue starting this season. All they ask is that the entire crew use the same color.

In 1987, I worked with the chain crew for the Bears/Raiders pre-season game at the LA Coliseum. The officiating crew used BLUE bean bags.

Bob

Sorry for chiming in with the stupid question, but do the bean bags really have any practical use? I know it's used to mark where the ball was fumbled or where a kick was caught/touched among other things that i'm not totally sure of, but why do those need marked?


ps- i'll be occasionally popping in with very basic questions since i'm considering going into football officiating in a couple years. i just want to get a little bit of a jump on the rules and mechanics (just baby steps though).

How are you going to determine where the end of the related run is when you do not use a bean bag? How do you know where the PSK spot might be? I do not know about you, but I cannot just remember those things without a guide.

Well when you start officiating football, I hope that people do not consider your questions to be stupid. We all had to start somewhere.

Peace

Your questions are very welcomed. The bean bags are used for penalty enforcement. They are needed when a fumble occurs beyond the neutral zone cuz if there is a foul before or after the fumble, the basic spot for penalty enforcement is the end of the run (where the fumble occurred). The penalty is administered from the basic spot, unless it was a foul by the offense behind the basic spot, and then it is enforced from the spot of the foul.

A bean bag is dropped at the yard line where a scrimmage kick is possessed cuz that is the one possible spot of enforcement for a PSK foul.

A bean bag is dropped at the spot of 1st touching by K on a scrimmage kick beyond the neutral zone, or the spot of 1st touching by K on a free kick if it occurs before the kick travels 10 yards cuz that is a spot that R can take the ball if they so chose. If R fouls after possessing the ball they lose the option of taking it at the spot of first touching.

A bean bag is dropped at the spot of possession of a pass by B, or kick by K if between the 5 yard line and the goal line as that would be the spot the ball would be placed at if the original momentum of the player carried them into the EZ where the ball became dead. This is called the momentum exception.

There are also many great things on Grant's website you could look at to learn a lot. http://home.comcast.net/~minnmo/football.htm

The purpose for blue bean bags is for ease in spotting them. If the beanbag is dropped on a yard line, the white blends in with the chalk/paint and makes the bag harder to spot. The difficulty in spotting the bag is more important in film review/grading/critique. The NFL spent lots of money doing studies on this issue.

Some conferences are even going to the orange beanbags. This is done because while it is easier to spot the blue bags during day games, it is sometimes difficult to pick them out during night games. The orange bags are easily spotted during all games.

In my area in Arizona, it is on a crew by crew basis. We were all told to buy at least one of each color in case we had to sub on a crew we would be prepared.

Some D1 college conferences are using bright orange bean bags.

I should have bought beanbag stock when it was $1 a share. :)

In NCAA rules, EVERY fumble spot needs a bean bag, because the ball could be returned to this spot if the ball goes out of bounds in advance of that spot.
Also, if a team A fumble in a 4th down is recovered by a team A player other than the fumbler, the ball becomes dead at the spot of the fumble.

Except when the home team has a huge, blue mascot painted in the middle of their field! (As happened to us last week.)

Or when the game is played at Boise State.

Even better. Forgot about that one.

Ron,

What is your crew using? I've been thinking about switching to blue. Mainly because the white beanbags don't stay very white for long.

Interested in hearing from a Wisconsin R....

--Rich

We did go to blue this season along with another local crew. I do think most in the SE WI area are still using white. Since we do college we already had the blue ones, no extra cost to the crew.

NFHS in White only here in NY. When I work JC games we use Blue.

We go the same word a bit north of you, so I think it's safe to rely on.

I've noticed at the games here at Georgia Southern University (I-AA) the crews (Southern Conference) have been using bright orange bean bags. Trust me, there ain't no losing those things. They stick out like a sore thumb.

Here in GA, I haven't heard of any official word on which color to use. Pretty mush everyone sticks with white. I'm a BJ, and I take both out onto a field. I use the blue for the PSK spot (wherever the kick was caught) and use the white for all fumbles/first touching.

And for the record, can I just stress how much it drives me crazy when I see refs bean bag an interception in HS?! :mad:

Sure in the NFL the blue bean bag is easy to spot. How about on the poorly lit fields some high school games are played on. You know the 4 light stands with 4 burned out bulbs each. Some times I have a hard time finding my white bag and I make a mental note on what yard lind I dropped it. Just my 2 cents.

Or Boise State.

I can't figure how blue bags are easier to see if you consider the percentage of the field that is white vs. green. Try to find a blue bag on a green field at night.

To me, it seems like a fad.

You know, I never really thought about blue being a problem at Boise State. I actually work up here in Boise, and we have several high schools that play on the blue. Luckly we use white bags.

We can use either, but we must use the same color in a given game.

NAIA, we use blue.

Nothing wrong with fads. It adds color (pun intended) to our mundane lives :)

I bought my crew blue bags (2 each) as a crew gift. None of them read here, I don't think, so it'll be a surprise Friday night. Only cost me a game check.

I work in Eastern Washington, and we love the blue ones for snow games. I agree that on turf, it is easier to see the white.

As for it being a fad, perhaps some places. In our association, we love them for the visibility on snow.

I've seen that a couple of times. The next game I officiate will be my first, so I was very confused as to why it was done. :confused: