Faceguarding - What is this?

[FootballRef05]

Originally Posted by MIcoach

not being a football official, i do not know if there is a time in which you are supposed to throw a flag. but to me, the time that was waited before pulling the flag was to long. i understand you have to replay everything in your mind, but how long is to long? to me, if you see a foul, there really is no replaying it in your mind, it is a foul and the flag should be thrown. if you are not sure if there is a foul then, yes think it through, but it shouldnt take as long as it took that official to throw the flag. again, this is just my opinion as a coach/spectator/parent. maybe next year if i sign up to become an official i will have a different opinion of this, but this is my opinion right now.

To answer the question there is no time frame in which we are required to throw the flag. See it, process it and make a decision. Some fouls are very obvious while others are judgment, like DPI, and may take a bit longer to process.

In your opinion you make it very simple, there is a foul, see it, throw the flag. If all officials followed this I could only imagine the coach on the sideline screaming when countless flags are picked up and waived off because it was thrown before the official processed what happened. Bottom line is Coachs/Spectators/Parents do not know the rule, don't take time to know the rule and have little, if any understanding of what officials do on the field.

I was the same way until I started officiating. It only took a short time for me to gain a new respect for official once I learned what happens on a football field.