Had an IW tonight

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

You misunderstand my point. What I'm saying is that with 10 bodies piled on top of each other, you can't nowwhere the ball is. You can't wait until the pile is completely uncovered before you blow the whistle. Wha are you gonna do, wait 10 seconds and then suddenly the ball pops out? I don't think so. Bad things happen in piles. If there's a pile, I'll wait 3 or 4 seconds but then I'm killing it and getting in there.

No, we completely understand your point, and disagree with it. What you are suggesting is REALLY bad mechanics.

Let me ask you this - why do you feel the need to blow the play dead on a play like this? You don't need to "kill it." If the ball's in the pile, the play is dead, regardless of your whistle or lack of one. The only thing I would suggest is that in instances where timing is critical (near the end of a half), check the clock at the moment you THINK the play is over, before digging for bodies, just in case it turns out that the clock should have stopped at that moment, and you just didn't know it yet.

You are missing OUR point. DON'T blow your whistle AT ALL on a pileup. It's unnecessary, and it's EXACTLY the thing that leads to the IW in the OP.

Let me ask you further ... what would YOU do if you blew your whistle at 4 seconds, and then at 10 seconds, suddenly the ball pops out? Congrats - you have an IW.

No ball, no whistle. Period.

If it hasn't popped out by then, it's in there

Does the existence of an unpossessed ball in a pileup necessarily mean the ball is dead 100% of the time? Think about it. You may be right that it's "in there" - but it may not yet be dead.