Pre-Game Clock Administration

[Bawanna]

At a recent game in a 2 vs. 4 matchup with state play off implications this is what happened.

After visiting with the clock operator and determining when player announcements were to begin. I visited with the visiting coach for our pre-game conference. During this time he asked if the game clock was the official time and if when it read zero we would start the game. I informed him that this was correct.

With 6 mins. to go before kick-off They had not started player introductions. I was concerned that the game would not get started by the agreeded upon time (9-8-1g) so I went to the head coach of the home team and informed him of my concerns stating that "I really did not want to start a game with a 15 yard unsportsman like that really has nothing to do with playing football" He informed his head coach and introducitons started at about 5:30 and finished with 7 seconds to go. Everything worked out fine or so i thaught. We called a good game and went home.

In 13 years of officiating I have never called this penalty. Because I have often been able to head a delay off at the pass so to speak. How would you of handled this situation? After I read your posts I will respond with wht resulted from this action.

[bigwhistle]

The visiting coach was trying to play gamesmanship with you. The game is for the players and the spectators. If the announcements run over by a minute or two, ignore it and then kick the game off.

The same thing goes for half time that runs long. There are in many instances more people at the game who are there to see their son or daughter in the band or drill team as are there to see the game itself. If you penalize either team for the excessive length of time of half time, you are doing a disservice to the spectators and the players who had nothing to do with the situation.

Play the game, and if one coach wants to cry, listen, commiserate with him, and tell him that the game needs to be decided on the field.

Notify your scheduling authority about the lengthy half time, and let them worry about that type of administrative situation. There is enough to worry about between the lines to get upset about something this trivial.

[Bawanna]

I considered my attempt to hurry things up a bit preventative in nature and had no other motivation than an honest attempt to start a big game off on the right foot. The head coach however did not see it that way. He was upset with the way I handled it, bothering him with this detail prior to the start of the game. When visiting with the head guy in our state he suggested that I possibly should of visited with game management instead. This makes sense if I could find them. Like I stated in my previous message I have never called this penalty and will not unless the time becomes flagerant, ie chain crew doesn't show up for 10 mins or something.

[Ed Hickland]

Originally posted by Bawanna
I considered my attempt to hurry things up a bit preventative in nature and had no other motivation than an honest attempt to start a big game off on the right foot. The head coach however did not see it that way. He was upset with the way I handled it, bothering him with this detail prior to the start of the game. When visiting with the head guy in our state he suggested that I possibly should of visited with game management instead. This makes sense if I could find them. Like I stated in my previous message I have never called this penalty and will not unless the time becomes flagerant, ie chain crew doesn't show up for 10 mins or something.

I think you made the correct choice to speed things up. If you make it known what you are doing you call attention to what might be considered minor.

Last week the home team decided it was going to introduce the seniors and their parents after I told the coaches when to bring out the captains. And the band decided when they wanted to play the Star Spangled Banner. The game started 5 minutes late without a penalty (more on the band in a separate post).

Technically, if the teams were present and the band, chain crew or whatever event is delaying the start of the game it is a delay of game on the home team -- 5 yards not 15.

[sportswriter]

Originally posted by Bawanna
The head coach however did not see it that way. He was upset with the way I handled it, bothering him with this detail prior to the start of the game.......I have never called this penalty and will not unless the time becomes flagerant, ie chain crew doesn't show up for 10 mins or something.

I can see why he might be upset. You gave him, what, half a minute of grace at the start?

Okay, so they finished seven seconds before zero. What would you have done if they went 3 seconds over?
12?
A minute?

Where do you draw the line? Moreover, if you say "I'm gonna penalize the coach if they run overtime," and _then_ say that you're not gonna flag it unless it's 10 minutes over, what's it going to be? If you say you're going to flag under condition (x) then you'd better flag when (x) is met, or people will be on your butt....

[Bawanna]

You are right and a line has to be drawn. However who is to say that if I did not say something when I did, then it wouldn't of been 3 or more min. I was trying to prevent having to make a decision on this violation its called preventative officiating. In the future however I will find game management (ie AD) instead of the head coach.

[rocky]

As a football coach my team has been assessed a penalty for not warming up before the second three had started. We as a team was still in the endzone "discussing" our teams second half plan. He told me you "MUST" be stretching or warming up in some manner.

surely that cant dictate how I run my half time as long as i am ready to go at the start of the second half, please tell me this official was slightly incorrect.
thanks

[Tom Cook]

Rocky, you can use that 3 min. "warm-up" period any way you want. Teams have coaches and trainers to teach players how to get loosened up. Officials have other duties.

[Middleman]

Originally posted by Bawanna
You are right and a line has to be drawn. However who is to say that if I did not say something when I did, then it wouldn't of been 3 or more min. I was trying to prevent having to make a decision on this violation its called preventative officiating. In the future however I will find game management (ie AD) instead of the head coach.

Why draw a line? Where is the necessity?

Back in 1996, the NFHS changed the timing rule so that the clock starts on the snap when a new series is awarded to B or to either team following a legal kick. Their contention is that this has lengthened the game by mere minutes. In practice, we have found that this change has lengthened the game by much more than that - about ten minutes on average, but possibly as much as thirty minutes if there are many changes of possession.

My point is that a minute or two of delay starting either half must be kept in perspective, and is certainly nothing to get worked up over. I doubt that many of these games are on a TV schedule, so the actual starting time does not have to be precise.

Try these tactics, and see if it helps:

***Have you timer set the game clock to expire three or more minutes before scheduled game time.***

The NFHS rule book specifies that the coin toss is to be conducted at that time (three minutes before game time), so you tell both head coaches that you want the captains at the sidelines ready for the toss when the clock hits zero. When a coach has to subtract time from what is showing on the clock to know when to send captains out, he is distracted from more important things involved in preparing for the game. You make it easy for him by setting the clock to expire when he needs to be ready - not when the kickoff is expected. He can look up and know he has X minutes to go. Coaches in our area appreciate this.

It's kind of like cooking a roast. You don't set the kitchen timer to go off when dinner is expected to be served and then subtract the time it will take to get it on the table. You set the timer to go off when you expect to take the roast out of the oven. The rest falls in place as it comes.

By the way, you don't tell announcers or band directors that the clock is early. They'll look at it and think they are running out of time and move things along. If they are still out on the field when the toss is supposed to take place, go ahead and bring the captains right on out into their formation (exception: make adjustments for the American Flag and the National Anthem). The power of suggestion is very strong in these cases and guess what? You'll have a clock that says 0:00 to point at if and when they fuss. If the timer gets the clock going at least a half-hour before game time (set at 27:00), everyone gets plenty of notice.

***Set the halftime clock at 17:00 (or whatever your halftime duration is to be), and don't start it until all players of both teams are completely off the field. At the end of the 17:00, add 3:00 back on and start it again.***

My state association specifies that halftime is to be 20 minutes including the mandatory three minute warmup period. Adjust your clock to meet own association halftime specification. Again, setting the clock to expire early shows everyone how much time is left for their activities. Band directors will catch on soon enough that when the first seventeen runs out, it's time to move. It gives them three minutes to march off as they play their finale. When we first started doing this, we actually had bands stop playing and run off the field when the clock hit zero! Now they know, and they respect the time in most cases.

In order to accomodate the bands - those kids feel that their activities are important, too - do not be too strict. If the band is finishing up a song and is marching off as time expires, so what? Let it go and have the teams come out and set up while the band is moving off, and don't make a big deal of it. Again, those few seconds most likely will not affect your lifetime.

However, if the time runs out and the band is not making any indications that they are wrapping up - for example, if they strike up another tune - do not get involved with the band director or game management. Simply inform the home head coach that his team will be starting the half with a five-yard deficit. He won't like it, but he knows the rule. He will most certainly take it up with the AD and the band director. It shouldn't happen twice. Besides, five yards on a kickoff to start a half is relatively meaningless yardage. They have 24 minutes to make it up, and I'll bet it's not the only five yards they'll lose to a penalty in the half.

By using these two timing tricks, we have found that most games start pretty much on time, and the restart after the halftime is relatively prompt.

By the way, Rocky, Tom Cook was right. Although the book specifies that the three minute period is a "mandatory warm-up time" and that the coach is responsible for his team being "on the field," few of us officials care what you deem constitutes "warm-up" or even that you come onto the field to do it. Apparently you have run into some officials with too much time on their hands, or too much alum in their ...uh... water.