umpire on pass routes

[Robert Goodman]

In a coaching forum, I asked whether they ever deliberately used the umpire as a pick on pass routes. Some thought my Q was silly, but another said he did indeed take the U's position into account. (Then I followed up with a question about play faking to freeze the U, but didn't expect a serious response.)

If you as umpire suspect a team is deliberately using you to rub off coverage, do you try to do anything about it?

Robert

[MJT]

Get out of the way! Seriously, get to the LOS quicker and it shouldn't be a problem.

[grantsrc]

As a U, your first movement when you read pass should be towards the LOS. Now if there is a quick slant or something you could find yourself in the route, but ideally the umpire should get to the LOS as quickly as possible. For some umpires out there, they are lucky to even move two to three yards forward by the time the ball is in the air.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by grantsrc

As a U, your first movement when you read pass should be towards the LOS. Now if there is a quick slant or something you could find yourself in the route, but ideally the umpire should get to the LOS as quickly as possible. For some umpires out there, they are lucky to even move two to three yards forward by the time the ball is in the air.

Heh -- that's why I mentioned play faking to freeze the U! But seriously, you'd have a tough time reading "pass" with these coaches' teams. It's mostly play action & quick stuff, the linemen pop blocking. Single wing stuff like running passes where they're showing an inside run, get up to the line and suddenly whip the ball out while jumping for a throw over the middle.

Robert

[DJ_NV]

Although I'm not an umpire by trade, most good U's will vary their initial position between the tackles from play to play. It's when the U is in the same spot down after down that QBs and coaches will start to use it to their advantage.

As for reading pass plays--I have yet to encounter a HS team that I couldn't figure out what the general type of play was the second the ball was snapped just by reading the guards, but a lot of that comes from great coaching during my playing days. College is a little different and trickier, but then I'm an FJ so I'm usually keying the tackle unless my WR is pressed.

[jjrye22]

Originally Posted by DJ_NV

Although I'm not an umpire by trade, most good U's will vary their initial position between the tackles from play to play.

Problem with that is that we (at least in my area) are told to mirror the side of the R (he can help with the line through the QB, so the U looks mostly C-TE on the opposite side.

Standing on the same side as my primary look means my angle is bad, so I'm basically frozen between C and T (maybe TE) opposite the R. Also I have to see the ball at the snap - not always easy depending on where the DT/NT is positioned, and taking into account the position of the LBs, and you often only have 2 choices (other than varying your depth).

The choices can be vary limiting. Best response for me has always been straight to the line. I've probably knocked as many TEs off their route as LBs of their persuit. Balance is key :-)

James