This has to rate as about the worst advice anyone can offer you. It's better to be slow and correct than fast and wrong. An NFL official who helps our association with mechanics suggests that we try to officiate a scrimmage without using whistles. His claim is that after the first couple of plays the players will become accustomed to it and the officiating crew will realize that the whistles are not really required.


See wrist lanyard here.

I think I can accomplish the wrist landyard with my regular one. I'll just move the black ball up and lock it around my wrist and wrap the rest of the string around my hand.

What about the old saying that you "play until you hear the whistle"? Isn't that what the players are taught? I hear a lot from the guys teaching the class that "sometimes I never blow my whistle" and "the play is dead by rule." I think what might happen sometimes is that we're so afraid of blowing an inadvertant whistle that we over compensate by not blowing it at all. If the play is dead by rule, and you know it's dead by rule, there should be nothing wrong with blowing the whistle, but I agree with everyone here that having it in your mouth is probably a bad idea. I had to catch myself a couple times before I blew it to make sure I was sure that the play was actually dead.

With a lot of practice it's no problem. I have not owned/used a neck lanyard for about 25 years. I have a finger whistle and a wrist lanyard. The type of whistle I use depends on the position I'm working.

Why are you blowing a whistle on an incomplete pass?

You'll hear this from coaches and parents. Like a lot of things you'll hear from them - it's not true.

I can almost guarantee that at some point this season there will be a play that is clearly over, a whistle won't be blown and a player will unload on an opponent. Flags will fly for the late hit and soon after you'll hear the chorus sing, "The whistle didn't blow."

Whistle or not, the play is over when the play is over.

What do you mean? Don't confuse the newer officials and tell them not to blow their whistle on an incomplete pass. The covering official should sound their whistle quickly and loudly when the ball becomes dead on any play, including an incomplete pass. While the whistle shouldn't be in the mouth before the snap or during the play, it should be blown when the ball is certain to be dead. I don't think you will see different in any mechanics manual, and it is specifically listed in the NF manual. I know the whistle doesn't kill the play, but it should be blown at the end of the play so those who are blocking and cannot see the play know they should stop.

If it's in the NF Mechanics Manual, you may be right. I've never seen the NF Mechanins Manual--we don't use it.

There is no reason to blow a whistle on an incomplete pass but sine the orgoinal poster doesn't work here I won't tell him that.

I don't think there's a hard and fast rule for whistle kept in the mouth. I keep my whistle in my mouth during the play. I've had like maybe 1 IW in approximately 125 games. However, I've been a basketball official for years who's lived with the whistle being there and I have about as good whistle control as it gets.

You decide. If you learn to be slow on the whistle, as I am, then you should be fine. If not, then you either need to keep it out or practice slowing down.

You just have a bit of a pause worked in.

TWEET - pull whistle out of mouth - hands up for touchdown signal.
TWEET - whistle out - incomplete pass.
So on and so forth.

If timing becomes a factor, you can actually slide your fingers out of the whistle to leave it in your mouth and signal stop-the-clock at the same time.

FWIW, while I agree that rule #1 is "keep the whistle out of your mouth," I think a close rule #2 needs to be "'fess up when you do have the (hopefully rare) inadvertent whistle."

Thing is, I don't work in the US but I try to do things as you do up there since you're the inventors of the sport.
As I've heard and read from NFL rulebook, the covering official must blow the play dead. The other officials should confirm the whistle.

Now, this may be wrong or not done usually but since the book was the only thing I had till now, that's what I do.

Besides, we have a 20 yards pass incompletion downfield and the O-lineman are still blocking. If there's no whistle and they can't see the result of the play, how do they know it's over? This may sound stupid to you all but it's not clear for me. I had players screwing up after a dead ball because they didn't hear the whistle

Rule #3 regarding whistles is actually the opposite of this - NEVER "mirror" another official's whistle or TD signal.

I figured you were working NCAA ball or six man mechanics for NF ball, so I posted a question about a whistle or not at the end of a incomplete pass on another site that is NCAA. http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=2466.0 Now if you are told not to blow a whistle by someone above you, then do that, but I may ask them why and argue some of the points listed in these posts. It is somewhat of a safety issue at times. What harm does a short whistle by only the covering official do to harm anything?

Then why the hell carry them? That's a silly suggestion.

I agree that there should normally be only one whistle on a play - and that should come from the covering official.

Sadly I am the highest officiating authority in Rio and we work the ****ty NFL rules modified.
So, Rule 15 states that:
15-6 (Field Judge)-5:
(...) Field judge is also to use his whistle when, upon his positive knowledge, he knows:
(a) thst ball is dead;
(b) that time is out;
(c) that time is out at the end of a down, during which a foul was signaled by a marker, no whistle has sounded in such cases; and
(d) that even in the presence of a whistle up or down field, he is to sound his whistle when players are some distance from such signal. This will help prevent dead ball fouls.

It's the same for Side Judge and Back Judge

Hmmm, you know what they say about making assumptions?
What Ref inSoCA is saying is we are a high school (NFHS rules) association standard 5-man for varsity that does not use the NFHS mechanics manual. The assoc has developed its own and that's what we teach/use.
I guess what Ref in SoCA is saying, how do you reconcile the belief a whistle is needed at the end of an obvious incomplete pass against the commonly held notion that the play kills itself and there is no whistle necessary?

I've always heard and practiced this. But, what is the downside of mirroring a whistle? The worst case is an inadvertant whistle and the play is dead anyway and would actually prevent the offender from not owning up to it. I really don't see what the issue is.