New NCAA Free Kick Mechanic

[Zebra29]

What does everyone think of the new free kick mechanic (moving R to pylon, H to team B's restraining line, BJ not coming in to hash after kick)

Personally, I think it's a HUGE mistake and we'll see it changed back, even before the season is over.

There's too much of a black hole in the middle of the field. No one is there to see the holds and blocks in the back at the point of attack. And Lord forbid if there's a fumble or muffed kick in the middle somewhere.

R's getting spots? Not most of the R's I've seen.


The entire mechanic was changed to cover the less than 1% of the time that there's a surprise onside kick. Now we've got giant holes in our coverage on 99+% of our free kicks.

Thoughts?

[TXMike]

The change reportedly was not the result of the Ok-Oregon game. See : http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=2261.25

Regardless, seems there is enough consternation over the change that it could be revisited this year or next.

[ljudge]

I attended my first NCAA clinic last weekend as a rookie and we went over this by simulating kicks on the field. I'm going to be a FJ. They told us we don't have keys and the same goes for SJ. So, if we're sliding down to R's 30 to observe action we should be looking for the illegal blocks until either the R (SJ's side) or LJ (FJ's side) releases the runner to us.

They want us sliding down and stopping (NOT backpedalling immediately). Basically, they want us to work the runner as if we were a wing official on a scrimmage down where there's a run.

[Texas Aggie]

How many holds do you see an R call in a college game on a KO? I don't see that many.

[With_Two_Flakes]

As I've mostly worked the chains the last couple of years, this new 7 man free kick mechanic seems a little odd to me, but maybe it will work in practice.

A few years ago, things were changed around so that the wingmen (HL and LJ) were near the kick returner and the "judges" were up field. The rationale seemed to be threefold - (1) wingmen were used to trailing plays, (2) the "judges" were used to plays coming toward them, and (3) once the play was dead, most everyone was roughly in the correct position for the next snap.

Now they seem to have decided that having 3 officials with the returner is a waste and 2 is sufficient. OK, I can buy that. But why move the HL? Why not push the LJ up and have the BJ on the other side of the field? Surely HL is the guy that would benefit from remaining back there so that after he takes the forward progress, he can instantly get the chains set for the next snap?

Or am I missing something?