Officiating philosophy question

[hawk65]

Discussion at our last association meeting prompted me to post this question.

Our mechanics handbook makes statements such as:

• Never wait for another official to call a foul that you are sure should be called.
• Officials should call any foul that affects the game …
• ALL officials on the crew are jointly responsible for the enforcement of the rules and are equally responsible if the game is either poorly or well officiated. You must work closely in facilitating the orderly conduct of the game.
• Work as a team to cover another officials back = "CLEAN-UP".
• Our most important objective is to GET IT RIGHT. Do not be afraid to stick your neck out when the situation requires it.

High school five-man crew (but the general question could apply to any number of officials working any level). BJ's primary key is the TE. BJ sees TE false start (it was clearly and unmistakably a false start, easily observable on film - please don't hijack this thread speculating about whether it was or was not a false start). BJ holds whistle waiting for the R, the U or the flank official on that side to call it but none of them do. BJ throws flag and blows his whistle. Flank later confesses he saw it also but froze and didn't throw his flag. Later, R reams BJ for making this call, insisting it is not his call even though the TE is his primary key and the TE admittedly did false start. Consensus amongst BJ's at the association meeting was that R is correct - pass on this even though it was a clear false start.

If you are observing this in person or on video, do you fault the flank official for missing this and the BJ for calling it? Do you credit the BJ for "getting the call right," "cleaning up," and "saving" the crew?

[MJT]

This depends on your crew and your supervisor if you have one. If you are a HS crew and really don't have a supervisor to answer to, your crew needs to decide if and how you want to handle such situations. I think it depends alot on the egos of your crew, your respect for one another, and the relationship your crew has together. In our crew we want to get it right and we would not have anyone get pissed if the BJ made the call. You do need to make sure however that you are looking in your area and not others.

Now in college you may have some supervisors that say not to fish in someone elses pond. If that is the case, you'd better stay in your pond and the other official will be dinged in his evaluation. If not, not only will the other official be downgraded, but you will also.

[JRutledge]

My first question is how does the BJ have any perspective on whether someone actually false started? I am sorry but that is in dispute when the BJ does not have an angle and is looking around many players to see what the offensive players are doing.

Also one of the dangers that people get themselves into is taking a phrase or a statement so literally that they do not leave themselves any room. All that language is not about calling anything and everything across the field. False starts are the responsibilities of certain officials and the BJ is not one of them. I cannot think of any game where a deep official or BJ ever made a false start call. The stuff you referenced is about making sure that the penalty enforcement is correct and any play you have coverage on is also correct. As and example if you had coverage on a block in the back and another official called a block in the back and you had a better angle and talk to that official, you might be able to decide there was no penalty. That does not mean that if you are the BJ and you think the QB was roughed, that you have the right to throw your flag from 50 yards away. And in my opinion it is not your place to call that from the BJ position even if you think you are completely right. You cannot have all the information as to what everyone is doing even if you think you know.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by MJT

This depends on your crew and your supervisor if you have one. If you are a HS crew and really don't have a supervisor to answer to, your crew needs to decide if and how you want to handle such situations. I think it depends alot on the egos of your crew, your respect for one another, and the relationship your crew has together. In our crew we want to get it right and we would not have anyone get pissed if the BJ made the call. You do need to make sure however that you are looking in your area and not others.

Now in college you may have some supervisors that say not to fish in someone elses pond. If that is the case, you'd better stay in your pond and the other official will be dinged in his evaluation. If not, not only will the other official be downgraded, but you will also.

I want to get as much right as possible, but I'd rather keep the BJ out of this particular foul, even if it means we miss this one.

[MJT]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I want to get as much right as possible, but I'd rather keep the BJ out of this particular foul, even if it means we miss this one.

I think 99% of the BJ's would not ever flag this anyway.

[ABO77]

BJ calling a FS is one thing... but another issue is the flank guy "saw it also but froze and didn't throw his flag"??

[Rick KY]

Hawk65, in general I agree with those statements, but there are some things to consider before you call a foul outside your zone. Each official has a zone or area of the formation or field to cover. This is done so that the entire field gets officiating coverage. If you are calling fouls in another official's area, what might you be missing in your own area?

Specifically to your play above.... The BJ is not in a very good position to rule on false start. I think the BJ should let this go. If I was the BJ I would mention it to the wing on the side of that TE and ask him if the TE false started, and did he see it. Perhaps he thought the movement I saw was insignificant and not actually a false start.

[HLin NC]

Where were you at in the play clock time?

I'd look favorably on a BJ calling FS about as much as he would me calling Delay of Game. I don't know how many times early on in my "career" I got rapped on the knuckles by the WH for flagging an RB for flinching

Your BJ consensus is right.

[kentref]

The BJ should not be making a false start call. The wings are in the proper position to make that call.