Wingmen, get the heck out of bounds. Damn rookie mistake could really cost a team
 

Fist year on the HS board. I have done a hand full of HS games so far. Well, this mistake I made was critical, and I will never forget it.
Blue VS White. (Yes, I'm leaving the team names out on purpose) Both are undefeated. White is on the verge of putting the game away throughout the day. Blue just won't go away. They are hanging tough. It was about 93 degrees Saturday, and on the black tire artificial turf it was about 110... well it felt like that anyway.

Ok, so we are late in the 4th, and white scores a TD, and is up by 8. They line up for the XP to put it away, and hit the damn upright.
Blue is still in it. about 2 minutes on the clock, and blue takes the ball and starts driving... the game was really awesome to ref, I mean this is what it's all about, until.....
Blue is on the 35 going in. The QB takes the snap, and steps back and fires to my side of the field. The WR catches it, and I am ready to follow him down field as I should. he has the ball in his hands for a tenth of a second. He does the hook and ladder to the the back coming up right behind me. (the back/side of him) I am less than 5 feet from the sideline.. 5 feet! I was a deer in the headlights. I had no place to go. I made the game winning tackle. He ran into me and we both went down. The ball popped out, and he was able to recover. However, as far as I could tell from down on my ***, he had the defenders beat, and the back had clear sailing. I look up on the clock and there is about a minute left. I am praying to the Gods they score...... They don't......
There is one assistant screaming like a loon on the sideline.. I am very surprised it is just one.
I deserve it, and I know it.

After the game, I called the coach over, and I said I was so sorry. I could not of been more sincere than I was.

Lesson learned! and a big one! You will never EVER catch me on the field again when the ball is on my side. period.

When I was in HS, I remember a teacher telling me the best way to remember something is to have some punch you in the face when they say it.

I am starting to understand just what he meant

Thanks for sharing. I hope others learn from it as well.

Just emailed it to my crew as a reminder that you never have to be on the field!!! Thanks for sharing.

OK, I'm going to disagree here. If you follow your own resolution, you'll miss more calls than you would have had this never happened. From the description you gave, it sounds like you were in pretty good position - behind and wide on this play and ready to follow it down the sideline.

Stuff happens and because of an unusual play, you got caught in the path of the runner. It happens from time to time - same thing on an interception or lots of time as an umpire. This is all part of the game. Remember, the runner ran into you instead of going around you.

If you keep your vow to never be on the field again when the ball is on your side of the field, you risk becoming a very marginal official for the rest of your career.

I'm a HL as well, and cannot imagine any need for me to be on the field at all on a play that's coming my way (heck - except for pinch-ins on goal-lines and close 1st downs or fumbles ... I can't think of why I'd need to be on the field even if the play is going the other way). Your statement that staying off the field will make you a marginal official is just way off. Why would you say such a thing, especially to a rookie who has just understood firsthand why we shouldn't be out there. You say he was in perfect position... why is "on the field" a perfect position on a play your way.

ESPECIALLY on plays your way or along your sideline, STAY THE HECK OFF THE FIELD.

Please enlighten me as to why you would consider ON THE FIELD a good position on a play like this (even without the lateral).

From the description, it sounds like the play had already passed him. He was behind the play and wide, just a few feet inside the sideline ready to follow the runner down the sideline to the endzone. That's a perfect postion to observe both the runner, the sideline and anything else.

If he is outside the sideline, there is more chance of someone - a coach, player, ball boy, etc. stepping up to get a better view of the play as it heads down the sideline. If he's out there he may need to swerve around them and get left behind. About five feet in for this particular situation sounds about right. Maybe he could have been a yard wider but his position wasn't bad at all.

Obviously if this was an interception and the play was heading toward me down the sideline I'd get off the field and out of the way, but since the play had moved passed him, he was fine.

I have had an experience that relates to this situation. A couple of years ago I was doing a televised state playoff game as the L. The main concern of my performance that the evaluator pointed out was that I was on the field too much. I asked for some clarification and he gave the exact example of what happened to the guy above. I am very comfortable on the field because most of the teams in my area play traditional smashmouth football (3 yards and a cloud of dust). It has been hard for me to adjust, but every game I verbally tell myself to stay wide and off the field. In reality, I can actually see more of the game and have become a better official using this advice. This is great that a rookie as realized his mistake and is willing to make changes. I would suggest, as mbcrowder already has, that the only time you come on the field is to spot a critical 1st down, on short and goal to goal plays, in instances where a safety might occur, and to watch for kicker/holder infractions on PAT's and field goals.

I do have to add that since I started staying off the field, I have had quite a few close encounters with coaches in the coaching box. I now tell the coaches that if I hit them it is unintentional and that I may throw a flag and give a sideline warning to remind them to give me some room to work.

I suppose mechanics vary across the country... but a wingman following the play from 5 feet onto the field here would get not just dinged on an eval, but likely some words from his crew chief as well. There's SO much you can't see from ON the field (most notably - did he step out of bounds), because you get blocked by pursuing defenders. You need to be out of bounds on this play, trailing the play.

If your worry is sideline personnel getting in your way, you're not managing your sideline very well, and if you are, but they get in the way anyway, you have laundry to address that situation.

I would just increase your vision on the field...sounds like you're tunnel visioned and missed what was happening...in terms of watching the entire play unfold. I'm not saying that you don't understand football...because I don't know you...but if you were watching the entire play unfold, you probably should've seen him coming...so say "I'm NEVER going out on the field again..." is not really a fair statement. You made a mistake...we all make them...simply learn from it and move on...

I knew I'd stir up some arguments on this and that's fine. I've been around long enough to see trends in officiating swing from one philosophy to another. I personally like to work wide but I'm on the field more than I'm off, and I think coverage is better that way. I've seen guys way to close and I've seen wingmen who won't come on the field under any circumstances.

What I really worry about is a younger official making a comment like "You will never EVER catch me on the field again when the ball is on my side. period." I know he's overreacting right now, but if he really follows that promise, his career is heading down the tubes. You have to constantly adjust your mechanics to the game - the field, the teams, the game situation, etc. if you are to be an effective official. Sometimes be on, sometimes be off but be where you need to be to do the best job.

I agree Jim D...I've only been working FED ball for about 10 seasons now so I've only seen a few things...but I couldn't agree with you more when it comes to adjusting to the game...there are certain mechanics that you'll never want to do...example: (umpire signals touchdown)...but things like positioning has to change with the game...in order to do your job...I agree with Jim

I do have to add that since I started staying off the field, I have had quite a few close encounters with coaches in the coaching box. I now tell the coaches that if I hit them it is unintentional and that I may throw a flag and give a sideline warning to remind them to give me some room to work.

I only have one problem with this sideline warning, even with the coaches who are entitled to the box. We had a few incidents where the coaches didn't get out of the way, even though they were in the box, and the wing guys would throw a sideline warning flag. The head coaches who got those flags called the supervisor of officials and had some issues about this. We were told in our meetings that if we had a problem, to remember that they were in their box and just need to be warned, even if it has to be more than once. We were told we could NOT throw a sideline warning flag as long as the coaches remained in the box. I was like, that's a load of bull, so what I've done is give them a verbal "reminder" first and then if they still got in my way, I'd would give them a "I may be old, but tougher than nails" line to give them the idea I'm not beyond running them over if I have to.

MAY?

If they are in your way, it's sideline interference, not a sideline warning. SW's are for when they don't listen when you remind them to back up, or they have to be reminded to back up too often.

Mike,

Can you give me a rule number for this? I don't have my books, but looked this up earlier this year and found that it covered coaches being out of the box and intentionally contacting an official. In this case they are in the box and I'd have a hard time making the case that the contact was intentional.

Don't get me wrong, I work with my toes on the sideline or behind it, I'm just looking for rule support for a coach getting in my way when he was legally entitled to the same space. It would be so nice to have even a 1 yard band between the side line and the coaches box.

Paul

9-1-5 (a and b) for Sideline Warnings.
9-2-2 for being on the field of play.

REPLY: Jim...first I have to admit that I'm a proponent of staying off the field at the snap and moving into the field only as the play develops, and never when the play is coming toward your sideline.

Secondly...don't you think that your quoted statement is a little over the top since I believe that RIRef's context was when the ball is live and action is moving into or through his side of the field? There are several Division 1 and NFL wing officials (almost all of them for that matter) who work their positions this way. I'd hardly call them 'marginal.' Of course, once the ball becomes dead, movement into the field is advised, often required.

Since the field is only 53 yards wide, what is it that you can see from 20 yards away that you can't see from 25 yards awy? Dang little, I'd offer. In fact, you can see more from 25 yards away simply because of the expanded view of your peripheral vision. And notice that DIv 1 and NFL officials don't even come into the dead ball spot unless the LTG or goal line is threatened. They only come in as far as necessary--never closer. Why? Because staying wide assists them in dead ball officiating. My choice...stay wide.

It has been my observation that NFL and NCAA officials on the line tend to work on the field, if only just barely. The downfield guys are the ones who work off the field. I've worked on the sidelines at NFL games for a long time and I know the HL are on the field almost 100% of the time.

Then again, they have better marked fields, better lighting, better passers and receivers and usually a more open offensive plan.

My comments were directed at an extreme statement from a younger official. I think we need to be less rigid in our thinking and less in awe of the NFL and be a bit more adaptable. I believe in staying wide too - just not too wide.

Part of the problem for wing officials is that they don't do a good job from the opening KO in keeping their sideline clear. There should only be three coaches in the first 2-yd zone and now with the restraining line, there should be no one in that zone between the 25 yd line and the end line. You should have room to work OOB on plays that come your way.

If you get hit from behind when you are on the field, it is your fault.

Thanks for the real-life lesson. I, too, have emailed it to my crew.

Mike, are you sure about those rule numbers? In my NFHS 2007 rule book, 9-1-5 doesn't exist and 9-2-2 deals with the runner grasping a teammate. I think you cited NCAA rules here and I'm looking for Fed support. 9-2-2- in NCAA is very clear, if they are in the restricted band you can us the SL. But 9-2-2 for NCAA deals with unfair tactics so I'm not sure which code you are citing.

For Fed, I've only found
9-4-2: No player or nonplayer shall intentionally contact an official
9-8-3: A nonplayer shall not be outside his team box unless to become a player or to return as a replaced player. A maximum of three coaches may be in the coaches' area.

I'm looking for rule support for a coach getting in my way while he is legally one of 3 coaches in his box and I'm working with my toes on the sideline. I'd love to have a rule that says if they don't get out of my way there is a foul, but I can't find rule support for it.

Paul

Jim, the wings in D1 games (accept the SEC) and the NFL never start on the field. They only come in at the end of the play, and then only usually if the money line (GL or LTG) is threatened. Watch the NFL games and they are on the white until the play is dead and then only come in for close spots on the LTG or GL. I'm watching Navy/Pitt right now and the H was just on the white then the snap was on the opposite hash.

I work R for varsity, but have worked H, L, S, and F in NCAA and work exclusively on the white. Once you get used to it, you will always do it and can see things better, especially the wide view for cheap crap and DB crap when the play goes away from you. I work the MS games at our school and usually work a wing and help out others working the R for practice and stay on the white even for 7th grade games.

Amen!!

I disagree that it happens from time to time - on the sideline at least. As U I have been mixed in as lead blocker or made the tackle (and had one or two passes brush me), but on the sideline I have NEVER ended up involved in a live play.

Staying on the sideline I have run into coaches a few times (their box should be a few feet behind mine!) which will get them a sideline warning if I evade them, or a 15 yard foul if I hit them. But I would rather be taken out by a coach on the sideline and miss the end of the play (which my teammates will help cover) than be the reason for the end of he play.

I guess partially it is just what you are trained/told to do, but with the speed of some of the players I don't want to be drifting in and on the numbers when a WR runs a reverse directly at me (addressing the issue when the play is going away from your side - it might come back).

But I think everyone should not be so adament about some things. If that is what the others do, and they and the assignors want it that way - then do it that way. Hopefully none of us gets injured from running into a coach, or being run into by a player. Stay healthy.

James

When I posted earlier about what we had been told in the meetings, I forgot to mention that we were told we could NOT issue a sideline warning or sideline interference as long as the coaches were in the coaches box (and there were 3 of them). That was the original problem that got the coaches riled up. It got to the point where the coaches were asking what part of the diagram (from the rule book) was missing, i.e., where's the official's box, is it in front of the coaches' box, etc.

Under what rule would you penalize a coach 15 yards for if you ran into him while he was legally in the coaches area, which compromises 50% of your sideline?