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

[RIRef]

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

[JugglingReferee]

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

[MJT]

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

[Jim D]

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.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Jim D

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. 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).

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

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.

[9redskin4]

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.

[jaybird]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

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).

Amen!!

[Bob M.]

Originally Posted by Jim D

...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.

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.

[Jim D]

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.

[jjrye22]

Originally Posted by Jim

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.

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

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by jjrye22

I
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.
James

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?

[Forksref]

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.