NF: 2008 timeout rule change
 

don't have my rule book yet so I can't see the exact verbiage, however quick question: This year the HC can now designate another coach for the purposes of calling timeouts.

Can the HC as well as the "designee" call a TO?

If the assistant coach "designee" gets disqualified, can the HC select another replacement?

what constitutes an "emergency" as used in this rule?

thanks

Just 1 coach may call time-outs.

3-5-2 A charged team time-out occurs when the ball is dead and:
a. The request of either a player or the head coach (or head coach’s designee) is legally granted. When a decision on a penalty is pending, a time-out shall not be granted to either team until the captain makes his choice.
NOTE: The head coach’s designee shall remain in place for the entire game except in case of emergency.

There is no more help from the Case Book. So it is up to us to determine the definition of "emergency". I am guessing that a disqualification would qualify under emergency. Also anything like an injury or illness that prevented the designee from returning to the field would qualify. But what happens if a head coach designates the offensive coordinator to call time-outs then the head coach is ejected and then the offensive coordinator is ejected. The rule says that only the head coach may designate and he is gone. Maybe no coaches can call time-outs now.

As for me, if the coach who could call time-outs can't make it back out to the field then I want a different coach to take over that job.

How dead do we have to beat this horse? The reason there's no Case Book advice on this change is that nobody ever considered it could be built into such a silly mountain.

The original rule change was intended to provide opportunity for an adult supervisor, of each team, to have the authority to directly call a TO. This years simple adjustment simply allows that responsibility to be designated to someone other than the titled Head Coach.

It's not confusing unless you want it to be. The Head Coach is automatically granted that authority, this year he can choose to designate that responsibility to someone else, but if he does the designation is final, unless there is "an emergency". Must the rules list a succession plan for every conceivable possible emergency, or does the smallest amout of common sense provide enough guidance.

First, I think this was a fairly rude way to respond to a legitimate question. Second, this rule is set up for problems in the sense it can be interpreted a bunch of different ways, and I think it would make sense to address them now rather than half way through the second quarter while on the field on a Friday night. In 99% of games it won't be an issue, but I can see some type of potential problem. As for the issue of not needing to be in the casebook: The case book often has many ruling for very basic situations, yet there are some (like this and others) which could easily be helped by adding one play here or there to it and deleting some of the obvious ones and/or repeats.

...and as for the original question, if the designated assistant does something to get himself ejected, this, in my mind, is not an emergency.

Baby bear needs a nap REAL bad!

The May issue of Referee magazine does list some plays regarding this rule change. They do consider an ejection to be an emergency.

Play: Before the game, team A's head coach designates the offensive coordinator as the one who will request TOs from the sideline. In the middle of the first quarter, the OC is disqualified.

Ruling: The HC may designate a replacement to request TOs from the sideline.

Sorry if some feathers were ruffled, but if the Referee decides any particular situation is not an emergency, THEN it's not an emergency. Caution, however, because the other side of that coin is that, as always, the Referee will be held responsible for his decision especially if it's considered wrong or excessive.

Again, the basic intent of the original rule was to provide each team with a single administrative (non-player) voice to directly request a charged TO. This years expansion allows the Head Coach to designate that duty to another person and restricts that designation to being permanent for the duration of the game, except when there is an emergency.

It seems logical that the emergency provision was made available so as not to deprive either team of this provision when an emergency, which in and of itself should be unplanned and unavoidable, arises.

If you want to "hang your hat" on a disqualified head coach, or his designee, as not qualifying as an emergency, as related to his team being deprived of their single, non-player, person authorized to directly request a charged TO, that is your perogative. However you may have to answer for that decision.

Authority and responsibility are opposite sides of the same coin. Even a gnat has a finite number of eyelash hairs to split.