LSU-SC Game

[OverAndBack]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I work umpire once in a while. Let's just say that the player would go down before I would if I see it coming.

Well, we have long known that you're Superman, anyway.

I'm not saying you can't protect yourself. I'm sure you know after years of doing this that contact is an occupational hazard. But you can steel yourself against a blow or get out of the way before you have to resort to going forward and into an onrushing player.

I didn't know it was a player's responsibility to avoid us.

[zebra2955]

Well my theory is "If someone is going down it isn't me"

[refbuz]

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

I didn't know it was a player's responsibility to avoid us.

It's not, you're forcing them to react to you as they would to a defender. Some runners are just better at reacting than others. And if we do collide, its on my terms not his.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by refbuz

It's not, you're forcing them to react to you as they would to a defender. Some runners are just better at reacting than others. And if we do collide, its on my terms not his.

I do not think most players would have fallen down. The problem the player did, so all this hullabaloo about nothing if you ask me.

Peace

[SWFLguy]

39 seasons---most games at U--- when a runner explodes like that in front of me I stand still and put out my hands as in an open hand blocking technique--at 6'3" 285 the players usually just bounce off me if they don't make a cut move. The camera sure makes it look like he did more than just protect himself. But--as Spurrier said---things happen !

[Rich]

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

Well, we have long known that you're Superman, anyway.

I'm not saying you can't protect yourself. I'm sure you know after years of doing this that contact is an occupational hazard. But you can steel yourself against a blow or get out of the way before you have to resort to going forward and into an onrushing player.

I didn't know it was a player's responsibility to avoid us.

No, you do NOT get out of the way as an umpire. You hold your ground and give the player the opportunity to move around you. If you move left, he moves right you go down. If you move right and he moves left you go down. If you pivot or stand your ground, he can go EITHER direction.

And the guys who mention going to work are right. I am not wearing pads and gear, the player is. I'd never hurt a player, but I'm OK if the player goes down.

[jjrye22]

I agree that it is not the players responsibility to avoid us (with the exception of a TE trying to scrape off me to get free).

Ususally I hear from LBs complaining that I was in the way of their path for a tackle (of course the pile is usually already going down, but they believe that they would have made a difference).
My response is
'I'm not really here. I'm just air. Heavy air, but air. You go where you think you need to.'

I do my best to not be in the way, but have been wrapped up in tackles a few times. I appreciate it when the player appologizes afterwards, but otherwise I don't expect anything else out there.

[Sonofanump]

The camera view looking into end zone gives a different look at this. The play basically went to the right, broke down and the QB scrambled to the left. The umpire pivoted to look into the line play to his left. When the QB took off, the umpire shuffled to his right to give the QB room to cut up field. When the QB cut east-west into him, he reacted and protected himself proactively.