When officially is the ball ready for play?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by cos_man99

LDUB,

I accidentally left my rulebooks in the crew cheif's van Friday night so I can't cite the rule reference, but I know there is a special exception for delay of game penalties that the clock is never started on the RFP after a delay of game. It is always started on the next snap.

I appreciate your replies. I was not sure we should have penalized. It was difficult to allow a ball to be live while a whistle was blowing and that was what we ultimately went with. We also decided later a little stronger preventative officiating would have prevented the whole thing (i.e. "wait for my whistle").

Same problem as your OP.

Wait for your whistle to what? Start sounding? Finish sounding? Sound for at least 1 second?

[cos_man99]

Yeah, well exactly. Then we are back to the original question. When is the ball officially ready for play?

[waltjp]

Stop over thinking things. The whistle sounds the ready for play. You're really looking for trouble if you're going to start defining the length of the whistle's sound. Some refs give a quick toot. Others give a long blast. It doesn't matter. As soon as you hear the whistle it's okay to snap the ball.

Using the argument that the whistle didn't stop blowing will lead coaches to instruct their players to play until the whistle stops!

[mbyron]

How many angels fit on the head of a pin?

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by mbyron

How many angels fit on the head of a pin?

Straight pin or bowling pin?

[jontheref]

I've been through this play where the team was set awaiting us with one second left. There is nothing by rule that stipulates the team must be set after the whistle....only that they all be set prior to the snap. In our play, they got off the play with one second, through a fade to the end zone--saw a flag for dpi....where they got another play...and a score for a tie game. No controversey there, eh? But, yes, the play was a legal play.

[refbuz]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Same problem as your OP.

Wait for your whistle to what? Start sounding? Finish sounding? Sound for at least 1 second?

I'll tell the center anytime that I am over the ball to not snap it until they hear a whistle. We are clean as long as he doesn't snap it BEFORE he blows the RFP. I don't care how long the R wants to stand there and blow it in. I DO care if they snap it before he does.

Originally Posted by jontheref

I've been through this play where the team was set awaiting us with one second left. There is nothing by rule that stipulates the team must be set after the whistle....only that they all be set prior to the snap. In our play, they got off the play with one second, through a fade to the end zone--saw a flag for dpi....where they got another play...and a score for a tie game. No controversey there, eh? But, yes, the play was a legal play.

I don't see any reason to think that this play was illegal, but that doesn't mean that 1 coach isn't gonna like the ruling.

A friend of mine (seriously not me) had a similar situation where there were 2 or 3 seconds left in the game after a 15-20 yd completion resulted in a 1st down. They hustle up to the LOS, get set while the officials are setting up the sticks and snap the ball at the whistle. and spike it to kill the clock.

[waltjp]

Had this happen during a game a few weeks ago.

Team B has taken a time out. A is lined up and ready to go as we're clearing B's coaches from the field. Our U is over the ball instructing A's QB to wait for the whistle. I give the U a nod so he can back out and as he does the QB starts calling signals.

A80, lined up as a slot receiver, starts in motion just as I blow the RFP. A80 hears the whistle and looks to me as he almost comes to a complete stop. The ball is snapped and the QB turns to hand off to A80 but the timing is thrown off because of A80's hesitation. The handoff is muffed and B recovers the ball.

A's coach is upset, claiming that the whistle caused his player to stop and the result was a fumble. I understand his complaint and don't want this to escalate so I move a little closer so I can explain without shouting across the field. I simply told the coach that our U was standing over the ball instructing the QB to wait for the whistle and the QB took it upon himself to start calling his signals before the whistle had blown. The coach appreciated the explanation and thanked me. As I was moving back to the other side of the field I could hear him explaining the problem to his QB as only a head coach who's team just lost the ball could do.

[refbuz]

Originally Posted by waltjp

As I was moving back to the other side of the field I could hear him explaining the problem to his QB as only a head coach who's team just lost the ball could do.

Tore his QB a new one huh???