Crap Tactic: What Would You Do?

[ajmc]

How is it so obvious?. Perhaps his assignment was to block the kicker, 5 yards or more in advance of the kick, and he just forgot the 5 yards part. Maybe two of his teammates were assigned to block the two players he ran past. Perhaps he got confused and didn't follow his assignment. Perhaps he's just an idiot and wasn't paying attention to, or just forgot or misunderstood, his instructions.

Then again maybe the kicker is dating his girlfriend and he's got a grudge to settle, or any one of a thousand other possibilities.

The bottom line is that YOU have to make a decision and there's nobody available to help you. Your decision, what ever it is will stand and it will likely displease someone regardless of what you decide.

I'm just suggesting you have to be SURE of what you decide, as you may well have to answer for your decision long after the fact, and if your decision is based on speculation about why whatever was done, was done you need to be really careful how you explain things.

[OverAndBack]

Originally Posted by ajmc

I'm just suggesting you have to be SURE of what you decide, as you may well have to answer for your decision long after the fact, and if your decision is based on speculation about why whatever was done, was done you need to be really careful how you explain things.

And that, ladies and jellyspoons, is the bottom line on a great many of these "gray area" calls. Do the best you can, make your ruling, be prepared to take heat for it, but if, in your heart of hearts, you feel it's the right call, that's the best you can do. We can argue about it until the cows come home. But when it's you on that field, you have to make the decision and you have to back it up and justify it to the state (and hopefully not a court of law - though I believe courts have been pretty good about letting officials' judgment stand*).

*The preceding is not legal advice. Consult an attorney.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ajmc

How is it so obvious?. Perhaps his assignment was to block the kicker, 5 yards or more in advance of the kick, and he just forgot the 5 yards part. Maybe two of his teammates were assigned to block the two players he ran past. Perhaps he got confused and didn't follow his assignment. Perhaps he's just an idiot and wasn't paying attention to, or just forgot or misunderstood, his instructions.

Then again maybe the kicker is dating his girlfriend and he's got a grudge to settle, or any one of a thousand other possibilities.

The bottom line is that YOU have to make a decision and there's nobody available to help you. Your decision, what ever it is will stand and it will likely displease someone regardless of what you decide.

I'm just suggesting you have to be SURE of what you decide, as you may well have to answer for your decision long after the fact, and if your decision is based on speculation about why whatever was done, was done you need to be really careful how you explain things.

I agree.

Peace