Yes. There is now (as in NCAA) a 2 yard buffer zone.
Sideline. You. 2 yards. Chain crew. Coaches.

I'd think sideline warnings will decline.

I'm with Rut on the horse collar thing. I don't see it that much, if at all and much like facemasking, holding, and BIB, what we see is way different than what you hear yelled from the sidelines.

I think you might see more, at first.

The "sideline control" revisions seem like a great, sensible and very appropriate adjustment. This has never been an issue about practical differences, there simply are no practical arguments against any of these revisions that make any sense.

This issue has always been a question about practical, sound, safety related measures opposed to some obscure notion of territorial control that has been little more than a figment of the imagination.

For the same basic reasons there are rules that govern the interaction between pedestrians and trucks, there needs to be sensible guidelines governing the interaction between persons operating immediately on, or outside, a football sideline.

I wonder how long it will be before we see the following rule changes press release "We have dispensed with all NFHS rules and will now be adopting the rules of the NCAA." ;)

Fed started with NCAA's rules for football. So did the NFL. NCAA inherited them too; the football rules committee spawned NCAA, not vice versa.

My point was that it seems the Fed seems to be trending towards the current NCAA rules a bit more each year.

We can only hope! It sure would be easier on guys that call HS and college.

For a number of years there was a liaison committee between them. But that was a long time ago as far as most of you would be concerned.

You have to consider that NFHS rules apply to children playing football at both the sandlot and Seconday School levels between the ages of 8 and 18, which represents a completely different participation group than NCAA rule which are designed to manage a participation group between the ages of 19-30.

Considering the physical nature of the game of football, the contact involved at each different level plus the accumulative effect of proficiency gained by repetitive experience it makes little sense to think the same rules would be equally effective for participants between ages 8 to 30, or even more, years old.

Difficulty in calling games, is not a major concern, although thousands of competent officials have dealt with and mastered those difficulties when choosing to work through, or to, different levels.

Jay, I don't give a hoot about making it easier for guys who call both. That's their choice.

It does make it easier in the sense that there is less crap from the idiots in the stands. They "KNOW" the NCAA rules and apply them to high school. It's worse at the youth level because the coaches are in that category as well. I can just see it know when I make the first horse collar call and they tell me it's about time since I didn't call it all of last year!

Whatever particular rules code you happen to be working under makes little difference to "the idiot in the stands". Being correct is not one of his objectives, and it really doesn't matter to him whether you're correct, or not.

He just wants to sound smart and impress other idiots in the stands. The more attention you pay to anything he shouts, the happier he will be. The sooner you learn to totally ignore him, the better officiating will become.

This does not apply as much in the football arena. But in the basketball arena, there are times when a stupid fan is noticed by the officials; they tend to back off, because they have just embarrassed the people around them or who they are with. You would be surprised how many crawl into a hole when they act stupid in front of others and it brings the attention of their peers.

Peace

OK, it is in the rule book but how vigilantly will it be enforced. I can almost bet every other crew in my association will not enforce it out of fear they will be marked down.