Sideline Warning/Sideline Interference

[ajmc]

Sometimes, I think "Consistency" is the most misunderstood, misapplied word in our language, at least the football part of language. The reality is "we" only control consistency over the way "we" behave. That's not to say we don't strive to follow uniform mechanics and a standard set of rules, but every game is unique from whistle to whistle.

Personally, I agree that the objective of trying to manage a game, with all it's little personality quirks, with as little interference as possible is what we are there for. Using a SLW as a prelude to, or replacement for, what might otherwise be an USC foul even though it may not have been specifically intended for that purpose, may well be a smart approach to handling a correctable situation with the least amount of punishment.

Whatever circumstances you may be dealing with are absolutely unique. For any number of reasons there are so many variables in every confrontational situation, each one has to be handled individually. What may have happened in similar situations before, may well guide you, but it shouldn't restrict your flexibility of adjusting to suit the circumstances.

Consistency is important in that you treat both teams, players and coaches alike. That you apply judgments with the same sense of compliance, with the written rules, to both team equally. It also requires that you give each team, all players and coaches the same "benefit of the doubt"as much as possible.

We all know no two circumstances, even within a single game, are exactly alike, why should we or some coach expect something that happened last week, with different people, govern this week's reaction to different circumstances. Application of the rules should be consistent but the judgments governing the applications should be dependent on the specific circumstances of a particular situation, which are ALWAYS different.