The Official Forum - 7 players on the LOS

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ChickenOfNC (Post 613136)

...two players on the LOS on my side of the center I will flash "2" above my head to the opposite wing. He should flash "4" ...

[smart alec comment alert]

But if there are seven on the line, won't there always be three on either side of the center? I mean... if there are two on your side of the snapper and four on the other side of the snapper, then the snapper is not the center? ;)

Quote:

then the snapper is not the center?

That's why he is the snapper and should be referred to as such. A center is a tall basketball player.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaybird (Post 613451)

That's why he is the snapper and should be referred to as such. A center is a tall basketball player.

Not always...I had a "center" that was shorter than my power forward when I coached HS ball about 15 long years ago. He was a better jumper than the power forward, even if he was about 6 inches shorter! :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie (Post 613316)

The mechanic of having the LJ fully count ANY players -- offense or defense -- is screwed up because of his inability to often see players who are covered up.

What we do on my crew is that I (R) and the U have basically 2 signals with an outstretched hand that my wings know to look for. Closed fist = 11 players. Wings just verify no more than 4 in the backfield, which should be easy enough. Open fist = 10 or fewer players (and we leave this signal open until the snap), so no more than 3 in the backfield, and we are good. 4 = both wings flag. If there are more than 11, we have a foul. I tell my BJ to be responsible for the defense.

If the wings look at me or the umpire and don't see a signal, unless its real early in huddle/play, we have 11. I'll hold the 10 or fewer signal until the snap. I think after you've worked a while, its pretty easy to tell whether there are more than 11 on a glance, and you just verify it. Incidentally, when I count, its "4-4-3" or sometimes the formation will dictate that I count "3-3-3-2." Its important that everyone learn to count in multiples, as counting from 1 to 11 is very time consuming, even for the fastest guy. Group counting takes literally 2 seconds.

What is an "Open Fist"? Open Hand maybe?
Isn't an "open fist" easily confused with "Military Intelligence?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by KWH (Post 613626)

What is an "Open Fist"? Open Hand maybe?
Isn't an "open fist" easily confused with "Military Intelligence?"

He is an Aggie, so give him a little leeway.

When I am refereeing, I also give an open hand for 10 man and a fist for 11. I maintain this signal while my U just holds up until we acknowledge each other.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SC Ump (Post 613425)

If you'll go back and look at my whole post, I referred to the "center" early in the post, and the "snapper" at the end. Sometimes an old bit player/fan jargon creeps back into the vocab. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppaltice (Post 613662)

We thumb down 10 or fewer. 12 gets a recount and a flag.

"The referee is telling you there are 11 players. Therefore, ther wing are merely dtermining if there are less than 6 on the line. As for the player in "no-mans land," Yes, the wings will determine if the formation is legal. So, I think perhaps you may have answered your own question? "

This doesn't matter much anymore in college since the rule was re-written that there be no more than 4 in the back field. So, 6 on the line is no longer a foul if a team only has 10 players. With that being the case, I can't even see a reason for the Umpire to keep his signal up for the wings. Confirm 11 (or less) with the R and you are good to go.

Just another thought...if you use the "counting your side" technique, if you have your standard three on the line, take a QUICK look into the backfield and make sure there are four players. Just a double check for 11 O players. I can get through my pre-snap procedure so quickly I am looking for something else to do. Multitasking, per se. But one additional point: if you are unbalanced and have quads on one side, once again, you can do a double check for 11. Just helping out those in the middle a little bit.