Responding to sideline / bleacher chatter

[stegenref]

Originally Posted by umpirebob71

Do not ever not throw your flag because they yelled and "pissed you off."

I guess what I hated was that I wasn't able to come to my own conclusion before my thought process was interupted. I looked up and saw a kid pushing another kid in the back, but I didn't see the initial action, so I don't know if he was blocking him and the other kid turned around, but they were several yards off to the side of their initial position on the line of scrimmage (out of the neutral zone?), but still ON the LOS and the defender was in pursuit on a sweep. So I was going through all that thought process and now I'll never know if I would've thrown the flag or not if that fan hadn't yelled. In retrospect, I probably would've thrown the flag, but then I think I probably shouldn't have since I didn't see the start of the block.

[kdf5]

Two very simple rules that work for us:

1. If you THINK you saw a foul, then you didn't.
2. You get in more trouble dropping a flag than not.

Originally Posted by stegenref

I guess what I hated was that I wasn't able to come to my own conclusion before my thought process was interupted. I looked up and saw a kid pushing another kid in the back, but I didn't see the initial action, so I don't know if he was blocking him and the other kid turned around, but they were several yards off to the side of their initial position on the line of scrimmage (out of the neutral zone?), but still ON the LOS and the defender was in pursuit on a sweep. So I was going through all that thought process and now I'll never know if I would've thrown the flag or not if that fan hadn't yelled. In retrospect, I probably would've thrown the flag, but then I think I probably shouldn't have since I didn't see the start of the block.

We had the same problem in a freshman game a couple weeks ago, where a kid ended up on the turf needing medical attention (yes, the ambulance had to come on the field) because he was driven into the turf from behind. We were working three-man, and it went away from the linesman so the white hat and I (working U) had the play. By the time white hat and I both saw it, we weren't sure if it was initial action or not so neither of us flagged it. The coach of the kid that got hurt asked if either of us saw a block in the back (their bench was on the other sideline), we said we didn't see the initial action. Coach was ok with it, even though he had a kid laying on the turf. It happens, and not much you can do about it. Like the saying goes, "see what you call, call what you see."

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by stegenref

I guess what I hated was that I wasn't able to come to my own conclusion before my thought process was interupted.

Aw, poor baby. That'd be a great excuse for the players too, huh? "I thought I had an open receiver until someone in the audience yelled, `Throw it!'"

[InsideTheStripe]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Aw, poor baby. That'd be a great excuse for the players too, huh? "I thought I had an open receiver until someone in the audience yelled, `Throw it!'"

Wow. We don't normally see this level of snark from Robert.


stegenref -

I have the feeling that you still struggle with the rules. As your understanding of the application of the rules improves, I bet your observation to decision time will decrease. Until then... ignore the peanut gallery.

[parepat]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Aw, poor baby. That'd be a great excuse for the players too, huh? "I thought I had an open receiver until someone in the audience yelled, `Throw it!'"

Haven't we all spotted a foul and reached for our flag. In the meantime that coach that has been giving us grief all game points it out. You throw it, but on the inside you think. "great, now he thinks that I'm taking pointers from him" Has happened to me many times.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by parepat

Haven't we all spotted a foul and reached for our flag. In the meantime that coach that has been giving us grief all game points it out. You throw it, but on the inside you think. "great, now he thinks that I'm taking pointers from him" Has happened to me many times.

The best part is when he calls it out and you throw the flag but you are actually calling a foul against his team

Originally Posted by LDUB

The best part is when he calls it out and you throw the flag but you are actually calling a foul against his team

Did that once. Had a coach screaming for a personal foul for what looked like a late hit. From my vantage point, it wasn't. Coach was running out of the team area screaming. I threw the flag for USC. Coach said "Finally!" He went to attend to his player who had been injured on the play. When he turned his attention back to the field, he noticed his offense had lost yardage. He asked my white hat why. The explanation led to coach going ballastic and getting his 2nd USC and the trip off the field.

[RMR]

Originally Posted by LDUB

The best part is when he calls it out and you throw the flag but you are actually calling a foul against his team

Along those same lines, how many times have you dropped a flag and the coach raises all kinds of hell complaining about it and the foul you have is against the opponent?

Similar situation this past Friday:

Our R gives a preliminary signal for intentional grounding and the defensive coach is screaming and hollering that there is "no way in hell..."

Oooops, learn the signals coach, I know they're similar but someone who does this for a living should be able to distinguish between roughing the passer and intentional grounding.

Originally Posted by RMR

Along those same lines, how many times have you dropped a flag and the coach raises all kinds of hell complaining about it and the foul you have is against the opponent?

Similar situation this past Friday:

Our R gives a preliminary signal for intentional grounding and the defensive coach is screaming and hollering that there is "no way in hell..."

Oooops, learn the signals coach, I know they're similar but someone who does this for a living should be able to distinguish between roughing the passer and intentional grounding.

I would say this defensive coach apparently needs an eye exam!

[stegenref]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Aw, poor baby. That'd be a great excuse for the players too, huh? "I thought I had an open receiver until someone in the audience yelled, `Throw it!'"

Hmmm....