Measurement

[pat727]

OK....To continue problems from last night's playoff game...With approximately 5 minutes left in game we are driving the ball and the score is 13 to 14 with them in the lead on about their 30 yard line and I am running a slowdown offense. Obviously there is no playclock so I have a stopwatch that I am hacking after the ready to play whistle. My kids run a no huddle so I am calling the plays in at 25 seconds. The chief official says... coach you have 5 seconds...So I quickly call the play and they run it and I glance up at the scoreboard and the clock is stopped!!!! I yell ...the clock is stopped!!!...the clock is stopped!!!..... The play is started...A power up the middle...Not for a first down...The clock starts and then stops again...I complain to the Sidejudge and he winds his arm...The Chief official has set the ball and blown the ready to play whistle as the sidejudge is winding his arm.. I am still in discussions with the sidejudge when the Chief Official calls out... Coach you have 15 seconds...So I yell across the field (only 2 officials show up to game so we have a chief acting as a sidejudge and a sidejudge)...the clocks not running...I am running my playclock off the official scoreboard...Now he winds his arm and still the clock does not start ...then the Chief says .....coach 5 seconds...My kids run the play...You can see where this is going can't you...We score with like 4 minutes left in the game...Opposing team gets the ball and drives down field...Now here is where it gets interesting ...they have 3rd down with like 3 minutes to play and they get a signaled first down...We say they didn't get a first down and ask for a measurement ...They measure and are 2 feet short...The Chief says he was certain they had it so he disregards the measurement and signals for a first down... We of course freak out so he calls for official time out to explain to us...Well the players on the field interpret the official time out whistle as the ready to play whistle and they run a play which means they have moved the ball from its spot...The official explains that because of the field not being properly marked he thought the sidejudge grabbed the chain in the wrong spot and thats why he signaled first down...Well of course the ball has been moved since the kids have moved the ball...The end result is that they end up scoring with a minute left in the game to tie it up and get the extra point to go ahead...They win 21-20....Question...How should the clock situation have been handled and how should the measurement situation been handled? Now the caveat to this is I have used this Chief Official before and I have a good relationship with him...I would never question his motivations...Anyways...Thoughts?

[bbcof83]

Originally Posted by pat727

OK....To continue problems from last night's playoff game...With approximately 5 minutes left in game we are driving the ball and the score is 13 to 14 with them in the lead on about their 30 yard line and I am running a slowdown offense. Obviously there is no playclock so I have a stopwatch that I am hacking after the ready to play whistle. My kids run a no huddle so I am calling the plays in at 25 seconds. The chief official says... coach you have 5 seconds...So I quickly call the play and they run it and I glance up at the scoreboard and the clock is stopped!!!! I yell ...the clock is stopped!!!...the clock is stopped!!!..... The play is started...A power up the middle...Not for a first down...The clock starts and then stops again...I complain to the Sidejudge and he winds his arm...The Chief official has set the ball and blown the ready to play whistle as the sidejudge is winding his arm.. I am still in discussions with the sidejudge when the Chief Official calls out... Coach you have 15 seconds...So I yell across the field (only 2 officials show up to game so we have a chief acting as a sidejudge and a sidejudge)...the clocks not running...I am running my playclock off the official scoreboard...Now he winds his arm and still the clock does not start ...then the Chief says .....coach 5 seconds...My kids run the play...You can see where this is going can't you...We score with like 4 minutes left in the game...Opposing team gets the ball and drives down field...Now here is where it gets interesting ...they have 3rd down with like 3 minutes to play and they get a signaled first down...We say they didn't get a first down and ask for a measurement ...They measure and are 2 feet short...The Chief says he was certain they had it so he disregards the measurement and signals for a first down... We of course freak out so he calls for official time out to explain to us...Well the players on the field interpret the official time out whistle as the ready to play whistle and they run a play which means they have moved the ball from its spot...The official explains that because of the field not being properly marked he thought the sidejudge grabbed the chain in the wrong spot and thats why he signaled first down...Well of course the ball has been moved since the kids have moved the ball...The end result is that they end up scoring with a minute left in the game to tie it up and get the extra point to go ahead...They win 21-20....Question...How should the clock situation have been handled and how should the measurement situation been handled? Now the caveat to this is I have used this Chief Official before and I have a good relationship with him...I would never question his motivations...Anyways...Thoughts?

I don't even know where to begin...

First, by chief do you mean Referee (or "White Hat")?

I assume this was a lower level game.

Sounds like the crew was shorthanded and doing the best they could on a poorly marked field. You need to understand in a lower level game you often get lower level officials and they are going to make mistakes. Next time I would suggest calling a time out or getting the official's attention for a conference (or Pow Wow if he really is a chief!) on the clock not running issue. Make sure he understands the situation and if it's stopping when it should run suggest he keeps the clock on the field rather than let the operator continue to botch it. I ALWAYS push for keeping the time on the field during undervarsity games because Johnny "Texter" up in the box could care less if he's running the clock correctly. If you know this guy, talk to him about your concerns so that they don't happen again in the future. The clock issue is totally preventable.

The measurement situation is a total mess. Probably had to be there but sounds like the crew just struggled on this one. I would MAKE SURE my wing grabs the chains in the right spot so this doesn't happen. If the WH knew the wing grabbed the chain in the wrong spot he should have stopped the process, corrected him, THEN measured. We all know at the lower levels chains are a huge guessing game AT BEST so I see how he could signal first down even if it's close (I never measure in undervarsity). Talk to him and make it a learning experience for all. Luckily it's youth football and life goes on.