Winding and stopping clock

[Robert Goodman]

Are you saying that in Minn. someone has instructed officials to give signals for the clock operator that are contradictory as far as everybody on the field is concerned, just so the clock operator and others concerned will keep in mind that a "wind" command is "in the pocket" while awaiting RFP when a new series is awarded? Couldn't you use some other signal than one that's supposed to mean "run the clock now"?

[phansen]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Are you saying that in Minn. someone has instructed officials to give signals for the clock operator that are contradictory as far as everybody on the field is concerned, just so the clock operator and others concerned will keep in mind that a "wind" command is "in the pocket" while awaiting RFP when a new series is awarded? Couldn't you use some other signal than one that's supposed to mean "run the clock now"?

On the Minnesota officials website, they gave an example of an official winding the clock before stopping it after a first down. They told us not to do it anymore. I don't exactly know their reasoning, so I was asking any MN official "in the know" if we should or shouldn't wind the clock in the side zone where forward progress is established inbounds before being taken out of bounds behind progress spot. If we give no signal the clock should still run, however I believe it's a good communication tool to wind the clock in this situation. That is only my opinion. I can see both sides of the argument and was just wondering which they want us to do since this situation wasn't specifically covered.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by phansen

On the Minnesota officials website, they gave an example of an official winding the clock before stopping it after a first down. They told us not to do it anymore. I don't exactly know their reasoning...

Ohio now has the same mechanic. Once the line to gain has been reached, the covering official should stop the clock whether the runner is inbounds or out. The rationale is to preserve time on the game clock: rather than winding and then stopping, which might run off another couple seconds, kill it immediately to move the chains.

Communicating that the runner was inbounds is a separate step among the crew, and there's plenty of time to manage that later.

[bkdow]

phansen, my understanding of what Minnesota wants us to do is to signal stop the clock to stop a running clock and wind the clock for a stopped clock. We are not to wind a running clock or wind it and immediately stop it for some covert signal of when to start the clock.

The white hat controls when to restart the clock following a stopped-clock play. If he doesn't wind it, then it starts on the snap or first touching on a kick off.