50-60mph winds tonight for playoffs

[Canned Heat]

Dark team won the toss and deferred last night. Light team chose to defend the South goal. When we tried to talk the spokesman into taking the ball, his exact words were; "I know...we'll be kicking both halves. We want to pin them with the wind." Had an almost constant 35+ wind out of the S-SW last night, the entire game.

The goal post uprights at this school are about 2" pipe and they were bent about 5 or 6 feet out of square from the wind. I can never remember working a game on a natural grass field where you had to stand over the ball to keep it from blowing away.

On a side note....the victorious team passed quite a bit, but every long pass over 25 yards in the air had absolutely no chance by either team last night.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Canned Heat

Dark team won the toss and deferred last night. Light team chose to defend the South goal. When we tried to talk the spokesman into taking the ball, his exact words were; "I know...we'll be kicking both halves. We want to pin them with the wind." Had an almost constant 35+ wind out of the S-SW last night, the entire game.

Now see, unless you're expecting the wind to shift or die down, there's no advantage to starting with the wind as there is with games where you don't change ends with the quarters.

[Robert Goodman]

One Sat. in the 1970s there was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico that produced two 67-yard FGs (NCAA) and one 69-yarder (Abilene Christian, NAIA).

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Now see, unless you're expecting the wind to shift or die down, there's no advantage to starting with the wind as there is with games where you don't change ends with the quarters.

I don't understand why teams make such a big deal over which goal they defend. They are going to defend both of them for half the game so it shouldn't matter much.

[Rock Chalk]

Originally Posted by Cobra

I don't understand why teams make such a big deal over which goal they defend. They are going to defend both of them for half the game so it shouldn't matter much.

Easy answer. Momentum. Had a game last night where one team couldn't get the ball out of their end and because of the wind didn't punt the ball past the 35 yard line. They gave up 21 points in the quarter and none of the 3 scoring drives were longer than 35 yards. They didn't turn the ball over. They ended up losing by 21 points.

If a team can pin a team deep and score a few TD's while they have the wind at their advantage it can dictate the game.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Rock Chalk

Easy answer. Momentum. Had a game last night where one team couldn't get the ball out of their end and because of the wind didn't punt the ball past the 35 yard line. They gave up 21 points in the quarter and none of the 3 scoring drives were longer than 35 yards. They didn't turn the ball over. They ended up losing by 21 points.

If a team can pin a team deep and score a few TD's while they have the wind at their advantage it can dictate the game.

By "momentum" you mean psychology. If they thought the same way regarding tiebreaking frames, they'd rather "bat in the top of the inning".

BTW, in my club's games we don't change ends at the quarters, because for crowd control reasons they have the team bench areas on the same side of the field, and they don't want to make the subs have to walk thru each other twice (more) a game. So when we had a windy Saturday it did pay to choose an end to defend.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Cobra

I don't understand why teams make such a big deal over which goal they defend. They are going to defend both of them for half the game so it shouldn't matter much.

There are more downs at the end of a half than at the end of the 1st or 3rd quarters. It makes sense to most teams to have the wind at one's back and/or be looking at the scoreboard to end a half.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by mbyron

There are more downs at the end of a half than at the end of the 1st or 3rd quarters. It makes sense to most teams to have the wind at one's back and/or be looking at the scoreboard to end a half.

There are more downs only because a team is looking to conserve time. If they had the wind in the odd numbered quarter they could conserve time then.

[bkdow]

I cannot believe you are asking about which end to defend when there is a 50 mph wind blowing the length of the field. If you have the wind at your back you can successfully kick or throw the ball if the situation requires it at the end of the game or half. If you fall behind in the scoring and the wind is in your face, you can't do anything drastic at the end of the half or game to get big plays.

Besides, who calls a time out in the 1st and 3rd quarters to "conserve time"?

[Canned Heat]

Let me also add that it mattered little in defensing the other team's passing game and actually hindered the electing team when they were down and needed to pass late in the game. The team that chose wind also was pinched at their own endzone late from a 60+ yard punt that K downed at R's 1....forcing them to have to punt out of their own EZ for a 17 yarder. Is back fire one or two words...?

I'll stay out of the pi$$ing match you guys have got going about number of plays and what not, but in those conditions...there is clearly an advantage in going with the wind.

Worked a youth game last night in nearly the same conditions and had a split end get pushed forward by the wind for a false start. Field was terrible and almost nothing but dirt to the point that my ump had to literally hold the ball between his feet or hold it with his hands or the ball would blow away in a split second until the center got it in his hand...absolutely crazy out there.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by bkdow

I cannot believe you are asking about which end to defend when there is a 50 mph wind blowing the length of the field. If you have the wind at your back you can successfully kick or throw the ball if the situation requires it at the end of the game or half. If you fall behind in the scoring and the wind is in your face, you can't do anything drastic at the end of the half or game to get big plays.

Besides, who calls a time out in the 1st and 3rd quarters to "conserve time"?

I saw a team burn 2 at the end of the first quarter to force a team to punt into the wind a few weeks ago. It ended up being a 12 yard punt and the other team scored a TD quickly.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by bkdow

I cannot believe you are asking about which end to defend when there is a 50 mph wind blowing the length of the field. If you have the wind at your back you can successfully kick or throw the ball if the situation requires it at the end of the game or half. If you fall behind in the scoring and the wind is in your face, you can't do anything drastic at the end of the half or game to get big plays.

Actually, in my game Tuesday night, the team that won scored on a 60ish yard pass against the wind with about 2 minutes remaining in the game. (Granted, it was a lucky "heave it up and hope for the best" pass and the defenders collided with each other and fell down, but still).

Besides, who calls a time out in the 1st and 3rd quarters to "conserve time"?

Same team tried to call a timeout at the very end of the 3rd quarter, so that they could punt with the wind. Unfortunately for them, the play didn't end until after time had expired, so they were unsuccessful in their attempt. I would consider that an attempt to "conserve time".