Proper spot and down?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Then if you don't whistle because you can't see the ball, what authority do you have to get the players off the ball? Does the ball stay live until the players get tired of laying in a heap surrounding it and go home?

I suppose you're being sarcastic, but I'll answer anyway.

The play kills the play. The whistle doesn't kill the play (unless it does!). The play is dead when the play is dead - even if my whistle doesn't go off. NO, most good officials (around here) will not blow the whistle when they go in to clean up a pile.